Lazarus (both of them)

 It is interesting that there are two important stories in the New Testament about men called Lazarus. As so often happens, the names have meaning important to the stories.  The name Lazarus is the Greek form of the name in Hebrew Eleazer, which means "God will help."  Both stories show how God will help his faithful children.

The first story is a parable that Jesus gives in Luke 16: 19-26.  It was meant as a rebuke to the Pharisees for putting too much importance on wealth and status.  In the story a man called Lazarus is poorly treated by his master "who was clothed in purple and fine linen." (vs 19).  Lazarus dies and then the rich man dies as well.  After death their roles are reversed.  Lazarus is in Abraham's "bosom" and the rich man burns in hell. The rich man begs to Abraham to send Lazarus to give him relief but Abraham says the he cannot. 

This is such an interesting and complex parable.  As the parable starts it would be easy for the Pharisees to think Lazarus represents "the Jews".  He has a very Jewish name and when he dies he goes to the bosom of Abraham. It would also have been natural for them to associate the rich man with the Romans.  The Roman custom was for their rulers to wear "purple", and they were famous for their elaborate feasts.  But as the story goes on, it becomes clear that Jesus is associating the Pharisees with the rich man and the more humble classes of Jews with Lazarus. In other words, he is suggesting without actually saying it, that the Jewish leaders were as oppressive as their Roman overlords. 

The story of the second Lazarus is found in John 11. Jesus' friend, Lazarus becomes ill and Jesus intentionally delays going to him until after Lazarus has died, specifically so he could raise him from the dead.  This obvious miracle was the last straw that convinced the Jewish hierarchy that Jesus must be eliminated.  It has always seemed interesting to me that the whole thing was so "staged."  Jesus intentionally lets Lazarus die and rot in the grave so he can show forth great power by bringing him back to life.  Why make such a production number out of it?  One answer is that he knew he must die at the hands of the Jewish leadership and this was a way to push them into doing what he needed them to do.  This idea seems a little harsh, though.  

After reading the Old Testament last year another reason came to mind.  There were several prophets of the Old Testament, especially right before the Babylonian captivity, that performed ritualistic acts to demonstrate future events.  For example God to Jeremiah to walk around with a yolk on his neck to signify the coming captivity (Jeremiah 27).  Hosea was told to marry a harlot to represent Israel's unfaithfulness to their God (Hosea 3-5).  I think Jesus' raising of Lazarus was just such an act.  He was prophesying of his own death and resurrection.  There are so many similarities.  Lazarus, like Jesus, was in the tomb several days, signifying that he was well and truly dead.  There was a stone rolled in front of his tomb that had to be removed.  Lazarus arose wrapped in a shroud with a cloth on his face, just as the shroud and cloth were found in the tomb after Jesus arose.  These were all elements of Jesus' own death and resurrection.  I think he knew he had to do this ritualistic act so that in hind sight the disciples would believe that he had truly risen from the grave, like Lazarus did.  He did it to prove what he said to Martha, "I am the resurrection and the life".  

I personally think that the reason Jesus wept when he saw Mary and Martha and the Jews weeping of Lazarus, wasn't just out of sympathy for their grief.  I think he felt bad that he had to intentionally put them through this hard ordeal. It was important that this event happen, but it came at the expense of the emotions of those he loved, and I think it was hard for him to put them through all that.  I think that sometimes he feels bad at what we have to go through.  It is like when a parent cries when they have to take their child to the doctor for shots, even though they know the shots are good for the child. It is still hard to see our children' suffer. Or when I, as a young mother, lay in bed weeping as I listened to my baby cry himself to sleep.  I knew he needed to learn to go to sleep in his bed, but his little voice seemed to sound betrayed and it broke my heart.  I think that is why Jesus wept.