Lazarus of Bethany is ill, and his sisters Martha and Mary send word to Jesus. Yet Jesus does not immediately go to them. By the time he arrives, Lazarus has been in the tomb for four days.

Martha meets Jesus outside the village. Their conversation moves from grief to resurrection hope. Martha believes her brother will rise at the resurrection on the last day, and Jesus responds by identifying himself with resurrection and life.

Mary later comes to Jesus weeping, surrounded by mourners. Jesus is deeply moved. At the tomb he weeps, one of the Gospel’s most memorable moments because power over death is presented alongside genuine grief in the face of death.

Jesus orders the stone removed. Martha objects because of the time that has passed. After praying, Jesus calls Lazarus out. The dead man emerges still wrapped in burial cloths, and Jesus tells the people to unbind him.

The miracle produces sharply different responses. Many believe, while others report the event to authorities. John connects the raising of Lazarus directly with the growing decision to kill Jesus. The sign that restores one man’s life therefore accelerates the conflict leading toward Jesus’ own death and resurrection.