Who was Lazarus in the Bible?
Here's the answer:
There are two men named Lazarus in the Bible. The first Lazarus is spoken of in one of Jesus’ parables. The second Lazarus lived in Bethany and was the brother of Martha and Mary.
The first Lazarus we see in the Bible is the Lazarus spoken of in Jesus’ parable (Luke 16:19-31). A parable is a story with a spiritual lesson. In this parable, Lazarus is a poor man. He was a beggar and only bad things happened to him. Lazarus was known to stay at the gate of a rich man, hoping to get a few scraps of food. Both the rich man and Lazarus die; however, only Lazarus goes to heaven and is seen beside Abraham. The rich man goes to Hades, which is a place of torment.
The second Lazarus we see in the Bible was a man who lived in Bethany. He was the brother of Martha and Mary (John 11). Jesus loved Lazarus, Martha, and Mary (John 11:5). When Lazarus gets sick, Martha and Mary send word to Jesus, asking Him to come heal their brother. While Jesus is on His way, Lazarus dies.
When Jesus saw the place where Lazarus is buried, He wept (John 11:35). After weeping, Jesus approaches the tomb, but Martha warned Him there would be a bad odor because her brother had already been dead for several days. Jesus calls out for Lazarus to come out and Lazarus exits the tomb with his burial clothes on (John 11:43-44). Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead and all the people were amazed.
Bible Truth
"Once there was a rich man. He was dressed in purple cloth and fine linen. He lived an easy life every day. A man named Lazarus was placed at his gate. Lazarus was a beggar. His body was covered with sores. Even dogs came and licked his sores. All he wanted was to eat what fell from the rich man’s table" (Luke 16:19-21).
"Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus" (John 11:5).
"Then Jesus called in a loud voice. He said, 'Lazarus, come out!' The dead man came out. His hands and feet were wrapped with strips of linen. A cloth was around his face. Jesus said to them, 'Take off the clothes he was buried in and let him go'" (John 11:43-44).
