The Rising of Lazarus of the Four-Days was a foreshadowing of the Resurrection of Christ and a prefiguring of the General Resurrection.

The Rising of Lazarus intensified the hatred of the Jews, who, as soon as they learned of it, sought to kill Lazarus and Christ. Lazarus laughed only once after his raising when he saw someone stealing a clay pot in Kition. On the tombstone, it is written “Lazarus of the Four Days, Friend of Christ.” However, his relics were translated from Cyprus to Constantinople In 890 AD, under the Emperor Leo VI of Byzantium, who composed the Troparion, which is sung during the Vespers Service on Lazarus Saturday. He passed away in Cyprus in 63 AD, and his tomb is now in the city of Kition. It is said that Lazarus was 30 years old when he firstly reposed in the Lord and then he lived for another thirty years after he was raised. Even though he had reposed in the Lord four days before, he came out of his tomb wrapped in his burial shrouds. Jesus Christ lifted up his eyes to heaven, thanked God and Father, and cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth.” He called on Lazarus’ soul to return to his dead body. Everybody knew that Jesus and Lazarus were close friends. When Jesus went to the tomb he shed a tear for his friend and, then, ordered the people around him to remove the tombstone. Jesus Christ told them to confess that they still believed in God’s providence and then explained to them that He was the Resurrection and the Life. They explained to Him that it might be too late as he had already been buried four days before. He asked them to visit his tomb together. As we move towards Easter and Jesus’ own resurrection, I want to study the raising of Lazarus. We know the disciples saw Jesus perform many unrecorded miracles, so there may have been many more. As soon as he arrived in Bethany, He comforted the sisters of Lazarus. The raising of Lazarus is one of three stories of individuals that Jesus resurrected from the dead (besides Himself).

Raising of lazarus definition