1 Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. 3 So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” 4 But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”
5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. 7 Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” 8 The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?” 9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. 10 But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” 11 After saying these things, he said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.” 12 The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” 13 Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep. 14 Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died, 15 and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” 16 So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”
17 Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. 18 Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, 19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. 20 So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. 21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”
28 When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying in private, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” 29 And when she heard it, she rose quickly and went to him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha had met him. 31 When the Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary rise quickly and go out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there. 32 Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. 34 And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus wept. 36 So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” 37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?”
38 Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. 39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.” 40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” 41 So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.” 43 When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” 44 The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”
45 Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what he did, believed in him.
— John 11:1-45, ESV

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He came into the world at about the same time as Jesus, perhaps a little sooner, or later.  Born to parents from the tribe of Levi, he was given the priestly, Jewish name Eleazar at birth.  Since the Romans ruled their world, however, he went by his Greek name, Lazarus.  He was shy and quiet, having two sisters, Martha and Mary, who liked to do most of the talking.  He was devout, possessed of a great love for God’s Word, written and living.  Outside of Holy Scripture, his three favorite words were breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

So, it seemed odd when he did not come out of his room that evening for dinner.  Martha, who did most of the cooking since her mother passed away, had prepared his favorite dish of fried chicken, turnip greens, mashed potatoes, with banana pudding for dessert.  Mary, after she finished her nightly devotion using her ESV Study Bible, came to the table.  Their father, Simon, reclined for the meal, then noticed Lazarus was missing.  So, he cried out:

Where’s Lazarus?  Lazarus was sick (ref. vs. 1-4).  

He had been the sickly little brother for most of his life, but nothing very serious, until now.  With first century medical care, or the lack thereof, it was difficult to diagnose just what ailed him.  They thought it best to leave him alone to rest and hopefully get well.  

They sent a prayer request to their dearest friend, Jesus of Nazareth.  Whenever Jesus came from Galilee for the Jewish festivals in Jerusalem, He and his entourage would always stop by their house in the suburb of Bethany.  They shared many meals, stories, and laughs.  They would soon share tears.

When Jesus got the news He already knew what was about to happen.  He was, is, and always will be omniscient God.  The Lord knew Lazarus was sick, suffering, and about to die, though the death would not be permanent.  He also knew, since Lazarus was a true believer, that even in this valley of the shadow of death, Lazarus and Jesus together were going to do something “for the glory of God.”  

Where’s Lazarus?  He is in you, child of God.  

You get sick, you suffer, you endure many trials.  And, yes, one day, you are going to die.  Jesus loves you.  Jesus cares about you.  Jesus can make sure your death is not permanent.

So, whether you eat or drink, [or live or die], or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
— 1 Corinthians 10:31

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The next morning at breakfast, Lazarus was a no show once again.  This made two meals in a row.  It must be bad.  No, it was worse.  

From afar Jesus had prayed, tarried for two days, then the trip to come would take another two days.  His disciples didn’t want Him going near Jerusalem again, for the Sadducees and Pharisees were out to kill Him.  They figured Lazarus would recover, like always, with the help of his sisters.  So they asked Jesus,

Where’s Lazarus?  Lazarus was dead (ref. vs. 5-16).

“Fallen asleep” was a euphemistic way of saying it.  The Pharisee Saul who would become the Apostle Paul was fond of putting death in terms of sleep.  He probably got it from this story.

Jesus was determined to go and see His friends, like we would be if we were losing a loved one.  The disciples hedged.  Then doubting Thomas, who in this case was faithful Thomas, talked the whole gang into going, risk be d … darned.  Thomas was a Baptist who did not like to curse.

Where’s Lazarus?  He is in you, child of God.  

You are going to die.  Jesus knows when, how, and why.  He is not afraid.  Why should you be, afraid of something Jesus has promised over and over again to take care of?  He will take care of you, because He loves you, just like He loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus.

“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
— 1 Corinthians 15:55-57

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Four days passed between the time Jesus got the news and made it to their home in Bethany.  When He arrived He found a house full of mourners.  He saw Simon, Martha, Mary, but He did not see Lazarus.  So He asked the question to which He already knew the answer.

Where’s Lazarus?  Lazarus was buried (vs. 17-27).  

Funerals are great times to preach the gospel.  Jesus, the supreme gospel preacher, did not miss the opportunity.  He put it in memorable terms:

I am the resurrection and the life.  Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who believes in me shall never die.
— John 11:25-26

Martha made a great confession of faith.  I am sure it was shared by Mary and Lazarus.  What a great Christian family!  In Lazarus’ case, his faith was about to produce the richest dividends in the world, and in the world to come.  

Where’s Lazarus?  He is in you, child of God.  

If by grace you have made a sincere profession of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, death and the grave will not be a grave death for you.  There will be love, joy, and peace at your funeral.  The gospel will be preached.  The best is yet to come.

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
— Philippians 1:21

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Lazarus’ funeral, so called, would become a time of shock and surprise.  But before the big moment there was a time of sadness and a stunning revelation.  The shortest verse in the Bible sums it up:

Jesus wept.
— John 11:35

Martha wept.  Mary wept.  Jesus wept!  In the midst all of this weeping, we have to ask the question,

Where’s Lazarus?  Lazarus was loved (ref. vs. 28-37). 

We live in a day of increasing tragedies.  There is war, terrorism, school shootings, senseless murder and mayhem.  Some say it is a sign of the times of the return of Christ.

I say, as a Christian, that the victims and families of such tragedies should be kept in our thoughts and prayers.  Secular society mocks and says such things like thoughts and prayers are useless.  I don’t think so.  Jesus did not, either.  They demonstrate the love of God, the compassion of Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Where’s Lazarus?  He is in you, child of God.  

Jesus loves you.  Jesus, omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent God, is always thinking about you.  Jesus is always praying for you.  This will He do until He sees you face to face.

Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.
— Hebrews 7:25

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Jesus is a person of perpetual thoughts and persistent prayers.  Of course, He is a man of action as well, and He was about to do something on behalf of His dear friend, Lazarus.  

Family and friends begged Jesus not to do it, not to roll away that stone.  No stench in the world is worse than decaying flesh, and four days would have been prime time for the fullness of the foul odor. 

Jesus listens to us, until He doesn’t.  His commandments are greater than our complaints.  Here He gives two direct orders: “Take away that stone;” and, “Lazarus, come out!”

Drum roll, please.  Everyone held their breath.  For a few seconds, which seemed like four days, nothing happened.  One of them, probably Martha, broke the silence.  She cried out, 

Where’s Lazarus?  Lazarus is alive (vs. 38-45)!

This was at least the third time such thing had happened, Jesus ruining a perfectly good funeral by raising the dead to life.  He did it for Jairus’ daughter (ref. Mark 5:21-43), a poor widow’s son (ref. Luke 7:11-17), and His one of His best buddies, Lazarus.  

Of course, the Gospels give us just a glimpse of the good news about Jesus, so it probably happened on other occasions, too.  It happened en mass at the crucifixion of Christ (ref. Matthew 27:52).  It will happen world wide when Christ returns.

Where’s Lazarus?  He is in you, child of God.  

You will suffer, get sick, and die.  In most cases, there will be a funeral.  In virtually all cases, Jesus will not appear to break it up by bringing you up, at least not at that moment.  But the day will come when it will be “the day of the Lord.”  

But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.
— 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

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On that day, one of the questions we might dare to ask is, Where’s Lazarus?

Lazarus is with the King of kings, Lord of lord, Savior of the world.  His life and legacy is now a miracle, a parable, and a preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  It is good news of life, death, burial, love, and resurrection.  

It is Jesus’ story. It is Lazarus’ story.  It is your story, I pray. 

If by grace through faith you have “believed in Him,” that is, the Lord Jesus Christ, you are saved.  You will live forever.  You are going to Heaven.  There you will see Jesus, face to face.  You will see the great saints of all time.  You will see your fellow Christian loved ones.  

When you have time, and time is all you will have, look up Lazarus.  If you can’t find him, shout out, 
Where’s Lazarus?

Then spend a million years or so talking to him about the glory of God and the gospel of Jesus Christ.