Lazarus is, to cut the list of translations short, the Latin name for the Hebrew name Eleazar. It’s important that we note that, and we’ll come back to that in a bit.
First, please open your Bibles and read Luke 17:19-31. This is the account of the rich man who squandered his worldly assets on selfish things rather than going forward with the opportunities to minister to those around him in need. He is, in short, sentenced to Hell, where, across the great void, he sees the beggar Lazarus with Abraham in paradise. He begs for some relief from his torment from Abraham, asking first that Lazarus give him a drop of water to cool his tongue, then asks that Lazarus be sent to warn his surviving family not to follow in his footsteps to a similar fate. Abraham denies the first request, citing essentially that the man is reaping what he sowed, and the second request is denied because the opportunities for salvation are well known to his earthly family and they have the choice already laid before him.
What is interesting here is that, in Scripture, the beggar is given the name Lazarus, but the rich man is left nameless. Some traditions later give the man the name Dives, however, we’re focusing strictly on scripture which keeps the man nameless. It’s important that the rich man is nameless because he represents us; or at least the potential us, the person we could become if we choose poorly in matters of faith verses sin. It’s also important that the beggar is given the name Lazarus, or as we’ve just figured out, Eleazar.
The next account in scripture of the name is in Jesus’ friend Lazarus. Read John 11:1-43 to be brought up to speed on what was going on there. There is so much going on here that you really should take your time to piece it out. Jesus is requested by Mary and Martha to aide their sick brother, Jesus’ good friend Lazarus. Lazarus is a devout Jew living in the town of Bethany, which is just outside of Jerusalem. Its easy to see how Jesus would have come into contact with Lazarus throughout his life, since Jesus’ family made annual pilgrimages to Jerusalem, Lazarus would have been there around the same time and they very well could have gotten to know each other during these times. The text suggests that Jesus is closer to Lazarus than he is to most people he comes into contact with, likely the term we would use today would be “best friends”. I’m sure you have that one friend with whom you are closer than the rest; I know I’ve got one. Given that conjecture, we can see Jesus’ reaction to the grieving of his other friends, Mary and Martha, and how it would move him.
After Jesus raises Lazarus, there is celebration, but I want you to read John 12:1-19. Lazarus’ resurrection becomes a rallying point for the believers in Jesus. Healing the sick and blind and deaf is one thing, but to call the dead from their tomb is something that the people of that day really took notice of.
I want to spend just a bit here talking about that scene, where in Jesus calls Lazarus from the tomb. The tomb in question would have been a rough cut cave, with a stone rolled in front of it. It would have been just long enough to fit a body, and maybe just high enough for a man between 5’2” or 5’4”, the average height in those days, to stand slightly stooped, and maybe four feet across. Not big at all, really. Some skeptics would say that Lazarus wasn’t dead when he was put into the tomb, that he just stayed in there waiting for Jesus to arrive to perpetuate the hoax of resurrection. The problem is that Lazarus’ body was prepared in the Jewish tradition, with tightly wrapped grave clothes covered in a thick layer of spices and perfumes. In four days, in a hot, small cave, this would have created a pretty distinctive shell around the body. Lazarus would have suffocated in the first day, and wouldn’t have survived four days entombed.
Others would argue that Lazarus’ resurrection was propaganda set forth by Jesus’ followers, yet in the text denotes that there were more than just Jesus’ friends and disciples there. There were those present who had not yet decided to follow Jesus, and the resurrection of Lazarus became the lightning rod for a new contingent of followers. The people of that day were not stupid. They would not have followed someone unless they absolutely believed in what they were doing. They would have questioned until they found nothing that could be questions, true validity to the identity of Jesus as the Christ.
So, remember what we were talking about earlier? What is in the name Lazarus, or from the Hebrew source Eleazar? Every name has a meaning. Take mine for example, “Michael”. It translates to “Who is like God?” Before you start with the jokes about how such a name might feed one’s ego, remember the question mark there. It’s a question posed to the world. “Who is like God?” The answer is “No one is like God.” Eleazar has a meaning to. It means “God’s assistance.”
The rich man in the parable was denied God’s assistance because he put more faith in his worldly status than he did in God in life. The account of Lazarus being raised shows that death does not subjugate God’s assistance, that through Christ, God’s assistance is brought back to us. It is a historical account that comes with a metaphor. Possibly it’s a little serendipity, possibly a bit of irony, but likely more an active decision on the part of the Almighty that young Jesus would be friends with a man named “God’s assistance”. The important thing is to know that if we seek it with a pure heart and unselfish motives, God’s assistance is always available to us.
Let us close in prayer:
Father in Heaven, we need your assistance. From sunrise to sunset and all the hours in between, we are besieged by the world. We face daily difficulties in finance, work, society, in the very sinfulness of our fallen world. Grant us the assistance to stay focused on you. Grant us the assistance to help bring others to you. Our world is shameful in your light, and we ask the assistance to bring glory to your name. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
Michael Bauch
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