Raising Lazarus
Message sent to Jesus
Jesus had three friends who were brothers and sisters. Their names were Lazarus, Mary, and Martha.
One day, Lazarus was very sick. So Mary and Martha sent Jesus a message to come quickly.
By Distant Shores Media/Sweet Publishing, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18888543
Martha Meets Jesus
But Jesus stayed where he was two more days. By the time Jesus walked to the town where Lazarus lived, Lazarus had been dead for four days.
Martha came to see Jesus first and said, “If you had been here, my brother, Lazarus, wouldn’t have died.”
By Distant Shores Media/Sweet Publishing, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18888553
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Everyone who believes in me will never die. Do you believe me?”
Martha said she did and added, “You are the Christ, the Son of God.”
By Distant Shores Media/Sweet Publishing, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18888555
Mary meets Jesus
Mary came to see Jesus second and said, “If you had been here, my brother, Lazarus, wouldn’t have died.”
Mary was crying and all Mary’s friends were crying. Jesus groaned, because no one thought he could do anything.
By Distant Shores Media/Sweet Publishing, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18888558
Walking to the Tomb
He asked, “Where is Lazarus?” They took him to see where he was buried.
On the way they said, “I know Jesus healed a blind man, I wonder why he didn’t keep Lazarus from dying.”
By Distant Shores Media/Sweet Publishing, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18888560
Lazarus Awakens From Sleep
When Jesus came to the tomb, he first thanked God for listening to him.
Then he shouted, “Lazarus, come out.” And Lazarus came out of the tomb alive and well.
By Distant Shores Media/Sweet Publishing, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18888571
The End
After that, many people came to visit the house to see if Lazarus was really alive and also to meet Jesus. They were glad to see Lazarus alive and well.
By Distant Shores Media/Sweet Publishing, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18888582
Discussion Questions
What did you learn from this story?
Why do Martha and Mary blame Jesus for not being there when Lazarus died? Did they think Jesus could help Lazarus now or did they think it was too late? Is it ever too late for God to help us?
Why does Jesus' prayer start with giving thanks? How can we begin our prayers with giving thanks? How might a prayer like that start? What are you grateful to God about?