Forming Faith Blog

Healing Death (John 11)

Posted on February 10 2026 by Gregory Rawn
  • Date: February 22, 2026
  • Bible Reading: John 11:1-44 
  • The Point: Jesus brings life into the world.
  • Unit Theme (February 18—March 8): Following Jesus

The raising of Lazarus was Jesus’ seventh and ultimate sign in John’s Gospel, pointing directly to his identity as “the Life” and his own resurrection.

A woman grieving at a graveside like Mary and Martha grieved for their brother Lazarus.
Photo by Arina Krasnikova
Signs, Signs, Signs

This reading marks the first Sunday of Lent. During the previous six weeks, the season of Epiphany, we saw Jesus revealed through the testimony of John, conversations with a Pharisee and a Samaritan, and four miracles. The Gospel of John only describes seven miracles and calls them signs. The first six are:

  1. Water into wine (John 2)
  2. Healing the official’s son (John 4)
  3. Healing a man on the Sabbath (John 5)
  4. Feeding the 5,000 (John 6)
  5. Walking on water (John 6)
  6. Healing a man born blind (John 9)

Seven, of course, is a highly significant number in Scripture. And Jesus’ seventh and final sign is the story we are reading today: the raising of Lazarus. This is the ultimate sign, both in the original meaning of ultimate (last) and the more common usage (best). Jesus, indeed, saved the best for last.

What Happened?

Outside of the narrative of John’s Gospel, Jesus became dear friends with Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. They were clearly also faithful followers. This had all been established at some undescribed point before today’s story. Curiously, when he introduces her, John points out Mary in particular for her actions, which, at this point in the story, haven’t happened yet. She doesn’t anoint Jesus until the following chapter, and that action might be a result of Jesus’ miracle here.

Jesus’ reactions in this story strike me as a little odd. He is calm and possibly a little detached at the beginning. As I interpret this, Jesus foreknew that Lazarus would die and that God would bring him back to life, and so he delayed his return to Bethany until he was sure that Lazarus was dead (a precondition of this sign). But when he encountered Mary and others weeping, he joined them in their sorrow. And then he gave a performative (though I’m sure genuine) prayer before raising Lazarus with a command.

The Resurrection and the Life

In addition to the seven signs, John’s Gospel also has seven “I AM statements” (incidentally, we have a free curriculum that covers five of the seven statements). These statements each provide a metaphor that teaches us about who Jesus is (like “I am the light of the world”), but specifically hints at his deity with the “I AM” connecting with God’s self-identification in the burning bush. 

This ultimate sign is the only sign that is centered on an I AM statement (though several statements are connected to signs).

“I am the resurrection and the life.”

John 11:25

So, within this story of Lazarus, Jesus is not only demonstrating that he has the power to bring (back) life, but his very identity and purpose are tied to undefeatable life.

Mary, always the faithful disciple (Luke 10:39), makes a leap of faith here. When Jesus asks her if she believes that he is connected to resurrection and life, she responds that she believes he is the Messiah. The Jewish people in this time period (of which Mary is one) had many beliefs about the Messiah, but a supreme power over life and death was not one of them, as far as I understand.

Extreme Healing

There is a strong and purposeful connection between this miracle and Jesus’ own resurrection. In fact, it is likely that this sign is meant to point to Jesus’ resurrection, which can be thought of as the eighth sign. But what Jesus did for Lazarus is also different in essence from Jesus’ own resurrection. In Jesus’ resurrection, he was himself, but also changed. He had what Paul would later call a spiritual body (1 Corinthians 15), including the ability to appear and disappear at will.

Lazarus, on the other hand, was back to his old, normal life (if someone who experienced what he did could ever be considered normal again). So, I would identify this miracle as a healing miracle, even if it is to the extreme. A healing miracle is one where someone’s body, which had experienced some sort of disease or disorder, was made whole, healthy, and well. With Lazarus (as with others Jesus raised from the dead), the main difference is that this disease/disorder had already led to death (whatever death is). Even more so than the others, since Lazarus’ body was already decomposing (thus the stench). 

Who Was It For?

We generally think of Jesus’ healing miracles as being for the person who regained full health. But who actually was this for?

  1. Lazarus: Obviously, Lazarus was able to enjoy life again as someone who was no longer dead. But his suffering had been over. He would have never experienced pain again and was with God. His eventual resurrection was assured (verse 24).
  2. His loved ones: I would say that in terms of immediacy and the relief of suffering, the main beneficiaries of this miracle were actually those who loved Lazarus, specifically his sisters. Much can be debated about Jesus’ own weeping, but I think that it was in empathy with Mary and Martha’s pain. Lazarus might have been beyond pain and suffering, but his sisters were certainly not. And their grief would not be over anytime soon, if it ever would be.
  3. Everyone else: The purpose of all four Gospels was to teach people about Jesus, the Messiah. But while the other three Gospels used miracle stories to teach about Jesus obliquely, by calling them signs, John makes it clear that he is describing these actions to point to something about Jesus. In this case, Jesus comes out and says it with his I AM statement.
  4. The religious leaders: I’m less sure about this one, but John is clear that Jesus is at least semi-omniscient. So, he knew what the results of this sign would be: provoking the religious leaders into killing him (John 11:45-53; 12:9-11).
Who Grieves and for What Do We Grieve?

While modern medicine can do a lot to prevent people from dying, we cannot bring someone back who is already dead (though we have done a lot to push back the goalposts of when death actually begins). But four days later is definitely too late.

However, grief remains very real. We cannot take away someone’s loss, but we can help make it a little less difficult and a little less lonely. Practical actions like cooking, cleaning, childcare (if relevant), and similar tasks can help. So can just sitting with the grieving person.

And while we often limit the word “grief” to those impacted by death, it is also the emotional and mental reaction to any type of loss. Loss of a job, an expected future, hope, and more can lead to grief.

  • Who do you know who is grieving? How can you help?
  • Are you grieving over something? How might you rely on others to help you while you grieve?

In Christ,

Gregory Rawn (Publisher)

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