The body was washed and wrapped with burial clothes. Professional funeral services, including paid mourners, were held. Meanwhile, before the messenger arrived back to the house, Lazarus had died. Since the disciples were used to parables, they tarried with him for two full days. When his disciples urged him to hurry, Jesus used the common euphemism of "sleep" for death. Unknown to her, Jesus planned to delay his coming to display the power of the Father in bringing the dead back to life. When things got bad, though, Martha dispatched a messenger to Galilee to bring Jesus to heal her brother. However, the fact that Jesus was in hiding made it even more urgent that no unnecessary attention should be drawn to the Rabbi. His was not a chronic condition which could have waited until festival time for Jesus to come. It is not known what disease had overcome young Lazarus, but it killed him relatively quickly. With his sisters, he believed what he heard and became a disciple of the Messiah. As an observant Jew, he had begun to attend temple services in nearby Jerusalem where he probably heard Jesus preach. Assuming this, then he can be said to have been born late in the reign of Augustus Caesar. If he had been older, it is probable that he would be the master of the house run by the women. One who holds the name is a memorial to the work of God in the families life.Īs the younger brother of two sisters, it is likely that Lazarus had yet to reach an age of majority. The name was held by one of the first high priests of Israel. Lazarus is a Greek form of the Hebrew name Eleazar, which means "God has helped".
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |