The raising of Lazarus is singlehandedly the most significant religious experience in the Christian faith. It exists as the most apparent example of Jesus’s power over nature; it displays Jesus’s compassion and divinity, and foreshadows the death and resurrection of Jesus. The raising of Lazarus is detailed in the Gospel of John, where Jesus brings Lazarus of Bethany back from the dead after being buried for four days. Lazarus was extremely ill, so Jesus waited for him to die so he could revive him. This account is vital to the Christian faith and it deserves the throne of the most significant religious experience in Christianity.
The raising of Lazarus showed that it is possible to come back to life for all people. Jesus had performed several
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Jesus stated in this story “"I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die” and then Martha Lazarus’s sister says “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God” (John 11:23-27). This is one of the few times that Jesus outright states that he is the Son of God and divine. He then backs this up by bringing Lazarus back from the dead. From this story he understands that we have problems like illness, but if you believe in God you will have eternal life, which matters the most. Jesus Christ gives humans hope of life beyond death, which is one of the fundamental tenets of Catholicism. Jesus also demonstrates that he is the one who gives life.
This miracle is known as the "resurrection that will lead to death" for a reason. By helping Lazarus, Jesus revealed that he is truly godly because of that he gained a huge group of followers and also helped led to his death. The Pharisees also recognized his powers and they were afraid that if he continues performing miracles everyone will believe in him and subsequently the Romans will come and destroy their temple and nation. From that point Jewish leaders began to make a plan to kill
The resurrection of Jesus himself is a concept that is hard to believe. How can a man come back to life, and why is this the first time this has happened? Jesus was not written about till after his death. The gospels were told by Jesus’ apostles and their recollection of Jesus and his teachings. The Council of Nicaea were Christian theologians who decided which stories about Jesus to include in the Bible. The Council of Nicaea left out the Gnostic gospels “hidden knowledge” which talked about Jesus’s early childhood. Why should we believe the council when they left out the parts of Jesus’ life they did not agree with.“Even those whose hearts were inclined to accept the new faith required some intellectual satisfaction before they were willing to commit: How can God be three separate beings- God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit- and one indivisible being at the same time? If Jesus is “coeternal” with God, why is there no mention of him in the two thousand-year tradition of Hebrew writings? If Jesus is the divine Son of God, how could he experience such human emotions as temptation, fear, and loneliness?” 1 (pg. 229)
Jesus is “greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved” when visiting the tomb of Lazarus, but when he commands Lazarus to rise and the man did, “many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him” (John 11. 33, 45). Even though Jesus wishes to heal Lazarus during the time of sickness, he chooses to wait in order for more people to experience his healing miracle. The event where Jesus raises the dead man symbolizes the complete healing of the physical and spiritual being of a man. Jesus purposefully waits so that a large amount of people can experience the miracle, which consequently leads to people believing in him and his power to heal a person completely in both the physical and spiritual
The Christian faith believes Jesus died and rose from the grave. In
With the spirit of the congregation lifted, people swayed, shouted, and reflected on God giving a new name. The Right Rev. W. Darin Moore introduced Rev. Julian C. Pridgen, pastor of St. Augustus AME Zion Church, and described him as a non-fanfare preacher. Standing tall like wheat in a full field, Rev. Pridgen based his sermon, “Lazarus Ain’t the Only One,” on John 12:9-10. In his lyrical, smooth, southern drawl voice, he described what happened to Lazarus in the chosen periscope. He poignantly and instructively helped the congregation have a deeper and reflective understanding of the text and its context. In great preaching tradition, this preacher scholastically, theologically, and prophetically moved the church to a spiritual frenzy causing exuberant moments of praise, prayer, and crying. People filled the altar with sobs and
The Biblical story of Lazarus is the story of when Jesus brought Lazarus back to life four days after his death. The first line in this poem that brings up the image of the Biblical story is “a sort of walking miracle”, since the raising of Lazarus was considered a miracle of Jesus. When reading the poem for the first time, I definitely felt the dark tone along with the idea that the whole poem was related to death. As I read further in, it was obvious that this woman was speaking about her multiple suicide attempts. The speaker believes that “dying is an art”, and she says she does “it so it feels real”, insinuating that without dying, she will not feel complete or fulfilled. She says that “it’s the theatrical”, meaning she does this for attention,
There is far reaching agreement among researchers today over a wide religious spectrum that the resurrection of Jesus is the focal point of Christianity, asserted by conventional believers in light of New Testament passages like 1 Corinthians 15:12-20. However, it is also declared by secular analytical intellectuals also. One of the major confrontational arguments facing Christian theology or apologetics is the resurrection of Jesus being a significant part; therefore, if the
Jesus is alive, for he continued to work in the lives of his disciples. The change of the lives of his followers demonstrate the work of Christ in them. Our historical knowledge relies on testimonies. The testimonies of the disciples are valid because eleven of them dies for their belief in the claims that Jesus made (McDowell 89-90). The power of Jesus is shown through them. Initially, they were cowards in their faith. Peter denied Jesus three time, and Thomas doubted Jesus’ resurrection. The disciples’ weak faith in Jesus and doubt in his resurrection suddenly transformed into an undeniable belief that led them to give up their lives for this Jesus. What could have changed the disciples’ minds so suddenly besides the witnessing of the resurrection of Jesus. They all personally had an encounter with the resurrected body of Jesus. Peter, one of the disciples of Jesus, proclaimed that
The discussion post presents an interesting argument for the inclusion of the Resurrection as a sign. Several intriguing points are made and provide some notable opinions. Interesting is the definite fact pointed out that death is enviable. Jesus is clear that there is a death that all must face, but also a life that is available for those who chose it. Morris mentions that Jesus never hid the fact that each person is faced with a choice they have to make with concern and results effecting their eternal life. However while Jesus presents this in full disclosure to His disciples, it is apparent that the chief priests and the Pharisees where the only ones who actually took Him seriously since they posted guards at the tomb. Even to this
In the modern Western culture, there are few topics that are more controversial than the discussion of Jesus Christ in public places, whether on the political stage, in the workplace, or in public schools. The silence of Christians in the face of violent criticism against the faith has led many to wrongly assume that Christianity is a faith based on myths and falsehoods, which could never be backed by fact or historical evidence. At the center of this assumption is the resurrection of Jesus, an event so miraculous that, without digging a little deeper, it seems impossible that it could actually be supported by evidence. However, regardless of how impossible it might seem, there is a wealth of evidence available to support the biblical Resurrection
There are four main arguments used to deny the historical reality of the Resurrection. In this essay, I will explain why they are not supported by the facts of the matter
1.4 Why did Jesus heal? The healing works of Jesus portrayed in the Gospels are one part of his ministry as a whole. The healings took place in a wide variety of contexts and were related to an assortment of theological and practical issues. The healings served as evidence that the Kingdom of God had come; they affirmed Jesus’ authority as son of God; they revealed God’s mighty power in the world; and very importantly they simply expressed love and compassion toward human beings and attempted to alleviate their suffering. The healing stories serve to convey a number of points central to the Christian mission.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ can be seen as a highly argued topic. However, Perman’s article, “Historical Evidence for the Resurrection”, does a magnificent job detailing and explaining evidence of Jesus’ resurrection that will make you a believer. When looking at evidence of Jesus’ resurrection, no other theory of what happened to Jesus can compare, and it is overall seen as the best explanation. The historical grounds show solid truth that Jesus has risen from the dead.
Jesus, the second part to the Trinity was sent down to Earth to save all of humanity. He is God, yet He is man. Jesus saved humanity through the incarnation, atonement, and resurrection. Incarnation refers to God becoming man and dwelling with us (Krise 2015). John 3:16, states “For God so love the world, that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but have everlasting life” (Zondervan Study Bible NIV, John 3:16). God had a plan to save humanity, using Jesus to redeem people for their sins. The atonement refers to Jesus accepting what He must do to save humanity. A bible verse that explains the atonement is Isaiah 53:4-5, “Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed” (Zondervan Study Bible NIV, Isaiah 53:4-5) Three days after Jesus died on the cross, He resurrected. This was a promise He made to His followers and this was a promise He did not break. The resurrection shows just how powerful the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit really are. “God asserts His ultimate power in the Resurrection. Human beings can bring God into the grave, but they cannot keep Him there” (Sarot). Jesus’ life and the events that occurred are very significant to
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is not a miracle, special effects or a magic show. It's a message, a sign, it has a deeper meaning. When I think of the resurrection, the word hope comes to mind. If I had a penny for every time I thought I was going to give up I would have a lot of pennies. But in my doubts, I thought about Jesus rising from the grave and what he went through, how he had faith in his father, and hope in his heart that he would be able to get through the pain he was suffering from us, why can't I keep pushing through. Now I'm not saying I'm Jesus, I couldn't go through all that pain for a lot of these people and still have love for all of them afterwards, that's why he's one of a kind. The resurrection gives me hope in society,
The illness that afflicted the nobleman’s son shows us how weak, frail and mortal we are. Jesus’ healing of the man’s son shows us that we can be healed of our sins but only through Him are we saved. He shows that we can have eternal life through Him.