Over these past few weeks I have been preaching on Lazarus from John 11 and 12. After sitting in Lazarus’ company these past few weeks, I have come to believe that it is likely that Lazarus had a mental disability. Granted, we do not possess enough data to arrive at any kind of certainty. If it were not for a couple of chapters in John, we would not know that Lazarus existed. We look through a glass darkly. Yet it is this lack of information that first began to peak my interest.

We know that Jesus loved Lazarus (John 11:3). We also know that because of Lazarus’ coming back from the dead, many people came to believe in Jesus (John 12:11). Would not such a figure have been someone of note in the early church? Yet Lazarus does not show up anywhere on the pages of Acts. He is not mentioned by Paul or Peter or any other church writer. To my knowledge there is no early church writing or legend that tells us about Lazarus. This is curious.

Also curious is the fact Lazarus lives with his two sisters, Martha and Mary, in Bethany. Bethany could be translated: “Poor house”. Why are three grown siblings living together in poverty? There are many potential explanations. Yet it is surprising that in a culture that gave greater importance to men than women, Martha and Mary are the more well known and prominent members of this house. When Jesus visits this household in Luke 10, Lazarus is not mentioned.

Everytime we visit this home, Martha and Mary are speaking and acting. They are well rounded, interesting human beings. Martha is always hard at work making people feel welcome. She is also quick to criticize and question when others are not doing what she thinks they should be doing. Mary is a bit more quiet, but is known for her deep love for Jesus. Both in Luke and John, she sits at Jesus’ feet, demonstrating her love and desire to be discipled by the Master.

Lazarus, on the other hand, does not do anything. The only thing Lazarus does is walk out of a tomb when instructed. He even needs help removing his grave clothes. Lazarus never says a word when he comes out of the tomb. When he sits at a dinner table with Jesus in John 12, he is completely silent.

What about the Lazarus in Jesus’ parable in Luke 16? We cannot be sure that this Lazarus is the brother of Martha and Mary. This is, after all, a parable. But if it is the same Lazarus, it does fit the picture we have in John 11 and 12 – he is a poor man who never says a word.

Again, we do not have enough information to come to firm conclusions about Lazarus. But Lazarus being mentally disabled fits the data. It would explain why he was not active in the early church. It would explain why he lives with his two sisters. It would explain why Martha and Mary are the more notable figures in this home. It would explain why Lazarus never seems to say or do anything.

So let’s just assume for a moment that Lazarus had some type of mental disability. This raises a question: if Jesus could raise Lazarus from the dead, would he not also heal Lazarus of his disability?

The thing we have to understand about the Lazarus story is that not only did Lazarus die, Lazarus is still dead. When Lazarus walks out of his tomb, he is still wrapped in his grave clothes. Death has not been defeated, it has merely been delayed. The story of Lazarus is more a story of resuscitation than resurrection. When Jesus walks out of the tomb, it is a resurrection! Death is defeated! He has passed through his grave clothes, they cannot hold him anymore!

When Lazarus walks out of the tomb, he is returning to the life he had before death. His body and mind have not yet been perfected. The grave clothes hold him firmly in their grasp. The beautiful part of the story is that Jesus loves Lazarus in his imperfection. In fact, Jesus loves Lazarus enough to die for him (in John’s gospel, Jesus’ raising of Lazarus is the immediate instigator of Jesus’ death). The raising of Lazarus is Jesus’ affirmation that he loves us in this life, as broken, fragile, and corrupt as our bodies and life may be.

When Jesus first comes to Bethany, Martha tells Jesus, “I know Lazarus will be raised on the last day.” In other words, she knows that someday all will be well, but it is not this day. Jesus responds to Martha by saying: “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25). As Eugene Peterson puts it in the Message: “You don’t have to wait for the End. I am, right now, Resurrection and Life.”

The Lazarus story is a beautiful affirmation of Jesus’ love for people in the midst of this life, with all our imperfections and inabilities and disabilities. If Lazarus was mentally disabled, Jesus loved Lazarus all the same! In fact, Jesus often uniquely loved those who were most weak and vulnerable. 

When Paul famously prays for God to remove the thorn in his flesh, the Lord replies: “My grace is enough for you, because power is made perfect in weakness.”

Jesus loved Lazarus not because of what Lazarus was able to do, Jesus loved Lazarus for Lazarus – just as he was! Jesus loved Lazarus enough to die for him. This is how Jesus loves you. This is how Jesus loves the weak, despised, poor, homeless, and disabled. If Lazarus was disabled, it does not make the miracle of Jesus raising him from the dead less miraculous. It makes the miracle more radical and beautiful than I ever could have imagined.