Lazarus was the man Jesus raised from the dead after four days in the tomb. The Gospel of John places the raising of Lazarus of Bethany in John 11, shortly before Jesus’ final journey to Jerusalem.
Lazarus was the brother of Martha and Mary, and the Gospel says Jesus deliberately arrived after Lazarus had died. By the time Jesus reached the tomb, Martha emphasized that there would already be an odor because four days had passed. Jesus ordered the stone removed and called Lazarus out, after which Lazarus emerged still wrapped in burial cloths.
This story is distinct from other Gospel restorations to life, including Jairus’ daughter, the widow of Nain’s son, and Tabitha in Acts. John presents Lazarus’s raising as a major sign that intensifies both belief in Jesus and opposition to him. Later traditions about Lazarus’s life after the miracle vary, and they are not part of John’s account.