It was a touching scene. Lazarus was gravely ill. His two sisters, Mary and Martha, sent word to Jesus, who was across the Jordan River: “Lord, see! the one for whom you have affection is sick.” (John 11:3) They knew that Jesus loved Lazarus. Would not Jesus want to see his sick friend? Curiously, instead of going to Bethany immediately, Jesus stayed where he was for the next two days.​—John 11:5, 6.

Lazarus died some time after the message about his sickness was sent. Jesus knew when Lazarus died, and he intended to do something about it. By the time Jesus finally arrived in Bethany, his dear friend had been dead four days. (John 11:17, 39) Could Jesus bring back to life someone who had been dead that long?

On hearing that Jesus was coming, Martha, a woman of action, ran out to meet him. (Compare Luke 10:38-42.) Touched by her sorrow, Jesus assured her: “Your brother will rise.” When she indicated her faith in a future resurrection, Jesus plainly told her: “I am the resurrection and the life. He that exercises faith in me, even though he dies, will come to life.”​—John 11:20-25.

Upon arriving at the tomb, Jesus directed that the stone closing its entrance be taken away. Then, after praying aloud, he commanded: “Lazarus, come on out!”​—John 11:38-43.

All eyes were fixed on the tomb. Then, out of the darkness, a figure emerged. His feet and hands were bound with wrappings, and his face was bound with a cloth. “Loose him and let him go,” ordered Jesus. The last of the unraveled bandages fell to the ground. Yes, it was Lazarus, the man who had been dead four days!​—John 11:44.

The account of the raising of Lazarus is presented in the Gospel of John as a historical fact. The details are too vivid for it to be a mere allegory. To question its historicity is to question all the miracles of the Bible, including the resurrection of Jesus Christ himself. And to deny the resurrection of Jesus is to deny the Christian faith as a whole.​—1 Corinthians 15:13-15.

Actually, if you accept the existence of God, you should have no problem believing in the resurrection. To illustrate: A person can videotape his last will and testament, and after he dies, his relatives and friends can see and hear him, in effect, as he explains how his estate is to be handled. A hundred years ago, such a thing was unthinkable. And to some people now living in remote parts of the world, the technology of video recording is so beyond comprehension as to seem miraculous. If scientific principles established by the Creator can be used by humans to reconstruct such a visible and audible scene, should not the Creator be able to do far more? Is it not reasonable, then, that the One who created life is capable of re-creating it?

The miracle of Lazarus’ restoration to life served to increase faith in Jesus and the resurrection. (John 11:41, 42; 12:9-11, 17-19) In a touching way, it also reveals the willingness and desire of Jehovah and his Son to perform the resurrection.

The response of Jesus to Lazarus’ death reveals a very tender side of the Son of God. His deep feelings on this occasion clearly indicate his intense desire to resurrect the dead. We read: “Mary, when she arrived where Jesus was and caught sight of him, fell at his feet, saying to him: ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.’ Jesus, therefore, when he saw her weeping and the Jews that came with her weeping, groaned in the spirit and became troubled; and he said: ‘Where have you laid him?’ They said to him: ‘Lord, come and see.’ Jesus gave way to tears. Therefore the Jews began to say: ‘See, what affection he used to have for him!’”​—John 11:32-36.

Jesus’ heartfelt compassion is here indicated by three expressions: “groaned,” “became troubled,” and “gave way to tears.” The original-language words used in recording this touching scene indicate that Jesus was so deeply moved by the death of his dear friend Lazarus and the sight of Lazarus’ sister weeping that His eyes brimmed over with tears.a

What is so remarkable is that Jesus had previously brought two others back to life. And he fully intended to do the same with Lazarus. (John 11:11, 23, 25) Yet, he “gave way to tears.” Restoring humans to life, then, is not a mere procedure for Jesus. His tender and deep feelings as manifested on this occasion clearly indicate his intense desire to undo the ravages of death.