拉撒路多次遇见了耶稣。他们二人是朋友，耶稣和衪的门徒时常都在拉撒路和他的姊妹马利亚和马大的家作客。所以，当拉撒路去世时，耶稣和他的家人一样感到非常伤心。
当时，拉撒路死了已经有四天之久，人人都知道他确实已经去世了。虽然如此，耶稣却叫他们打开墓门 － 当衪吩咐拉撒路出来时，那死人就复活和从坟墓里出来了。
这是一个令人感到震惊的神迹，它不但彰显了耶稣行神迹的能力，它更让我们看见耶稣能够胜过死亡。这个故事可以说是另一个更重要的故事的预演，就是耶稣复活的故事。当耶稣对马大说：“复活在我，生命也在我！信我的人，虽然死了，也必复活。”时，衪就是指着衪将会复活这件事而说的。
耶稣的能力胜过死亡这个事实，使我的丈夫和我自己得到极大的盼望，所以我们给儿子起名叫拉撒路。我们希望他的名字显明他能够得到的盼望 － 在他生命中每一天都得到 － 因为复活和生命都在耶稣。拉撒路和我们每一个人，都可以有盼望，因为耶稣的能力胜过死亡。
主和救主，我们赞美你，因为你的能力胜过死亡；我们赞美你，你既是永活的，我们便可以永远与你一起活着了。阿们。
约翰福音 11:17-27, 38-44
17耶稣到了，就知道拉撒路在坟墓里已经四天了。
18伯大尼离耶路撒冷不远，约有六里路。
19有好些犹太人来看马大和马利亚，要为她们的兄弟安慰她们。
20马大听见耶稣来了，就出去迎接他；马利亚却仍然坐在家里。
21马大对耶稣说：“主啊，你若早在这里，我兄弟必不死。
22就是现在，我也知道，你无论向神求什么，神也必赐给你。”
23耶稣说：“你兄弟必然复活。”
24马大说：“我知道在末日复活的时候，他必复活。”
25耶稣对她说：“复活在我，生命也在我。信我的人，虽然死了，也必复活；
26凡活着信我的人必永远不死。你信这话吗？”
27马大说：“主啊，是的，我信你是基督，是神的儿子，就是那要临到世界的。”
38耶稣又心里悲叹，来到坟墓前。那坟墓是个洞，有一块石头挡着。
39耶稣说：“你们把石头挪开！”那死人的姐姐马大对他说：“主啊，他现在必是臭了，因为他死了已经四天了。”
40耶稣说：“我不是对你说过，你若信，就必看见神的荣耀吗？”
41他们就把石头挪开。耶稣举目望天，说：“父啊，我感谢你，因为你已经听我。
42我也知道你常听我，但我说这话是为周围站着的众人，叫他们信是你差了我来。”
43说了这话，就大声呼叫说：“拉撒路出来！”
44那死人就出来了，手脚裹着布，脸上包着手巾。耶稣对他们说：“解开，叫他走！”
“Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. - John 11:43-44
Lazarus met Jesus—many times. The two of them were friends. Jesus and his disciples had often stayed at the home of Lazarus and his sisters, Mary and Martha. So when Lazarus died, Jesus joined the family in grieving deeply.
Lazarus had now been dead for four days, long enough for everyone to know that he was certainly dead. But Jesus told them to open the tomb anyway—and when he commanded Lazarus to come out, the dead man came back to life and walked out of the tomb.
This is an astonishing miracle, but it shows us even more than Jesus’ miraculous power. It shows us that Jesus is stronger than death. This story acts like a kind of preview for the even more important story of Jesus’ resurrection. Jesus points forward to that event when he says to Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die.”
This reality of Jesus’ power over death gives my husband and I such great hope that we have named our son Lazarus. We want his name to point to the hope that he can have—every day of his life—because Jesus is the resurrection and the life. Lazarus and each one of us can have hope because Jesus is stronger than death.
Lord and Savior, we praise you that you are stronger than death. We praise you that because you live, we can live forever with you. Amen.
诵读: 骆云秀
片头: 张妙阳
