Death of Lazarus comes as a great shock

The death took place in Bethany last week of Lazarus, a member of the prominent local wine-producing family. A native of the village, which is about three kilometres from Jerusalem, he was just 32.

He had been ill for some time but his death, while not unexpected, still came as a great shock to family and friends. He was not been married and is survived by two sisters, Martha and Mary.

His funeral on Saturday was one of the largest ever seen in Judea. It was accompanied by heart-rending grief, particularly when the stone was rolled across the entrance to his tomb, sealing off his remains for eternity. Both sisters remain inconsolable.

As well as being a highly successful businessman, until his recent illness Lazarus was the proverbial "life and soul" wherever two or three were gathered. His appetite for life and company was insatiable, as was his generosity to friends and even the anonymous needy. It was said he made many donations he could not remember subsequently.

He was also a gifted storyteller with a wonderful talent for mimicry. Among his many favourite tales was the recent one of a wedding he attended at Cana with his close friend, the preacher Jesus. The wine ran out early in the celebrations and his account of the ensuing panic was hilarious. Jesus did not attend the funeral. Nor has he been in contact with Martha or Mary. They are said to be deeply hurt by his inexplicable insensitivity.

In Jerusalem, it has been speculated since that Jesus is fearful of arrest and is avoiding all places he would be expected to be. He visited Lazarus, Martha and Mary, in Bethany shortly before Lazarus became ill, but did not stay long. Indeed, on that occasion he criticised Martha for fussing.

When he arrived Mary sat down with him and they chatted for hours while Martha worked around the house. Eventually, Martha got fed up with this and said to Jesus, "Doesn't it matter to you that she has left all the work for me to do while she sits there nattering with you? Tell her to help me!"

But Jesus replied, "Martha, Martha, take it easy. You worry too much about too many things. Just take one thing at a time. Mary is the one who is right." Martha was furious.

She is said to have told friends afterwards that Jesus had lost the run of himself. "He is not a bit like he used to be. You know, I think he actually believes those things he says about himself", is what one friend said she remarked at the time. But it had not been possible to confirm this. It was recalled in Jerusalem over the weekend that Jesus had once told a young man to "let the dead bury the dead". The young man had said he would follow Jesus as soon as he buried his father.

Remembering this, a source at the High Priests' Office said Jesus's absence from Lazarus's funeral was "just the latest example of the cold-hearted lack of human compassion this fellow is capable of. What he does not seem to realise, or care about, is that funerals are for the living and not the dead. Are we to conclude that poor Martha and Mary are now among the dead who must bury the dead?", he asked.

It is also rumoured that Jesus had known of Lazarus since the evening it happened, but still refused to go to Bethany. True or otherwise this story has encouraged even deeper hostility towards him. A friend of the preacher, who said he was with Jesus when he was told the news, was quoted as saying his response was not one of grief but "almost of joy".

He said something on the lines of, "This has happened to bring glory to God and through it to his son, who will also receive glory". The friend, who did not wish to be named, said, "I don't know what he meant, but sure we don't know half the things he means, half the time".