Meredith Sprunger's Synopsis of The Urantia Book
Synopsis of Paper 168
THE RESURRECTION OF LAZARUS
1. When Martha and Mary sent word to Jesus concerning Lazarus's illness, they were confident the Master would do something about it ...And when Lazarus died a few hours after the messenger left Bethany for Philadelphia, they reasoned that it was because the Master did not learn of their brother's illness until it was too late... But they, with all of their believing friends, were greatly puzzled by the message which the runner brought back... The messenger insisted that he heard Jesus say, "...this sickness is really not to the death." Neither could they understand why he sent no word to them nor otherwise proffered assistance.
2. When Martha met Jesus, she fell at his feet, exclaiming, "Master, if you had been here, my brother would not have died!"... When she had spoken, Jesus reached down and, lifting her upon her feet, said, "Only have faith, Martha, and your brother shall rise again." Then answered Martha: "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection of the last day; and even now I believe that whatever you shall ask of God, our Father will give you."
3. Then said Jesus, looking straight into the eyes of Martha: "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he dies, yet shall he live. In truth, whosoever lives and believes in me shall never really die. Martha, do you believe this?" And Martha answered the Master: "Yes, I have long believed that you are the Deliverer, the Son of the living God, even he who should come to this world.”
4. After Jesus had spent a few moments in comforting Martha and Mary, apart from the mourners, he asked them, "Where have you laid him?" Then Martha said, "Come and see." And as the Master followed on in silence with the two sorrowing sisters, he wept.
5. It is difficult to explain to human minds just why Jesus wept...We are inclined to believe that Jesus wept because of a number of thoughts and feelings which were going through his mind at this time, such as:
1. He felt a genuine and sorrowful sympathy for Martha and Mary...
2. He was perturbed in his mind by the presence of the crowd of mourners, some sincere and some merely pretenders. He always resented these outward exhibitions of mourning...
3. He truly hesitated about bringing Lazarus back to the mortal life... Jesus regretted having to summon his friend back to experience the bitter persecution which he well knew Lazarus would have to endure as a result of being the subject of the greatest of all demonstrations of the divine power of the Son of Man.
6. And now we may relate an interesting and instructive fact: Although this narrative unfolds as an apparently natural and normal event in human affairs, it has some very interesting side lights... the records of the universe reveal that Jesus' Personalized Adjuster issued orders for the indefinite detention of Lazarus's Thought Adjuster on the planet subsequent to Lazarus's death, and that this order was made of record just fifteen minutes before Lazarus breathed his last. Did the divine mind of Jesus know, even before Lazarus died, that he would raise him from the dead? We do not know.
7. And so, on this Thursday afternoon at about half past two o’clock, was the stage all set in this little hamlet of Bethany for the enactment of the greatest of all works connected with the earth ministry of Michael of Nebadon, the greatest manifestation of divine power during his incarnation in the flesh...The small group assembled before Lazarus's tomb little realized the presence near at hand of a vast concourse of all orders of celestial beings assembled under the leadership of Gabriel and now in waiting, by direction of the Personalized Adjuster of Jesus, vibrating with expectancy and ready to execute the bidding of their beloved Sovereign.
8. When Jesus spoke those words of command, "Take away the stone," the assembled celestial hosts made ready to enact the drama of the resurrection of Lazarus in the likeness of his mortal flesh. Such a form of resurrection involves difficulties of execution which far transcend the usual technique of the resurrection of mortal creatures in morontia form and requires far more celestial personalities and a far greater organization of universe facilities.
9. It was the common belief of the Jews that the drop of gall on the point of the sword of the angel of death began to work by the end o' the third day, so that it was taking full effect on the fourth day... they firmly believed that such a soul had gone on to the abode of departed spirits ere the fourth day had dawned.
These beliefs and opinions regarding the dead and the departure of the spirits of the dead served to make sure, in the minds of all who were now present at Lazarus's tomb and subsequently to all who might hear of what was about to occur, that this was really and truly a case of the raising of the dead by the personal working of one who declared he was "the resurrection and the life."
10. Jesus lifted up his eyes and said: "Father, I am thankful that you heard and granted my request. I know that you always hear me, but because of those who stand here with me, I thus speak with you, that they may believe that you have sent me into the world, and that they may know that you are working with me in that which we are about to do." And when he had prayed, he cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!"
11. Though these human observers remained motionless, the vast celestial host was all astir in unified action in obedience to the Creator's word. In just twelve seconds of earth time the hitherto lifeless form of Lazarus began to move and presently sat up on the edge of the stone shelf whereon it had rested. His body was bound about with grave cloths, and his face was covered with a napkin. And as he stood up before them—alive—Jesus said, "Loose him and let him go."
All, save the apostles, with Martha and Mary, fled to the house. They were pale with fright and overcome with astonishment. While some tarried, many hastened to their homes.
12. Lazarus greeted Jesus and the apostles and asked the meaning of the grave cloths and why he had awakened in the garden. Jesus and the apostles drew to one side while Martha told Lazarus of his death, burial, and resurrection. She had to explain to him that he had died on Sunday and was now brought back to life on Thursday, inasmuch as he had had no consciousness of time since falling asleep in death.
13. Then went Lazarus over to Jesus and, with his sisters, knelt at the Master's feet to give thanks and offer praise to God. Jesus, taking Lazarus by the hand, lifted him up, saying: "My son, what has happened to you will also be experienced by all who believe this gospel except that they shall be resurrected in a more glorious form. You shall be a living witness of the truth which I spoke—I am the resurrection and the life. But let us all now go into the house and partake of nourishment for these physical bodies."
14. By noon the next day this story had spread over all Jerusalem. Scores of men and women went to Bethany to look upon Lazarus and talk with him, and the alarmed and disconcerted Pharisees hastily called a meeting of the Sanhedrin that they might determine what should be done about these new developments.
15. Even though the testimony of this man raised from the dead did much to consolidate the faith of the mass of believers in the gospel of the kingdom, it had little or no influence on the attitude of the religious rulers at Jerusalem except to hasten their decision to destroy Jesus and stop his work,
16. After more than two hours of discussion and acrimonious debate, a certain Pharisee presented a resolution calling for Jesus' immediate death, proclaiming that he was a menace to all Israel and formally committing the Sanhedrin to the decision of death, without trial and in defiance of all precedent...But this resolution did not come to a vote since fourteen members of the Sanhedrin resigned in a body when such an unheard‑of action was proposed... When these resignations were subsequently acted upon, five other members were thrown out because their associates believed they entertained friendly feelings toward Jesus. With the ejection of these nineteen men the Sanhedrin was in a position to try and to condemn Jesus with a solidarity bordering on unanimity.
17. No matter what the source of his wonder‑working power, these Jewish leaders were persuaded that, if he were not immediately stopped, very soon all the common people would believe in him... It was at this same meeting of the Sanhedrin that Caiaphas the high priest first gave expression to that old Jewish adage, which he so many times repeated: "It is better that one man die, than that the community perish."
18. On the way from Bethany to Pella the apostles asked Jesus many questions... All that day, again and again, they reverted to the discussion of this question of the answer to prayer. Jesus' answers to their many questions may be summarized as follows:
1. Prayer is an expression of the finite mind in an effort to approach the Infinite. The making of a prayer must, therefore, be limited by the knowledge, wisdom, and attributes of the finite; likewise must the answer be conditioned by the vision, aims, ideals, and prerogatives of the Infinite...
2. When a prayer is apparently unanswered, the delay often betokens a better answer, although one which is for some good reason greatly delayed...No sincere prayer is denied an answer except when the superior viewpoint of the spiritual world has devised a better answer...
3. The prayers of time, when indited by the spirit and expressed in faith, are often so vast and all‑encompassing that they can be answered only in eternity... the prayer of faith may be so all‑embracing that the answer can be received only on Paradise.
4. The answers to the prayer of the mortal mind are often of such a nature that they can be received and recognized only after that same praying mind has attained the immortal state...
5. The prayer of a God‑knowing person may be so distorted by ignorance and so deformed by superstition that the answer thereto would be highly undesirable. Then must the intervening spirit beings so translate such a prayer that, when the answer arrives, the petitioner wholly fails to recognize it as the answer to his prayer.
6. All true prayers are addressed to spiritual beings, and all such petitions must be answered in spiritual terms...Spirit beings cannot bestow material answers to the spirit petitions of even material beings...7. No prayer can hope for an answer unless it is born of the spirit and nurtured by faith...
8. The child is always within his rights when he presumes to petition the parent; and the parent is always within his parental obligations to the immature child when his superior wisdom dictates that the answer to the child's prayer be delayed, modified, segregated, transcended, or postponed to another stage o spiritual ascension.
9. Do not hesitate to pray the prayers of spirit longing; doubt not that you shall receive the answer to your petitions. These answers will be on deposit, awaiting your achievement of those future spiritual levels of actual cosmic attainment, on this world or on others...
10. All genuine spirit‑born petitions are certain of an answer. Ask and you shall receive. But you should remember that you are progressive creatures of time and space.
19. Lazarus remained at the Bethany home ...until the day of the crucifixion of Jesus, when he received warning that the Sanhedrin had decreed his death... And so Lazarus took hasty leave of his sisters at Bethany... never permitting himself to rest long until he had reached Philadelphia ...Soon after this Martha and Mary disposed of their lands at Bethany and joined their brother in Perea, Meantime, Lazarus had become the treasurer of the church at Philadelphia. He became a strong supporter of Abner in his controversy with Paul and the Jerusalem church and ultimately died, when 67 years old, of the same sickness that carried him off when he was a younger man at Bethany.
Discussion Questions
1. What do you think of the reasons given for Jesus’ sorrow in resurrecting Lazarus?
2. Why do you think we were given a rather detailed description of Lazarus’s resurrection?
3. Why is Jesus’ greatest demonstration of divine power only recorded in the gospel of John?
4. Facing the fact of the resurrection of Lazarus and the resignation of fourteen of their members, what must have been in the minds of the remaining members of the Sanhedrin?
5. Why do orthodox beliefs have such a power over people?
6. Are the acceptance of Christian doctrines responsible for the almost complete indifference to the Fifth Epochal Revelation by Christian leaders after a half-century of exposure?
7. Will the knowledge that Spirit beings cannot give material answers to prayer change the way we pray?
A Service of
The Urantia Book Fellowship