Gospel of John, Chapter 11 (Raising of Lazarus)
In chapter 11 of John's Gospel we see the Father in Christ and Christ in Lazarus. The Father loves his Son, and Jesus clearly loves Lazarus. When He heard that Lazarus had died, "Jesus wept." (John 11:35) The closeness of the Father to the Son is much closer than Jesus to Lazarus, so the anguish of the Father (insofar as an eternal God can have feelings, but that's a dissertation topic) must have been all the greater. And yet, Jesus allows his beloved friend, Lazarus to die, just as the Father offered up his only Son, Jesus Christ.
John tells us why Jesus allows Lazarus to die. The reason why Lazarus was sick was, "so that the Son of God may be glorified." (John 11:4) Similarly, the death and resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ glorifies the Father. Notice that Jesus here calls Himself the "Son of God," here, rather than the "Son of Man" or some other messianic title.
This chapter of John also concretizes many of the key concepts of John's Gospel, and gives them a certain imminence. The evangelist notes times -- "He stayed two days longer" (John 11:6), "he has been dead four days...." (John 11:39) -- and emphasizes that now is the time for Jesus to work. "Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any one walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of the world." Jesus, of course, is the light of the world, and His mission must be executed while He is here on Earth.
Here, the work is the resurrection of Lazarus, which we see in vivid detail. Martha is afraid that, "Lord, by this time there will be an odor...." (John 11:39) Lazarus also has to be physically unbound. Again, I find this detail to be surprisingly vivid, considering how long a time must have elapsed between the actual event and when this Gospel was written. This story symbolically prefigures the death and resurrection of Jesus, but it is not a figurative death or resurrection -- contrary to the Gnostic view.
The death of Jesus is also more imminent here. Before, we read that the "the Jews sought all the more to kill Him," (John 5:18) and that the "Pharisees sent officers to arrest Him." (7:34) That effort didn't go very far, so I'm tempted to say that the Pharisees were less serious back in chapter 7. Here, though, in verses 47-53 of chapter 11, we see an actual counsel held to discuss what to do about Jesus. We see them as real people discussing how, "one man should die for the people." (John 11:50)
By my count, this is the 3rd major healing of John's Gospel (I'm excluding the official's son from John 4). The first is the healing of the paralytic. The second is when Jesus gives sight to the blind man. As we reflect on the meaning of Lazarus in our own lives, let us bear in mind the great gifts that God gives us. He has given us life -- the ability to stand up and walk around, just as he gave to the paralytic. He gives us rational thought, understanding and a sense of the supernatural that animals do not have. In other words, he allows us to see. Finally, he has given us victory over death. And eternal life is not far off -- it is now. Martha thinks that she'll have to wait until "the last day" (John 11:24) to see her brother again. God's message for us and offer to us is not something to recall on our deathbeds. It is for us now and forever.