Lazarus, Come Forth

In the Orthodox Church, the Saturday before Palm Sunday is celebrated as Lazarus Saturday – a feast that bridges the Lenten season and Holy Week. Liturgically, Lazarus Saturday has a very special character. It is essentially a paschal (Resurrection) celebration transplanted to Saturday. In fact, it is the only time in the entire church year that the full Resurrection service of a Sunday is celebrated on a different day​.

For one day, the somber Lenten tones are set aside and the church is adorned with the joyful vestments of resurrection. In the Divine Liturgy of Lazarus Saturday, we sing the same triumphant hymns that are usually sung on Easter Sunday. The usual Lenten penitential prayers are momentarily lifted. According to longstanding tradition, people do not kneel during the Eucharistic prayer on this day, because it is a little Bright Saturday in advance – a day of joy.

Historically, Lazarus Saturday was also one of the great baptismal days of the early Church. Even today, at the Liturgy we sing “As many as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Galatians 3:27) in place of the Trisagion, hearkening back to when converts were baptized on Lazarus Saturday in preparation for Pascha​.

The Biblical Account: “Lazarus, Come Forth!”

The story of Lazarus is recorded in John 11:1–44. Lazarus of Bethany, a dear friend of Jesus and brother to Martha and Mary, fell gravely ill. His sisters sent word to Jesus, hoping He would come heal Lazarus. Mysteriously, Jesus delayed His arrival. By the time He came to Bethany, Lazarus had already died and been in the tomb four days​Martha met Jesus with tears: “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” Jesus responded with one of the most powerful statements in the Gospels: “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me, though he may die, yet shall he live”​.

He asked Martha if she believed this, and she confessed her faith that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God. Martha warned, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days” (John 11:39). Jesus prayed to the Father and then cried out in a loud voice: “Lazarus, come forth!” Immediately, the man who had died came out, still wrapped hand and foot in linen grave-bands​. Jesus commanded, “Unbind him, and let him go.” This astonishing miracle caused many witnesses to believe in Jesus​. In fact, it was so undeniable that the authorities in Jerusalem grew more determined to kill Jesus – and even plotted to kill Lazarus – because so many were turning to Jesus on account of him.

Historical and Cultural Context in First-Century Judea

To appreciate the impact of this miracle, it helps to understand how people in first-century Judea viewed death and burial. Lazarus was entombed in a rock-cut cave, following Jewish burial customs which often involved wrapping the body with linen and spices and laying it in a cave or tomb sealed with a stone.

The fact that Lazarus had been dead four days is emphasized repeatedly. According to a Jewish belief held by many at that time, the soul of a deceased person might stay near the body for up to three days, hoping to return​. But by the fourth day, all hope was gone – decay would have set in, and the soul was thought to depart.

Thus, Jesus deliberately arriving after four days underscored the magnitude of the miracle: this was no mere resuscitation or near-death recovery, but a true reversal of death’s finality. The mourners themselves testify to this when they object about the stench, and when the miracle occurs, they are utterly astonished. Bethany (the village of Lazarus) was only about two miles from Jerusalem, and many friends and mourners from the city had come to comfort Martha and Mary.

The raising of Lazarus thus became widely known – a public event just on the eve of Jesus’ own Passion. In fact, the Gospel notes that it was partly because of this miracle’s notoriety that the crowds welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem as a triumphant king on Palm Sunday (John 12:12-18), and likewise it hardened the resolve of the Jewish leaders against Him.

Hymns of Victory and Faith

Why such festivity for Lazarus? The Resurrection of Lazarus is understood as a foretaste and proof of the coming Resurrection of all. In the words of the festal Troparion (main hymn) of the day:

In this hymn, the Church celebrates Christ as the “Vanquisher of Death”. The miracle at Bethany is seen as proof that Jesus truly is “the Resurrection and the Life” – and a promise that all who believe in Him will rise. As one Orthodox reflection puts it, “Death has been crushed… trampled, vanquished by Christ who is all love, all mercy, omnipotent”. Lazarus’s rising is thus a preview of Pascha.

“Loose Him and Let Him Go”: Personal Reflections for the Journey

For those who are newly Orthodox or exploring the faith, the story of Lazarus resonates on a personal level. In a spiritual sense, all of us are Lazarus. The Bible teaches that through sin, humanity became trapped in death and darkness – “dead in trespasses” (Ephesians 2:1). But through baptism, we die and rise with Christ, leaving behind the old “grave clothes” of sin.

Catechumens in the early Church would hear the Lazarus story in the final week of Lent as they prepared to be baptized at Pascha, understanding that Christ was about to call them out of their former tomb. This is still true for every convert. The command of Christ, “Loose him, and let him go,” spoken about Lazarus, echoes in the mystery of forgiveness and new life that Christ offers us. He unbinds us from the chains of sin and fear, setting us free to walk in the light.

May the Lord who stood before Lazarus’s tomb and wept with compassion likewise visit the tomb of our heart, call us by name, and lead us out into the radiant freedom of new life. Hosanna in the highest! Blessed is He who comes to recall Adam – and Lazarus, and all of us – from the darkness of death, into the light of His Kingdom.