Lazarus of Bethany
Brother of Martha and Mary in Bethany who lay dead four days in a cave — and who stepped out alive at Jesus' shout, still bound hand and foot in linen grave strips until Jesus commanded the community, 'Unbind him, and let him go.'
Living in the village of Bethany two miles from Jerusalem with his sisters Martha and Mary, Lazarus was deeply loved by Jesus (John 11:1–5). When Lazarus fell mortally ill, Jesus intentionally waited two days so that by the time He stood before the cave, Lazarus had been in the tomb four days and decay had set in (John 11:17, 39).
After the stone was rolled away, Jesus cried out with a loud voice, 'Lazarus, come out!' (John 11:43). The dead man came out instantly alive — yet his hands and feet were still bound with linen strips and his face was wrapped with a cloth, so Jesus commanded those standing around, 'Unbind him, and let him go' (John 11:44) — the living picture of how salvation (instant life by Christ's voice) is followed by sanctification (stripping off the grave clothes of the old self in community, Ephesians 4:22–24).
The Unbound Man — The Cave of Bethany, The Resurrected Man & The Stripping of Grave Clothes
Lazarus steps out of the cave alive yet bound hand and foot in linen grave clothes until Jesus commands the community to unbind him.
