The Disciple Jesus Loved = Lazarus?

[Phoebe]

to have people think that Jesus can only be 'tight' with his inner circle, just like imperfect humans tend to be. That would help keep the 'masses' of people a 'safe' distance away from Jesus and his Father.

Bobcat - I haven’t read this entire thread in a deeply studious way, but the above is so, so true

[Bobcat]

Thank you Phoebe.

Incidentally, I added a 5th observation at the end of this post in connection with those standing near Jesus on the stake/cross.


Bobcat

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[AmosAu3]

Hi Bobcat,

I'm in agreement with you on this topic regarding Lazarus.

Keep up the good work, my brother.

Regards, Amos.

[Orchid61]

Lazarus was very special to Jesus and his heavenly Father:

John 11:4 (ESV): 4 But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

Love Maria

[Bobcat]

Hi Maria,

Lazarus could also be described as someone who appreciated that he "had been given much." (Lu 12:48) And he responded as he should have. He produced "food at the proper time." (Lu 12:42) And as it says in the verse that you quoted (Jn 11:4), the 4th gospel has brought much glory to God and Christ from appreciative Bible readers.


Bobcat

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[Genesis]

Hi Bobcat,

You have made a good argument for Lazarus being the Beloved Disciple. I agree that the scriptural evidence points in that direction.

Martha and Mary along with their brother Lazarus lived in Bethany not far from Jerusalem. Their home village figured prominently in the Gospel of John. Luke also records Jesus visit to their home.

(Luke 10:38-42) 38 Now as they were going their way he entered into a certain village. Here a certain woman named Martha received him as guest into the house. 39 This woman also had a sister called Mary, who, however, sat down at the feet of the Lord and kept listening to his word. 40 Martha, on the other hand, was distracted with attending to many duties. So, she came near and said: “Lord, does it not matter to you that my sister has left me alone to attend to things? Tell her, therefore, to join in helping me.” 41 In answer the Lord said to her: “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and disturbed about many things. 42 A few things, though, are needed, or just one. For her part, Mary chose the good portion, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Martha obviously felt close enough to her Lord to address him as she did. This family was close to the Son of God.

(John 11:1-4) . . .Now there was a certain man sick, Laz′a·rus of Beth′a·ny, of the village of Mary and of Martha her sister. 2 It was, in fact, the Mary that greased the Lord with perfumed oil and wiped his feet dry with her hair, whose brother Laz′a·rus was sick. 3 Therefore his sisters dispatched word to him, saying: “Lord, see! the one for whom you have affection is sick.” 4 But when Jesus heard it he said: “This sickness is not with death as its object, but is for the glory of God, in order that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

Lazarus' sisters called him "the one for whom you have affection" this is an interesting reference because Jesus loved all his disciples. But it seems Lazarus was in some way singled out as one Jesus had affection for. Perhaps Lazarus was a young man too young to be an apostle but one who drew Christ toward him. Love, sincerity and humility are traits that invite love and affection.

If he as still a young man lived with his sisters then it made perfect sense for Christ to send his mother home with Lazarus who lived with women who could comfort her.

[Bobcat]

Hi Genesis,

Thank you. The issue with who was assigned to take care of Jesus' mother was the clincher for me. After seeing Acts 6:2 I knew it just could not be John.


Bobcat

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[Bobcat]

Here are a few other blogs/write-ups discussing the thought of Lazarus being the writer of the fourth gospel:

1. The Gospel of Lazarus

2. Did Lazarus Write the Fourth Gospel?

3. Who Wrote the Gospel of John?

4. Did John Write the Fourth Gospel?

5. Was Lazarus The Beloved Disciple?

6. Lazarus and the Fourth Gospel Community (This is a brief book review for a pricey book. 1 page = $1. )

7. Internal Evidence of Authorship of the Fourth Gospel (Stackexchange discussion of this topic.)

8. Yeshua’s Spoken Word Remaining in Lazarus

9. Disciple Whom Jesus Loved (This is the home page for the PDF that is linked to in the 1st post on this thread.)

My purpose, as I stated earlier in this thread, is to make this thread a clearing house of sorts for information on this topic. And it appears (by the links above) that more than a few have seen the possibility of Lazarus as the writer of the fourth gospel, and have been willing to write about it.


Bobcat

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[Stranger]

My purpose, as I stated earlier in this thread, is to make this thread a clearing house of sorts for information on this topic. And it appears (by the links above) that more than a few have seen the possibility of Lazarus as the writer of the fourth gospel, and have been willing to write about it.


Bobcat

Hi Bobcat and all other seekers of the Divine Word written by the Hand of God,

I have heard that Luke wrote the most words of the NT, Paul coming in close at #2.

There were many paperback writers at that time, only a few chosen as Holy by the Church fathers. I know that if Jesus loved Lazarus then Lazarus must have been Holy, whether or not the CF's thought so enough to credit him with authorship of the book of John is still in debate, so it would seem.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYvkICbTZIQ


Stranger

[Bobcat]

Linking another thread (on Lazarus' resurrection and why only one gospel account reports it) to this one because of the possible relationship between this thread and that one.

Originally I thought that Lazarus' resurrection was missing from the synoptic gospel accounts due to possible jealousy from the apostles. (See here for example. I think I may have gotten that idea from this PDF.) But this idea is problematic seeing how the apostles were meant to help establish Christianity. One wouldn't think that they would altogether succumb to such a base motivation, seeing how they were intended to be a foundational part of the Christian congregation. (And in this post, Apollos raises questions about that idea from the standpoint of whether the inspired synoptics would be based on such an underlying problem.)

But this post by Vox Ratio made much more sense as a plausible answer to this problem.

The reason for adding this detail here is so as to catalog some of the thought processes that have gone into this thread.


Bobcat

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