In this episode, Ronn and Mike enjoy the story of Lazarus' resuscitation in John 11:1-44. For several reasons found within this narrative, Ronn recommended that original readers would have been tempted to regard Lazarus as the "disciple that Jesus loved" referred to in later stories of John. A key element in this story, of course, was Martha's belief that Lazarus would "rise again in the resurrection" (11:24), offering a chance to talk about death and resurrection beliefs within 2nd Temple Judaism. Did the crowd expect Jesus to literally "be the resurrection and the life"? Apparentliy not—until Lazarus heard his name attached to the invitation to come out of the tomb! The conversation closes with personal application of this story to our understanding and hopes for eternal life.
