Let us consider one example that shows how much Jehovah and Jesus want to bring our loved ones back to life. When Jesus was on earth, he often visited Lazarus and his sisters, Martha and Mary. All three were good friends of Jesus. The Bible says: “Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.” Then one day Lazarus died.​—John 11:3-5.

5, 6. (a) What did Jesus do when he saw Lazarus’ family and friends grieving? (b) Why is it comforting to know how Jesus felt about death?

⁵ Jesus went to comfort Martha and Mary. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went outside the city to meet him. She was happy to see Jesus, but she said to him: “If you had been here, my brother would not have died.” Martha thought that Jesus was too late. After that, Jesus saw her sister, Mary, crying. Seeing their sadness, he felt hurt and cried. (John 11:21, 33, 35) He felt the deep pain that comes when we lose someone we love.

⁶ Knowing that Jesus feels the way we do about death is a comfort to us. And Jesus is just like his Father. (John 14:9) Jehovah has the power to remove death forever, and that is what he will do very soon.

“LAZARUS, COME OUT!”

7, 8. Why did Martha not want the stone to be removed from Lazarus’ tomb, but what did Jesus do?

⁷ When Jesus arrived at the grave where Lazarus’ body had been placed, the entrance had been sealed with a large stone. Jesus said: “Take the stone away.” But Martha didn’t want them to. Lazarus’ body had already been in the tomb for four days. (John 11:39) She did not know what Jesus was about to do to help her brother.

⁸ Jesus said to Lazarus: “Come out!” What Martha and Mary saw next was amazing. “The man who had been dead came out with his feet and hands bound with wrappings.” (John 11:43, 44) Lazarus had been brought back to life! He was reunited with his family and friends. They could hold him, touch him, and talk to him. What a miracle! Jesus had resurrected Lazarus.

“LITTLE GIRL, I SAY TO YOU, ‘GET UP!’”

9, 10. (a) Who gave Jesus the power to resurrect people? (b) Why are the resurrection accounts valuable to us?

⁹ Did Jesus resurrect people by his own power? No. Before he resurrected Lazarus, Jesus prayed to Jehovah, and Jehovah gave him the power to resurrect Lazarus. (Read John 11:41, 42.)

11. What does Ecclesiastes 9:5 teach us about Lazarus?

¹¹ The Bible clearly says that “the dead know nothing at all.” That was true of Lazarus. (Ecclesiastes 9:5) Just as Jesus said, it was as if Lazarus had been sleeping. (John 11:11) While he was in the grave, Lazarus knew “nothing at all.”

12. How do we know that the resurrection of Lazarus really happened?

¹² When Jesus resurrected Lazarus, many people saw it. Even Jesus’ enemies knew that he had performed this miracle. Lazarus was alive, and this proved that the resurrection really happened. (John 11:47) Also, many people went to visit Lazarus, and as a result, they started to believe that Jesus had been sent by God. Jesus’ enemies didn’t like that, so they planned to kill both Jesus and Lazarus.​—John 11:53; 12:9-11.