Volume 11 · Chapter 33

THE CAUSE OF LAZARUS’ DEATH NOW we quickly walked on the road that led us to Bethany to cover the distance as fast as possible.

[GGJ.11_33,02] We had to make a detour to reach that place because I did not intend to go via Jerusalem but wanted to come unseen in Lazarus’ house which was, according to the Jewish measurements, 15 field ways1 away from it. But Bethany was not located on the place of the present village El Azarije2, but more to the east, so that we did not arrive from the west side of the Olive Mountain but from the east side.

[GGJ.11_33,03] The distance of 15 field ways was measured from the courtyard of the temple where a pillar as a Roman milestone was set up. You can find such marking stones in smaller villages still today. One could cover these 15 field ways in 1 ½ hour by walking easily till. Bethany was reached from the just mentioned point. 1 See GGJ vol. 10_193,5 (Book 24; 75:5.) 2 El Azarije or Eizariya. It is believed that this is the place where Bethany was formerly located. It was named Lazarion in the 4th century

[GGJ.11_33,04] From this, an archeologist can more easily determine on that spot as to where the real Bethany was located. But apart from a waste region and apart from stones and bushes he will nowadays find nothing more on the spot where I performed the last and unmistakably greatest sign for the Jews.

[GGJ.11_33,05] As already known, Lazarus was one of the richest men of the whole of Judea, and since he died without having direct heirs, according to the law of the temple one third of his total fortune belonged to the temple while his sisters, who had no male family protection – Lazarus did not have any close relatives – came under the supreme rulership of the temple, which practiced in such cases a very unpleasant guardianship. The Pharisees and the Jews of the temple were already for a long time very eager for the rich possessions of Lazarus and, as known, they thought about all kinds of tricks and plots to grab Lazarus into their fingers in order to possibly take the whole rich inheritance into their hands. They did not expect too much difficulty to handle his 2 sisters.

[GGJ.11_33,06] But Lazarus rejected all claims and deals that were rudely brought forward and he often was so offended by the enforcing manner of the temple rabble that I advised him to lay off his hot-temperedness because it could have bad consequences for him. He followed My advice as he was able and he also became much more peaceful at the time when I gave him those dogs because he was not so often disturbed anymore.

[GGJ.11_33,07] But now shortly before his dead he was again in conflict with the members of the temple who accused him because he apparently lacked the necessary respect for the temple, and this went so far that he violently chased away the members of the temple who came to him with the best of soul-caring intentions and he even held back his personnel from visiting the temple and from making the necessary offerings of penance and purification.

[GGJ.11_33,08] The temple servants knew that these and similar lies were unfounded, as well as the attempts to make him suspicious to the Romans as a friend of Jesus, the agitator of the people, but they still counted on the hot- temperedness of his character by which he might carelessly expose himself at possible hearings. Then it would be possible to bind him to the temple so that he, in order to be set free, would at least have to make big promises concerning his inheritance.

[GGJ.11_33,09] Lazarus perceived those cunning plans very well and contradicted the accusations to the Roman governor with authority, so that he went free, without showing any visible outer excitement.

[GGJ.11_33,10] But it all the more was cooking internally in him so that he caught an acute inflamed gall fever that killed him in a very short time. This was the outer cause for his death. The inner one, purely spiritual, was already mentioned by the answer that I gave to the helper and also by the words to My disciples.