It quoted a medical expert on a rare illness that has all the symptoms of death. The Palestine Times headlined its story of the event "Lazarus: Probably In Deep Coma". It had another story on it headlined "HOAX". "No Sex After Death?" proclaimed the Moon tabloid in a front page headline the next day. Martha and Mary were beside themselves with shock, wonder, and joy. Jesus embraced his old friend with tears in his eyes. The stone was moved and he called out "Lazarus my friend, come on out." And to the horror of the crowd, some of whom ran away, Lazarus came out, his grave clothes hanging off him. He's in there four days." And the weather had been very hot. "But Jesus," began an alarmed Martha, "there'll be a bad smell. "Take away the stone," Jesus commanded, referring to the stone blocking the entrance to the tomb. "If, as they say, he can make the blind see he could have saved Lazarus from dying," they said. The grief closed in about his head and he wept. "Where is he buried?" he asked eventually. He saw how Mary wept and seemed unable to speak. People began to wonder whether Jesus had some rare cure for Lazarus's illness. In what some interpreted as an accusatory tone she said to Jesus "if you had been here he wouldn't have died". The crowd expected fireworks, as Mary was known to have a temper and was said to be very angry at Jesus for missing the funeral. She said she did, though like most people there she didn't seem to have a clue what he was talking about. Whoever believes in me will live, even if he dies, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Then Jesus launched into another of his strange speeches. "Your brother will rise again," Jesus said.
"If you had been here my brother would not have died," she said to him, more in sorrow than in anger, though it made little sense to those listening to her. Martha went to meet him but Mary stayed at home. Many friends of Lazarus were still in the village comforting the dead man's two sisters, Martha and Mary, when he arrived.
A close friend of Lazarus's, he missed the funeral, which in itself caused considerable and frequently uncharitable speculation. This latest saga began with the arrival of the preacher Jesus in Bethany on Tuesday. "It's as though I've had a long deep sleep," he said, "I feel great." But he still believed in life after death, he said. For his part he has said repeatedly he remembers "nothing" since losing consciousness two weeks ago. Everywhere he has been mobbed by those who believe he rose from the dead and by the sceptical, who shout insults at him.
Lazarus, who was buried here last Saturday week, has been giving interviews to hordes of media people and the just plain curious since he emerged from his tomb on Tuesday last. This village, about three kilometres from Jerusalem, has been thronged with sightseers all week following some of the most extraordinary events ever witnessed in Judea.
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