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I still remember the feeling inside me when I heard the priest say to the entire Church, ‘Jesus didn’t resurrect Lazarus.’ It bothered me, and I imagine it will bother you too. But if we allow for that priest to explain something, to you through me, we might stop to realize that the raising of Lazarus, as miraculous as it was, could not have been a resurrection.
Put simply, this event or any other where someone other than Jesus was raised from the dead in the Old and New Testaments, does not meet the criteria necessary for a resurrection. For the resurrection of the body, which will happen on the last day, is one that will not come to an end. Lazarus, the boy from Nain, the daughter of Jairus, all of these would die again. But you and I, raised up, united body and soul once more, will never be separated because of our union with Jesus who is the resurrection and the life.
It is not a denial of some Biblical truth to say that what Elijah, Elisha and even Jesus accomplished for others was not a resurrection. No, these were mere resuscitations. Our God has something much bigger than that planned for those who love Him.