The raising of Lazarus is presented as a mighty work of Jesus Christ that did not, by itself, bring all its witnesses to faith. Some who saw it reported the event to the Jews, who conspired to kill Lazarus lest others believe in Jesus Christ. The episode becomes a pointed example of the book’s argument that the gospel’s success depends not on outward wonders alone but on divine power working in the human heart.

The Miracle and Its Witnesses

The account identifies the raising of Lazarus as one of Jesus Christ’s mighty works. Its significance here lies less in a description of how the event unfolded than in the contrasting responses it provoked: some witnesses did not yield to the truth the miracle was meant to demonstrate, but went and told the Jews. The evidence does not give further details of the event or identify the witnesses individually.

Opposition and Consequence

The report was followed by a conspiracy against Lazarus. The stated purpose was to prevent people from believing in Jesus Christ because of his raising. Thus the miracle’s public force did not end opposition; in the author’s interpretation, it became the occasion for an effort to suppress the evidence and its effect on others.

Place in the Argument

The episode supplies a test case for the claim that miracles, eloquence, and commanding speech cannot naturally convert a person. The author contrasts the limited response to Jesus Christ’s ministry, despite his mighty works, with the apostles’ later success, including Peter’s conversion of three thousand through one address. The difference, he argues, cannot be explained by the external means alone: the rapid spread of the gospel depended on divine power opening people’s hearts to receive it.