It was the season of the Passover, one of the three feasts of obligation for the faithful Jews of the first century. Jerusalem overflowed with religious pilgrims - people who by their very definition took the things of faith seriously. Some authorities estimate that there could have been as many as 2,700,000. In one such Passover season, it was reported that 256,500 lambs were sacrificed, about one for each 10 pilgrims.1 The mood was one of religious fervor and of celebration.

On this particular day, the air around Jerusalem bristled with a new excitement. Never before had anyone dead for four days been called from the grave. In an instant, Lazarus had become a celebrity among the pilgrims. Jesus' name was on everyone's lips.

Spontaneously the crowds began to gather at Bethany, not alone…