lazarus and jesus were very close. he is described as his friend, he whom he loved. jesus may have had roots and family in judaea, in jerusalem, and maybe even in bethany, so lazarus could have had a friendship that long pre-dated jesus' public ministry. >> early christians didn't just invent people out of thin air the way a hollywood biopic would today. the fact that lazarus and his siblings, mary and martha, are all mentioned shows that they were fairly prominent figures in the early christian movement. >> this is how you do it. >> the relationship between jesus and lazarus is of a completely different order than the relationship he has with anyone else. he loves him.