In a culture which stresses literacy and the role of the written word in expressing complex matters, the importance of visual art in communicating such matters to wide audiences is often underestimated. In a time when most Western individuals are able to own and read their own Bibles, the complexity of theological thought which can be expressed non-verbally is often overlooked. Before literacy rates reached their current level, however, visual media were often the primary means used to communicate religious ideas to the majority of people. While many individuals today would believe that this would preclude the mass communication of complex or subtle concepts, it becomes apparent when examining the works of Rembrandt that this is not at all the case. In The Raising of Lazarus, Rembrandt uses the representation of Lazarus’s awakening described in the eleventh chapter of the Gospel of John to illustrate the theological concepts of the New Testament and to stress the importance of the individual’s reactions to the miraculous presence and actions of the Son of God.

The figure of central focus in The Raising of Lazarus is Jesus himself. While other people in the print are bent over or set off at a short distance to make them appear smaller, Jesus stands fully upright just to the left of center. The use of etching to create a rounded frame draws attention to this elongated figure of Christ. The tapering of the frame towards the top brings the viewer’s focus to Jesus’ raised hand, which draws Lazarus out of his tomb. Lazarus does not possess the normal pose of someone rising from sleep; instead, his form seems more fluid. It appears that he is being pulled upwards by some steady and unseen force, an idea which creates a mental link between the rising of Lazarus and the outstretched hand of Christ. Jesus stands above Lazarus on the rock slab used to seal off the tomb, a visual representation of Christ’s victory over death. The rock which closes the tomb symbolizes the finality of death, a finality which will be forever banished with the rolling away of the rock which will seal Jesus’ crypt. Christ stands upon the rock as conqueror in this print, for "he has made his enemies his footstool, and the last of his enemies is death, for he has put all things under his feet" (1 Cor 15:25-35).

St. Paul writes of Christ as "the first-fruits of all who have fallen asleep," whose resurrection enables the resurrection of those who believe in him. It is the raising of Lazarus which prefigures the resurrection of Christ, and thus anticipates Jesus’ victory over death. Rembrandt visually expounds upon this victory in various manners in this print. With the coming of Christ, death has lost its grip on humanity, making the grave a place newly illuminated by "the Light of the World" (Jn 8:12), a fact illustrated in The Raising of Lazarus through the use of chiaroscuro. Upon hearing of the condition of Lazarus and deciding to go see him, Jesus tells his disciples that "no one who walks in the daytime stumbles, having the light of the world to see by" (11:9). As the true Light of the World will soon enter the tomb and in doing so liberate humanity from death, the tomb no longer represents a stumbling block for Christians, a fact represented by the radiant presence of the light which comes forth from Lazarus’s tomb. This light visually and metaphorically illuminates Lazarus as well as those who see his resurrection.

The themes of Christ as the Light of the World and the conqueror of death are evidence of the high Christology for which the Gospel of John is known. However, just as the Gospel of John contains numerous low Christological depictions of Christ, so too does The Raising of Lazarus show the humanity of Jesus in the midst of a scene of divinity. The account of the resurrection of Lazarus in the Gospel of John states that Jesus weeps for Lazarus (11:35). Jesus also becomes frustrated with those who seem to doubt in his ability to heal Lazarus now that the man is dead (11:33) or murmur amongst themselves, asking why he failed to prevent the death (11:38), "sighing profoundly." It is this frustration at the lack of comprehension and belief evidenced by those who come to mourn Lazarus that is illustrated by Rembrandt. Jesus’ stance in the print is that of a man both disappointed and fatigued by the doubts of others: he gathers in his robe and holds his fist to his hip. It is only through Jesus’ posture, however, that we may infer his emotions, as his face is not visible. The viewer therefore looks to the expressions of those who observe the event for reactions, a focal shift which underscores the importance of the individual’s response to the miracle of Christ. In the absence of a direct window to Jesus’ frame of mind, Rembrandt provides the viewer with the influence of the power of Christ on the individual, reflecting Rembrandt’s Protestant background.

When examined carefully, Rembrandt’s The Raising of Lazarus therefore provides far more than a snapshot of a Biblical event. Rather, Rembrandt utilizes chiaroscuro, facial expressions, and figure arrangement to convey a variety of theological concepts as complex and subtle as those found in written commentary to all those who see the print, regardless of their level of literacy.