"Jesus called in a loud voice [the volume is presumably for the benefit of those watching] 'Lazarus, come out!" (v 43). The best comment on this verse is still that of Spurgeon: Jesus specifically called Lazarus by name because otherwise, every other dead body would have risen too. Such is the power of him who is the resurrection and the life.

The reason Thomas speaks about the disciples' own deaths could be related to the geographical location of Bethany, close to Jerusalem (11:18), or to the disciples' dawning realization of what it costs to follow Jesus (see 13:37), or (at this stage) Thomas' lack of belief in the possibility of resurrection itself (20:24-28). With a plethora of