“Lazarus” means “whom God helps.” “Bethany” means “house of dates” or, “house of misery.” The name “Mary” means “their rebellion.” Martha’s name is probably of Aramaic origin meaning “mistress.”

Bethany is about two miles east of Jerusalem on the south-east slope of Mount Olivet (John 11:18).

John 11:18  Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem,

The miracle of the raising of Lazarus from the dead is the culmination of the miracles of Jesus in His earthly ministry, and yet of the 4 gospel writers, only John records it, though their home is mentioned by all four and the names of the sisters are mentioned in Luke. The reason for this is probably intentional. The synoptic gospels were written much earlier than John and to have mentioned this incredible miracle which so vividly verified that God was with Jesus would have been extremely dangerous for Lazarus and the sisters. With the death of Jesus, the Jews had probably given up on their attempts to kill Lazarus (John 12:10) because there was no longer any need and to write of the miracle would jeopardize the life of Lazarus yet again. By the time John wrote his gospel, the Temple had been destroyed by the Romans (70 A.D.) and with it, the need to protect the life of Lazarus because the Jews no longer wielded any power.

John 12:10  So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well,