Woke Pastor Declares Lazarus Was Gay Because Jesus Called for Him to ‘Come Out’

White countryside church with steeple and cross under a dramatic sky — Photo: Vadim_N / Shutterstock

One line from Jesus—“Lazarus, come out”—sparked a fight over faith, language, and what Scripture can mean today.

Story Snapshot

Some LGBTQ-affirming ministries read Lazarus’s resurrection as a metaphor for “coming out.”
Traditional commentaries say the verse is a clear command for a dead man to leave a tomb.
The Greek supports a literal call to exit, not an identity claim about Lazarus.
No source proves Lazarus was gay; the debate is over symbol versus history.

What Was Said, What Was Meant

Several LGBTQ-affirming Christian ministries invite readers to hear John 11 as a story of release from hiding. New Ways Ministry’s reflection links “come out” to leaving shame and entering life, and many LGBTQ Christians say that image fits their path toward self-acceptance. They do not claim the text proves Lazarus was gay; they treat the scene as a pastoral symbol of new life for people who felt shut away by fear or rejection.

Jesuit priest James Martin has also drawn this line. He argues “come out” is a better English rendering than “come forth,” and says many LGBTQ people hear in that line an invitation to step into God’s light with honesty. That is a spiritual application, not a historical claim about Lazarus. Framing it that way gives people a way to pray through heavy choices without rewriting the original scene.

What The Text Actually Says

The Gospel shows Jesus speaking to a dead man at a tomb, with witnesses nearby, and then a man wrapped in cloth shuffling out. Conservative and mainstream commentaries treat this as a public miracle, not coded language about sex or gender. Bible tools that map the Greek phrase keep it simple: “Lazarus, come forth.” That reading supports the plain event—a command to exit—without any idiom about modern identity.

Language purists add a useful caution. The phrase “coming out” as a public claim of LGBTQ identity is modern English and only took on that sense in recent decades. It did not exist in first-century Judea. Moving the modern idiom back in time risks confusion. Even one queer-affirming source says the coming-out sense is “obviously not” what Jesus meant in any literal way. That honesty matters. It guards history and keeps metaphors in their lane.

Metaphor Has Power—And Limits

Queer Christians lean on Lazarus because the arc fits: darkness to light, bindings to freedom, dread to hope. Pastoral writers say this image helped people leave isolation and live in truth after years of fear or stigma. Used that way, the story can comfort without claiming a new fact about Lazarus. The line works as a devotional frame for courage. It does not turn the text into a biography about orientation. Respect for both meanings—symbolic and historical—keeps the peace.

For readers who prize textual clarity, the guardrails are simple. First, stick to what the verse says happened at the tomb. Second, allow believers to apply the event to their lives, the way sermons often do with many passages. That is how preaching works across traditions. It seeks parallels that help people change. The approach lifts the human heart while keeping Scripture’s facts intact. That balance tracks with common sense and honors free speech in the pews.

Where The Debate Goes Off The Rails

The fight heats up when someone jumps from metaphor to claim—“Lazarus was gay.” The record does not support that. The sources offered by affirming ministries, friendly commentators, and even critics do not show any ancient witness about his orientation. The Greek grammar points to a command to leave a tomb. That is why the conservative reply, on the merits, is strong: keep the miracle as history, and keep applications as applications, not retrofitted facts.

Both sides gain something when they keep their lanes. Affirming pastors gain a caring tool to call people out of fear. Traditional teachers guard the story’s core: Jesus raised a man from the dead, in public, by a clear command. That event does not need modern gloss to be powerful. If a sermon wants to comfort people who feel trapped, it can do that without repainting the canvas. Say the metaphor. Name it as such. Let the text breathe as it is.

Bottom Line For Readers

Use Lazarus as a mirror for courage if it helps you step into the light. Many have done so with good fruit. But do not confuse a mirror with a window into first-century facts. The Gospel records a miracle in plain terms. The Greek backs that. No credible source claims Lazarus’s sexual orientation. Keep the history straight, and let applications be clear and honest. That approach is truthful, fair, and sturdy enough to weather the next headline.