Chapter 15

The next morning, while the disciples were waking up and getting ready for the day, Judy and the White Lion sat on a rock underneath a large oak tree, chatting with each other about the different events that were transpiring.

However, their conversation was broken by a familiar looking wolf riding a dirt-bike at top speed. He would've rammed into the White Lion and Judy if he didn't hit the brakes. However, the force of the front wheel stopping sent him flying, and he nosedived straight into the ground, right in front of the White Lion.

"Jesus!" the wolf hoarsely, as if he was out of breath. "Jesus!"

"Sanchez…" said the White Lion, helping the wolf up. "What's going on?"

"It's Lazarus!" the wolf replied, catching his breath. "He's dying! He got sick with a flu last night, and he's not doing good at all! His sisters said that if you would come and lay your hands on him, he may be healed!"

Judy noticed a pained expression crossing Jesus' face, as if something bad was going to happen. The White Lion was quiet for a few seconds, and then he spoke, saying, "Tell Martha and Mary that I will come…"

"You have to come now!" said Sanchez, his voice sounding panicked. "If you don't come, Lazarus will die!"

"Tell them I will come…" The White Lion said again.

Sanchez's face darkened, he picked up his dirt-bike and drove away, weeping in pain.

"Why didn't you go?" asked Judy, as the White Lion watched the direction that Sanchez took off in. "Your friend is dying! You have to help him!"

"The sickness will not be the death of Lazarus; this is happening to bring glory to God. And it will be how the Son of God will receive glory." the White Lion replied, with a somewhat pained look on his face. He then went back to his disciples with Judy following him, as she thought about what he said.

Four Days Later…

The White Lion gathered his disciples, Nick, Judy, and Finnick and said to them, "I need to head to the neighborhood where Lazarus lives."

"But, teacher…" said Peter. "What about the religious leaders who want you dead?"

"Aren't there twelve hours in the day?" asked Jesus. "If anybody walks during the day and does not stumble, it is because he sees the light of the world. But if they walk during the night, they stumble, because they have no light. I need to head to that neighborhood, and then we will head to Zootropolis; Lazarus is sleeping, and I must wake him up."

"But if he sleeps, won't he get better?" asked John.

"Lazarus is dead." The White Lion said plainly, causing the disciples and crowd to react in shock. "And for your sake, I am glad that I was not with him, so that you will all believe. Now, let us go to him."

After the White Lion said that, he began making his way to the neighborhood where Lazarus lived in. The disciples looked at each other, wondering what to do.

"So…" said Matthew. "What should we do now?"

"We follow him." Thomas replied, walking after the White Lion. "So that we will die with him."

The disciples shrugged and followed, while the other followers began following too.

"And here I was thinking, the polar bear was the doubter of the group…" Nick said quietly to Finnick.

The group made their way to the neighborhood where Lazarus lived in. They went through the neighborhood and came to the house where Lazarus' sisters were living.

Martha saw that Jesus was out there and went to him, while Mary stayed in the house.

When Martha came out of the house, she was dressed in a black dress and veil, as she was mourning the death of her brother. She came forth to the White Lion and said sadly and somewhat angrily, "If you had been here, Jesus, Lazarus would have lived!" she then sighed, composed herself, and said, "But I know that God will give you whatever you ask him for."

"Your brother will rise to life, that I promise you." said Jesus. "For I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even if they die, they will live. And those who live and believe in me will never die. Do you believe this?"

"Yes!" Martha answered. "I do believe that you are the son of God who has come into this world."

Jesus nodded in agreement and then asked, "May I see Mary?"

Martha nodded and then went back into the house, where she told Mary that the White Lion was asking for her. Mary then went out to meet him. The other people who were mourning alongside her also came out with her, as they thought she was going to her brother's grave to cry out for him.

Mary arrived to where the White Lion was standing and fell at his feet, sobbing. "Lord…" she cried. "If you were here, Lazarus would have lived!"

When he saw how Mary and the other people were mourning for Lazarus, The White Lion's heart was touched and he was deeply moved. He bent down, helped Mary up, and gently embraced her. She buried her face on his arm, sobbing for the loss of her brother.

When she stopped crying, he let her go and asked, "Where is he buried?"

"This way, Lord…" Mary replied, and she began walking out of the neighborhood. Jesus, the disciples, Martha, Nick, Judy, Finnick, and the mourners followed her.

The group came to a graveyard and stopped in front of a mausoleum. The mausoleum was made of stone and was carved like a building.

When Jesus saw this, he began weeping for Lazarus. This shocked the disciples, Judy, Nick, and Finnick, as they had not seen the White Lion cry for somebody.

"Look how he loved and cared for Lazarus…" said one mourner.

A jaguar wearing a black suit, who had joined the crowd a while back, said smugly, "If he was able to heal the sick and make the blind see, why didn't he save Lazarus from death?"

Jesus then composed himself and stood up. He looked to his disciples and said, "Remove the stone that blocks the way."

Peter, Andrew, Thomas, and Simon move towards the stone was in front of the door.

Martha turned to Jesus and said in a worried tone, "My lord… the body has been in there for 4 days. There will be a horrible stench and… I can't bear to look at the decomposing corpse of my brother."

"Didn't I tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?" asked the White Lion. He then walked forward towards the mausoleum as the 4 disciples pulled the stone away.

The white lion stopped in front of the entrance and pulled on the hood of his coat. He looked up to the sky and said, "Father! I thank you that you have heard me! And I know that you always hear me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that you sent me!"

Jesus then raised his hand/paw towards the open mausoleum and cried out in a loud voice, "LAZARUS! COME FORTH!"

Then, to the shock of everyone standing there, a figure climbed out of the mausoleum. The disciples moved back, some people in the crowd either yelled or fainted, Judy, Nick, and Finnick stood there in shock, and the black-suited jaguar's mouth hung open in fright.

The figure was the size of a sheep, and he wore a funeral suit, a cloth over his face, and bandages on his hands and feet. Jesus walked forward and removed the cloth from the sheep's face, showing that… IT WAS LAZARUS! HE WAS ALIVE!

"Master…" said Lazarus, when Jesus had done that. Jesus grinned at his friend and moved back as Mary and Martha came forth to embrace their brother.

"Remove the bandages from his hands and feet…" Jesus spoke.

Mary and Martha obeyed while the crowd cheered, some clapped, and many others believed. The disciples, Judy, Nick, and Finnick marveled at what Jesus had done. For the first time in a long time, there was joy in a graveyard.

However, the black-suited jaguar, who was a bad apple all on his own, left the crowd and went to the gate of the graveyard. He then pulled out a cell-phone and tapped in a number. He then put it to his ear.

"Get me Caiaphas…" he said into it. Then he spoke and said, "Yeah, Caiaphas. It's me. Listen, you are not going to believe this!"