This scene represents the miracle that marked the culmination of Christ's ministry on earth. He raises his hand and commands Lazarus to rise from his tomb: "Lazarus, come forth." The dead man, still wrapped in his shroud, clasps his hands together in a gesture that registers his recognition of Christ's divinity. The miracle foreshadows Christ's own resurrection.

Vaccaro's works are distinguished not only by their assimilation of Caravaggio's strong contrasts of light and dark, but by their classical restraint and gravity of expression. The latter traits derive from the Bolognese master, Guido Reni.

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