John Chapter 11

The Gospel Of John Chapter 11

I. Outline: I. The Death And Resurrection Of Lazarus: 11:1-45 A. B. C. D. E. F.

Lazarus Is Very Sick: 11:1-5 Jesus Tarries: 11:6-16 Jesus And Martha: 11:17-28 Jesus And Mary: 11:29-32 Jesus Wept: 11:33-38 Lazarus Is Raised: 11:39-45

II. The Plot To Kill Jesus: 11:46-53 III. Jesus In Ephraim/The Passover: 11:54-57

II. Introductory Comments: This event happened sometime after the Feast of Dedication (John 10:22) which was held at the end of December, and before the Passover which was held in the Spring (11:55).

‘In the interval between the feast and the raising of Lazarus He makes an evangelistic tour of Perea; dines in the home of a Pharisee; delivers the parables of the lost sheep, coin, and son; the parables of the unjust steward, Lazarus and the rich man and unprofitable servants.’ (Butler p. 136) Most place the following passages in the other Gospels between John 10:22 and John chapter 11: Luke 13:22-35; 14:1-24; 25-35; 15:1-32; 16:1-31; 17:110.

III. Commentary: John 11:1 ‘Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha.’

1

‘Lazarus’-the name means “God has helped” and it is a contracted form of the name ‘Eleazar’.

‘of Bethany’-which distinguishes him from other men who bore the same name. While it is tempting to associate this Lazarus with the beggar in the account of the rich man and Lazarus, it does appear that two different men are under consideration. The Lazarus in Luke 16:19ff was extremely poor and it appears forsaken by friends and family. The Lazarus in John 11 lived with his sisters and had a home. In addition, the family in John 11 appears to have enjoyed a comfortable standard of living. Woods notes, ‘ It appears that the family was an affluent one by current standards; they lived in their own house, they owned a tomb in a garden and were able to supply an alabaster box of expensive ointment (John 12:3), to anoint the feet of Jesus.’ (p. 227)

‘Bethany’-was a small village on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives. What we might call a “suburb” of Jerusalem. John even says that Bethany was about 2 miles from Jerusalem (11:18). It was located on the road which ran from Jerusalem to Jericho, and it still exists as a settled town to this day. In the Arabic, it is known as ‘el-Aziriyeh’, which means ‘the place of Lazarus.’

‘Mary and her sister Martha’-Mary is mentioned first, although it seems that Martha was the older sister, and the one in charge of the home. But the reason for putting Mary first is explained in the next verse.

John 11:2 ‘And it was the Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.” ‘the Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment’-John assumes that his readers might have already heard this account or read it in the other gospels. ‘This suggests that it is taken for granted that the readers are acquainted with the beautiful story recorded in Luke 10:38-42, where Mary and Martha are named together.’ (Hendriksen p. 138) And with the account in Mark 14:3-9 and Matthew 26:6-13, where Mary anoints Jesus. John will record the actual incident in chapter 12:1-8. But he mentions it here to let his readers know that it is this Mary, who was related to Lazarus. Be impressed that God is doing everything He can to help the readers harmonize the events in John with the other Gospels! Note that the woman who anoints Jesus in Luke 7:37-38 is a different woman, from the Mary in this chapter.

John 11:3 ‘The sisters therefore sent to Him, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.”’

2

‘sent to Him’-Evidently, they knew that Jesus had gone to the east side of the Jordan (10:40), and they had sent a messenger to find Him. The fact that they had dispatched a messenger indicates that Lazarus was seriously sick.

“behold, he whom You love’-the word the sisters chose for ‘love’ is phileo, which stresses the love of tender affection. ‘your dear friend is ill’ (Bas). Be impressed with the restraint demonstrated by these sisters. ‘It sends no direct appeal for help; it leaves wholly to Jesus what he will do.’ (Lenski p. 780) They rested their entire case, not on Lazarus’ love for Jesus, or even their love for Jesus, but on Jesus’ love for Lazarus. ‘While the condition with Lazarus was becoming more serious every day, the sisters were ardently wishing that Jesus, the close friend and great healer, were present (11:21,32). They feel sure that with him present their brother would be healed, and would certainly not die. We can picture them saying again and again, “Were Jesus only here!”’ (Hendriksen pp. 138139)

John 11:4 ‘But when Jesus heard it, He said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified by it.”’

“This sickness is not unto death”-Lazarus did die, but the final issue wouldn’t be death. It is clear that Jesus knew exactly what was going to happen, specifically, that Lazarus would die, and He would raise Him. But when the disciples heard this statement, they might have thought that Lazarus wasn’t that sick after all.

“but for the glory of God”-Compare with John 9:3. The final outcome will be that men and women will see that Jesus manifests the attributes which only the Son of God could demonstrate (John 3:2; 1:14; 2:11; 5:41,44; 7:18; 8:50,54; 11:40; 12:41,43). Note, that in the mind of Jesus, one cannot separate the glory that belongs to Him and the glory that belongs to His Father (John 5:23; 10:30). Many came to believe on Him because of this event (11:45).

John 11:5 ‘Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus.’

‘Now Jesus loved’-This statement is to inform the reader that Jesus is not turning His back upon their plea for help by His brief answer and intentional delay.

Point To Note: But this statement also infers that: 1. God is a social being. God came to this earth and God had human friends! 2. God doesn’t simply tolerate mankind or save mankind because it is His ‘job’. But God truly wants to have a good relationship with each one of us. 3. God isn’t uptight or hyper-critical. Jesus had a wonderful friendship with the individuals mentioned in the above verse, even though, they were imperfect people. 4.

Jesus had a fond affection for each one in this family, He individually loved each member.

3

John 11:6 ‘When therefore He heard that he was sick, He stayed then two days longer in the place where He was.’ ‘stayed two days longer’-Jesus saw the whole picture, this event would be used to bring glory to God and further the purposes of God, that is, that many more would believe in God’s Son. 1. Jesus isn’t moved by mere external circumstances, His determination is solely to do the will of the Father. Even His dearest friends must accept the fact that He is living by a Divine time-clock. 2. A purely human love would have rushed to Bethany.

But Divine love isn’t desperate or helpless and neither is it hindered by time. 3. We must learn that God often delays so He can bring about something either greater on our behalf.

‘Delay, by deity, in granting a favor is not a denial of it; often, it is to provide occasion for a greater one. Not infrequently, when our petitions are not granted it is because the Lord is withholding the less in order to bestow the greater blessing.’ (Woods p. 229) 4. It seems that Lazarus either died shortly before or shortly after the messenger arrived (11:4).

For Lazarus will have been in the grave four days when Jesus finally arrives (11:17). Day one, the messenger arrives, day two and three, Jesus delays, day four Jesus arrives in Bethany. Tasker notes, ‘The raising of Lazarus was, more unmistakably, a display of His supernatural power; for, while the reader of the other Gospels might conceivably, though wrongly, suppose that the daughter of Jairus and the widow’s son were not really dead but only in the sleep of coma, the “death” in each case having but recently occurred, the sleep from which Lazarus was awakened could not by any stretch of the imagination be regarded as a temporary sleep. On the contrary, it was the sleep of a man four days dead, whose body was already in the process of dissolution.’ (p. 137)

John 11:7 ‘Then after this He said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.”’

John 11:8 ‘The disciples said to Him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone You, and are You going there again?”’ “the Jews”-Even the disciples have begun to see that their own countrymen are becoming the enemies of God and the truth.

“just now seeking to stone You”-It hadn’t been that long since the events described in John 10:39. The disciples knew that the threats from the Jewish leadership were serious and real, ‘They vividly recall 10:31 and 39. Will Jesus again put Himself into mortal danger? The disciples say nothing about themselves; their thought is first of Jesus, yet verse 16 shows how they certainly would not let Jesus go alone, no matter what the danger.’ (Lenski p. 785)

4

John 11:9 ‘Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.”’

“If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble”-‘anyone can walk in the daytime without stumbling.’ (NEB) Points To Note: 1. It appears that the 12 hours in the day, the ‘day-time’ is the time that Jesus has to do His work. And He knows that this time isn’t up yet. ‘Jesus implies that his own earthly working day is not yet ended, and that even if now it be the twelfth hour for him, he shall have also that hour for his work, and nobody shall be able to rob him of it by killing him before the time.’ (Lenski pp. 785-786) 2. Jesus knew exactly how much time He had left and He knew that He wouldn’t be arrested in Bethany or stoned there. 3. What a wonderful thought! Jesus wasn’t about to stop working until His life here was over. A good lesson for us. Christians must avoid the temptation of ‘retiring’ from God’s work. 4. His time for work is definitely fixed. ‘It cannot be lengthened by any precautionary measures which you, my disciples, would like to take, nor can it be shortened by any plot which my enemies would like to execute.’

(Hendriksen p. 142) 5. ‘The man who follows the wise procedure of walking in the day has no fear, for he can see his path. Jesus was walking in the light of the day that God had given Him. He could see His path. He knew that the time allotted to Him was definite and certain; it had not yet expired. His former teaching that He is the Light of the world suggested that they (the disciples) too might walk with confidence if they followed His leading.’ (Foster p. 971)

John 11:10 “But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.”

‘These words were uttered to make clear to the disciples that his course, to return to Judaea, despite the danger, was not a whim, but a decision in keep with his mission, a destiny marked out by him who led him in the light.’ (Woods p. 231) In principle the same is true for us. As long as we walk in the light of God’s teachings, our enemies cannot inflict upon us any lasting damage (Matthew 10:28-29).

John 11:11 ‘This He said, and after that He said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I go, that I may awaken him out of sleep.”’

“Our friend Lazarus”-the disciples were also close friends with this man and his family. Obviously, Jesus and His disciples had spent much time in the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus.

“has fallen asleep”-Jesus knew that Lazarus was already dead. Here is another indication of His Divine Omniscience. And He already knew that He would raise Him. 5

Point To Note: Death is often called ‘sleep’ in the Bible (Genesis 47:30; 2 Samuel 7:12; Matthew 27:52; Acts 7:60; 1 Thess. 4:13. But death isn’t called ‘sleep’ because it is a state of unconsciousness (Luke 16:19-31; Philippians 1:21,23). But rather because: 1. Like physical sleep, death isn’t final! The word ‘sleep’ infers a waking up, a resurrection. 2.

Death is also called sleep, because for believers there is nothing to dread about death. For the believer, death is something pleasant, like sleep, a welcome rest, a period of relaxation, a break from toil. 3. For the believer, God has certainly removed the terror, dread and uncertainly which the world often associates with death. The death of the believer is precious (Psalm 116:15); the believer is escorted by the angels upon his or her death (Luke 16:22); to die is to be in Paradise (Luke 23:43); to be with the Lord, and to be in a far better place (Philippians 1:21,23). To be at home (2 Cor. 5:8); and to rest from our labors (Revelation 14:13). Be impressed, the death of a loved one who is a believer is not the worst thing that could happen! (1 Thess. 4:13-17)

John 11:12 ‘The disciples therefore said to Him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.”’

The disciples automatically think of physical and literal sleep. ‘They were probably all the more ready to reach this conclusion because it removed the necessity for the dangerous journey into Judea.’ (Morris p. 543) Lightfoot notes that according to Jewish tradition is was said that ‘sleep in sickness is a sign of recovery, because it shows that the violence of the disease has abated.’ (Butler p. 142) And yet, the disciples are unwarranted from reaching this conclusion. Why would Jesus need to wake someone up? Their attitude is, ‘well, then the sleep itself will have a curative effect on him, so we don’t need to go after all and put our lives in needless danger.’

John 11:13 ‘Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that He was speaking of literal sleep.’

This statement is given for the benefit of those reading! Once again, God is doing everything He can to help us understand His revelation. The 12 may have misunderstood what Jesus said, but God is making sure that no one else misses the point. From statements like the above it is clear that the disciples did not invent the character of Christ, the life of Christ or the teachings of Christ. For they are so often pictured as misunderstanding something that Jesus taught—rather than improving a sermon that He just delivered.

John 11:14 ‘Then Jesus therefore said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead.”’

6

‘said to them plainly’-Jesus doesn’t allow these men to persist in their misunderstanding. ‘at this point Jesus removes their uncertainty…This statement of Jesus implies supernatural knowledge…The messengers had spoken only of illness, and there was no other human source of information.’ (Morris p. 543)

John 11:15 “and I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may believe, but let us go to him.”

“I am glad for your sakes that I was not there”-Raising a man four days dead will strengthen the faith of the apostles. Notice, Jesus could rejoice even in the face of death, even when a dear loved one had just died. ‘This gladness emanates from far higher considerations than those which we ordinarily connect with sickness, death, and bereavement.’ (Lenski p. 792) Jesus wanted these men to have a faith that transcended death! ‘for had He been present and acted at once, that lesson would not have come home to them so forcibly. As it is, their faith in Him as the Giver of life will be increased by knowing that He has power to raise a man from a state of obvious corruption to incorruption.’ (Tasker p. 139)

John 11:16 ‘Thomas therefore, who is called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with Him.”’ ‘Thomas….called Didymus’-‘”Didymus” is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew “Thomas”, both of which mean “Twin”’. (Morris p. 544)

‘said to his fellow disciples’-for once someone speaks up besides Peter. Obviously, Peter wasn’t the ‘Pope’ of the group.

“Let us also go, that we may die with Him”-While Thomas is pessimistic, he is also courageous. ‘Thomas looked death in the face and chose death with Jesus rather than life without Him.’ (Morris p. 545) But note, there is nothing in the words of Thomas which suggests that Jesus will do anything for Lazarus. At this time in his life, Thomas is like some members of the Church, willing to stand for the truth, but completely pessimistic about God’s work having any real success. ‘He is ever afraid that he may lose his beloved Master, or that some evil will befall the latter. He expects evil, and cannot believe the good when it occurs.’ (Hendriksen p. 144) Like Thomas, too many Christians often have the attitude of loyal despair.

John 11:17 ‘So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days.’ ‘when Jesus came’-The journey from the east side of the Jordan to Bethany would have been about 30 miles.

7

‘He found’-Jesus already knew, but it appears that someone seems to have also given him the information when He arrived.

‘tomb four days’-death and burial often took place on the same day in this climate and culture (Acts 5:5,6,9,10; see also Deut. 21:23). Lazarus had been placed into a tomb, which was either a natural cave or a man-made cave. Barclay notes various customs which may have been associated with Jewish funerals of this time period. ‘The women mourners walked first, for it was held that it was woman who by her first sin brought death into the world, and therefore she ought to lead the mourners to the tomb. At the tomb sometimes memorial speeches were made…So long as the body was in the house it was forbidden to eat meat or drink…No food was to be prepared in the house, and such food as was eaten must not be eaten in the presence of the dead. As soon as the body was carried out all furniture was reversed, and the mourners sat on the ground or on low stools. On the return from the tomb a meal was served, which had been prepared by the friends of the family. It consisted of bread, hard-boiled eggs and lentils…Deep mourning lasted for seven days, of which the first week were days of weeping. During these seven days it was forbidden to anoint oneself, to put on shoes, to engage in any kind of study or business, and even to wash. The week of deep mourning was followed by thirty days of lighter mourning.’ (pp. 103-104)

John 11:18 ‘Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off;’ John 11:19 ‘and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary, to console them concerning their brother.’

Points To Note: 1. John places Bethany with precision. This note of distance from Jerusalem, explains how many Jews would be able to come and comfort the sisters. 2. ‘At the funeral itself the mourners were left alone with their sorrow and their friends refrained from speaking to them. But later it was expected that visits for consolation would be made, and the Jews rated this duty highly.’ (Morris p. 547) 3. It appears that Lazarus and his sisters were well thought of and had many friends. 4. But it also appears that some came with ulterior motives (11:46). Butler notes, ‘Some had…been sent there by the rulers of the Jews to see if Jesus would come from His ‘hiding place’ at the death of His beloved friend.’ (p. 145)

John 11:20 ‘Martha therefore, when she heard that Jesus was coming, went to meet Him; but Mary still sat in the house.’

‘Mary still sat’-it appears that Mary remained in the house because she was unaware that Jesus had arrived (11:28-29). Woods notes, ‘the picture drawn here of the two sisters

8

is in keeping with that indicated in Luke 10:38-39. Martha was the practical, busy one; Mary, the quiet, reflective..one’ (pp. 235-236)

John 11:21 ‘Martha therefore said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.”’

John 11:22 “Even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.” Points To Note: 1. Martha expresses her faith, she had tremendous confidence in Jesus. She knew that Jesus could have healed her brother. 2. Carefully note that there is no complaint from her lips, she doesn’t say, ‘What’s the matter with you, some friend you turned out to be, you healed others, but you couldn’t even take the time to heal your friends…’ 3.

The statement of verse 22 seems to suggest that she is still hopeful, that even at this late hour, something, she doesn’t know what, could be done. ‘hints to her belief that even in the face of her brother’s death Jesus will somehow rectify the situation.’

(Butler p. 145) And yet, she doesn’t perceive Jesus as raising Him from the dead (11:24,39). Morris suggests that this verse might be saying, ‘If you had been here my brother might not have died, for I know that God gives the things you ask.’ (p. 549) 4. Martha also might be saying, that “even know”, even after her brother has died, she hasn’t lost her faith in Jesus, and she isn’t blaming Him for her brother’s death. She still believes that Jesus is the Messiah.

John 11:23 ‘Jesus said to her, “Your brother shall rise again.”’

John 11:24 ‘Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.”’ “the resurrection on the last day”-‘There are some liberal schools of theology who maintain that the Jews in the Old Testament did not believe in the future life.’ (Butler p.

146) Martha was a common Jewish woman of the first century, and yet she just took it for granted that all will be raised on the last day. The O.T. contains many passages that point to a future life and a bodily resurrection (Psalm 16:9-11; Psalm 23; 2 Samuel 12:23; 53:10-13; Daniel 12:2). We need to be impressed with the truths that the average Jewish individual understood! These are not ignorant people, they knew the Scriptures.

John 11:25 ‘Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies.”’

9

“I am the resurrection and the life”-Jesus is not only the cause of the resurrection at the last day, which will include everyone, including believers and unbelievers (5:28-29).

But Jesus is the source of a greater resurrection than even the resurrection of all the physically dead. Jesus is the (I am-singular) only source for spiritual life (John 14:6). A man or woman cannot be reborn spiritually without Him (John 3:5). One cannot deliver themselves out of a condition of spiritual death, apart from Jesus (Ephesians 2:1-9).

Jesus’ claim here is very exclusive, ‘I am’. The reader should note that anytime we talk about a spiritual resurrection, one from spiritual death to spiritual life, we must always include, besides faith, repentance and baptism (Romans 6:1-5; Ephesians 2:1-6; Colossians 2:12-13).

“believes in Me”-which always includes obedience to His teachings and trusting whatever conditions are given by Him to obtain eternal life (John 3:36). This verse isn’t teaching that spiritual life is given at the moment of mental accepting the fact that Jesus is the Messiah, for people did that but were never saved (John 12:42-43). Remember, salvation by faith-only would have to insist that one is saved prior to confessing Christ (Matthew 10:32-33) or even acknowledging or turning away from your sins (Acts 2:38).

“shall live even if he dies”-shall live spiritually, even though his body dies. Clearly, physical death doesn’t affect the believers relationship with God. Death isn’t the worst possible thing that could happen to us! In fact, death can’t even touch our relationship with God.

John 11:26 “and everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

Points To Note: 1. ‘Everyone’-no predestination or Calvinism here. 2. Spiritual life has conditions, one must continue to believe in Christ (2 Timothy 2:11-13; Hebrews 5:8-9).

“Do you believe this?”-And this is really the bottom line, ‘Do we really believe what Jesus is teaching?’ Note: Jesus didn’t say, ‘Do other people believe this?’ Because that it irrelevant for Martha. The faith or lack of faith on the part of others doesn’t save me and neither does it condemn me. This question posed by Jesus was ‘to test Martha’s comprehension of these matters and to determine how well she was following his remarks.

The matters, though eminently true would be of no benefit to her unless she accepted them.’ (Woods p. 238)

John 11:27 ‘She said to Him, “Yes, Lord; I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God, even He who comes into the world.”’

“I have believed”-‘I believe this now just like I have believed this in the past.’ Wow! Be impressed that this great tragedy in the life of Martha had not hardened her heart. She

10

refused to attach any blame to Jesus for the death of her brother. She may not understand why He couldn’t have come in time, but she refuses to allow any unbelief, criticism or murmuring into her heart! Even after the death of her brother, even after Jesus’ (seemingly) failure to arrive in time, she continues to believe that He is the Son of God, the Messiah! Is this your level of faith? Do you refuse to blame God, or are you looking for any reason why you don’t have to serve Him? When life is hard, when it seems like God hasn’t come through for you---what do you believe? See Hab. 3:16-19.

‘the Son of God’-far from being ignorant, we find many people in the Gospels who understood what the Old Testament had taught and Who Jesus was claiming to be (John 1:29; 41,45,49; 4:42; 6:68-69; Matthew 16:16.

John 11:28 ‘And when she had said this, she went away, and called Mary her sister, saying secretly, “The Teacher is here, and is calling for you.”’ “saying secretly”-Jesus wanted to comfort the strengthen the faith of Mary, just as He had done for her sister, and also to do this apart from the crowds.

John 11:29 ‘And when she heard it, she arose quickly, and was coming to Him.’ John 11:30 ‘Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha met Him.’ “had not yet come into the village”-which explains why Mary needed to come to Jesus, and why He had summoned her with a certain amount of secrecy.

John 11:31 ‘The Jews then who were with her in the house, and consoling her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there.’ ‘supposing’-Evidently, they were more worried about the emotional state of Mary than Martha. Possibly because, unlike Martha who was busy and up and about, Mary was very quiet and inactive. ‘Someone should be at her side there in the graveyard. A woman, so overcome with grief, should not be left all alone.’ (Butler p. 149)

John 11:32 ‘Therefore, when Mary came where Jesus was, she saw Him, and fell at His feet, saying to Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.”’

11

‘fell at His feet’- in reverence, but also in deep grief. Mary believed, what Martha believed, and how often must they have said to themselves, ‘If only Jesus were here’.

John 11:33 ‘When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her, also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit, and was troubled.’ ‘her weeping’-the word signifies a loud weeping or wailing. A loud expression of pain and sorrow. A grief that is not restrained but is expressed totally and openly.

‘deeply moved in spirit’-a very intense emotion. The word rendered ‘moved in spirit’ is often associated with anger and indignation (Mark 14:5). Nothing in the context seems to suggest that Jesus is angry, rather it appears that He was deeply moved. And not deeply moved in some ‘human spirit’, but deeply moved in His own nature, which is Spirit (John 4:24). But if anger is in the above emotion, Tasker notes, ‘The presence of the grief-stricken sisters, to whose faith bereavement is presenting its sharpest challenge, brings vividly home to Him…the iron grip in which mankind is held by what Paul calls “the last enemy that shall be destroyed” (1 Cor. 15:26)…”It is death that is the object of his wrath, and behind death him who has the power of death, and whom he has come into the world to destroy.’ (p. 140)

‘was troubled’-this may refer to more inward emotion. But this word can also mean to ‘shake or shudder’. That Jesus was so moved by this scene that He physically shook, or He shook off momentary trembling.

John 11:34 ‘and said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.”’

‘They said’-would appear to be Mary and Martha speaking in response to Jesus’ question.

John 11:35 ‘Jesus wept’ Points To Note: 1. Jesus also cried on other occasions (Luke 19:41; Hebrews 5:7). 2. Much is made about these tears demonstrating the ‘human side’ of Jesus. The fact that Jesus’ physical body shed tears if proof that it was real and it was just like our body. But the fact that He shed tears more powerfully tells us something about God, rather than man. Grief is not just a human emotion, it is also a Divine emotion (Genesis 6:6; Ephesians 4:30). We are able to grieve, because we are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26). 3. God is not a cold, insensitive Being and neither is He a machine.

Our actions do affect God, God is greatly concerned about the choices that mankind makes, God is deeply involved in the affairs of this life. 4. When we sin, we not only

12

hurt ourselves and others, be we also hurt God. 5. God is deeply concerned when we are grieving. Woods notes, ‘It is unfortunate that this statement is remembered by most people as being “the shortest verse in the Bible”, rather than for the information it conveys.’ (p. 241) 6. God practices what He preaches, He weeps with those who weep (Romans 12:15). 7. This view of Jesus is completely our of harmony with the view that the Greeks and modern Eastern religions have of God. God is not a force, God is not apathetic, and the ideal state, the ultimate spiritual condition is not a level at which one doesn’t care anyone.

John 11:36 ‘And so the Jews were saying, “Behold how He loved him!”’

John 11:37 ‘But some of them said, “Could not this man, who opened the eyes of him who was blind, have kept this man also from dying?”’

“Could not this man”-This may have been an honest question asked by people who were puzzled as to why Jesus hadn’t arrived in time. The blind man under consideration is the man who was healed in John chapter 9. An event which many people still remembered. ‘The Jews regarded the case of Lazarus to be closed. The matter was hopeless now…It seems that the news of the raising of Jairus’ daughter and of the widow’s son had not reached Jerusalem, or if it had, this death was altogether different: it was now the fourth day! This case was hopeless.’ (Hendriksen p. 156) This may also have been a criticism of Jesus: Woods notes, ‘Others of them, however, seized the occasion to disparage Jesus by audibly wondering why he did not exercise his powers alleged to have been done in the case of the healing of the blind man…The question they propounded is so constructed in the Greek text as to require a negative answer and it was designed to be ironical, malicious and contemptuous.’ (p. 242) Their attitude may have been, ‘Couldn’t this one who it is said opened the eyes of the blind have done something to keep this man from dying? And since he hadn’t kept Lazarus from dying, then maybe he didn’t really heal that blind man after all.’

John 11:38 ‘Jesus therefore again being deeply moved within, came to the tomb. Now it was a cave, and a stone was lying against it.’ ‘deeply moved within’-As Jesus comes to the place of burial, He is still filled with deep and strong emotion. ‘was once more shaken by emotion’ (Rieu). Tenny notes, ‘Nowhere does the Gospel present sovereignty as equivalent to arrogance or to unfeeling exercise of authority. He might have been unconcerned with grief, since He knew well that it would be succeeded quickly by joy; yet He sorrowed with them…As He looked upon the cemetery at Bethany, a silent memorial to the devastation that death had wrought on the human race, He was angered against man’s great enemy. Death to Him was not an impassable barrier, but a call to battle.’ (p. 175) Jesus may also have been deeply moved by the statement in 11:37, which expresses doubt, a lack of faith and may have even been an expression of outright ridicule and criticism.

13

John 11:39 ‘Jesus said, “Remove the stone”. Martha, the sister of the deceased, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there will be a stench, for he has been dead four days.”’

‘Martha…said’-The faith of Martha begins to waver. She is now thinking more about “decorum” (Luke 10:40), and ‘was horrified to think of the exposure of the corpse, it being now the fourth day after death.’ (Foster p. 980) Clearly, Lazarus was dead and beyond that, his physical body had began to decay. ‘a sister would dread to look upon the already decomposing body of her brother.’ (Lenski p. 813) Point To Note: ‘The resurrection of one who has been dead four days---even after decomposition has set in---precludes any possibility of enemies claiming that Lazarus was not really dead!

Lazarus had not merely lapsed into a coma. The reader will please take careful notice that when the enemies of Jesus counseled about their strategy in answer to this miracle, not one minute inference can be found that Lazarus was not really dead---nor indeed, that the miracle had not really happened (John 11:47-53; 12:9-10, 17-19).’ (Butler p. 153)

John 11:40 ‘Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you, if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”’ “Did I not say to you”-Jesus would perform this miracle regardless of whether unbelievers were present in the crowd surrounding the tomb. What was going to happen would display the power of Jesus, the glory (the magnificent attributes) of Deity. This statement, ‘you will see the glory of God’ is a summation of the statements found in 11:4, 23, 25-26. ‘Of course, Jesus cannot have meant that the performance of the miracle was dependent upon Martha’s exercise of faith. What he intended to convey was this, that if Martha would only stop thinking about that corpse and would rivet her attention on Jesus…she would see this miracle as a true sign, an illustration and proof of the glory of God reflected in the Son of God.’ (Hendriksen p. 158)

John 11:41 ‘And so they removed the stone. And Jesus raised His eyes, and said, “Father, I thank Thee that Thou heardest Me.”’ ‘so they removed the stone’-The typical tomb consisted of an entrance, then a natural or man-made cave, usually about six feet long, nine feet wide and ten feet high. ‘In such a tomb there were usually eight shelves cut in the rock…and on these shelves the bodies were laid…The tomb had no door, but in front of the opening there ran a groove, and in the groove there was set a great stone like a cartwheel, and the stone was rolled across the entrance so that the cave was sealed.’ (Barclay p. 115)

14

John 11:42 “And I knew that Thou hearest Me always; but because of the people standing around I said it, that they may believe that Thou didst send Me.” Points To Note: 1. Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 6:6 was never meant to prohibit praying in public or even praying before unbelievers. 2. Jesus wanted to make sure that this miracle demonstrated to the people that He is the Son of God, one in complete harmony with the Father. 3. Critics who try to discredit this miracle, automatically label themselves as people who have missed the point of the whole chapter!

John 11:43 ‘And when He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth.”’

“Lazarus, come forth”-He used a loud voice, not because the dead are kind of on the deaf side, but for the benefit of all those present. Notice the simplicity of the miracle. No incantations, just a simple statement. 1. The dead respond to the call of Jesus! One day all the dead will be called by this same voice (John 5:28-29). 2. Tasker notes, ‘a word as powerful and effective as the divine fiat at the creation “let there be light”.’ (p. 141) 3.

Here we see the true power and glory of Jesus. All He has to do is simply say the word and the dead obey His voice. 4. Critics have claimed that Jesus and Lazarus had conspired to fool everyone. So Lazarus pretended to be dead, and when Jesus gave the signal, Lazarus, hiding in the tomb would come forth. But the reason that Jesus specified “Lazarus, come forth” was that a general command to “come forth” would have emptied the whole graveyard!

John 11:44 ‘He who had died came forth, bound hand and foot with wrappings; and his face was wrapped around with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”’

‘He who had died’-Lazarus had clearly died, this is not a man who had passed out and lapsed into a coma.

‘bound hand and foot with wrappings’-‘the bodies were wrapped in a linen garment, but the hands and feet were swathed in bandage-like wrappings, and the head was wrapped in a towel.’ (Barclay p. 115) The legs may have been bound separately, so that this didn’t prevent Lazarus was walking out of the tomb on his own power. If, his legs were bound together, then we have a miracle within a miracle. Lazarus is drawn out tightly bandaged.

15

“Unbind him”-What a sight this must have been! The onlookers are so shocked that Jesus has to tell them to unwrap him. For the moment everyone keeps their distance from Lazarus. Notice how Jesus discouraged all vain curiosity. ‘He did not want Lazarus to stand there for a while, in order to be gaped at or to answer ever so many questions….”Where was your soul?” “How does it feel to come back to earth?”’

(Hendriksen p. 159)

John 11:45 ‘Many therefore of the Jews, who had come to Mary and beheld what He had done, believed in Him.’ ‘believed in Him’-in these believers the miracle found its intended purpose. It demonstrated to them that Jesus is the Son of God (Acts 2:22).

Points To Note: 1. Be impressed with the brevity of the biblical account. ‘Not even any vividness in reporting the reaction of the crowds is indulged in! Surely they must have gasped, stared with mouths agape.’ (Butler p. 154) 2. And what would life be now like for one raised from the dead? This resurrection was definitely not for the personal benefit of Lazarus, for he was in a much better place. In fact, being raised from the dead would be a let down for the subject! (Philippians 1:21,23) 3. Imagine experiencing eternal bliss, only to be brought back to this earth! 4. And what type of conversations did Lazarus have with his sisters? What was now talked about at the family dinner table?

The Reaction Of Jesus’ Enemies John 11:46 ‘But some of them went away to the Pharisees, and told them the things which Jesus had done.’ ‘some of them’-it would appear that these individuals did not believe (11:45). ‘Some of the Jews, having witnessed the miracle and having noticed its effect upon the people, became even more embittered against Him.’ (Hendriksen p. 161)

John 11:47 ‘Therefore the chief priests and the Pharisees convened a council, and were saying, “What are we doing? For this man is performing many signs.”’

16

“What are we doing?”-‘What shall we do’ (Nor). This is the language of frustration.

They feel that all their efforts to stop Jesus or limit His influence have been in vain, if anything, He is becoming even more popular. In fact, if appears they are complaining among themselves that they are doing absolutely nothing, while Jesus performs miracle after miracle.

“this man is performing many signs”-These men were unbelievers, but they did not deny the miracles which Jesus had been performing. Even the enemies of Jesus had to admit that Jesus was manifesting miraculous powers. The evidence was just that clear. ‘It has always been the case that those whose minds are made up to oppose what Christ stands for will not be convinced by any amount of evidence.’ (Morris p. 565)

John 11:48 “If we let Him go on like this, all men will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” “take away both our place and our nation”-The word ‘place’ can either mean ‘position’ (our position as rulers) or place, in sense of city or temple. Here we start to see what really motivated many of the chief priests and Pharisees. While they might have claimed that they wanted liberation from the hated Romans, they clearly preferred the status quo. Actually, they had it good under Roman rule, their lives were very comfortable. They feared that Jesus would become an object of political loyalty, that civil war with the Romans would break out, and that they would lose everything, including their status and position as rulers.

Point To Note: In like manner, the denominations resent the preaching of simple New Testament Christianity, because such threatens their “position and status”. There are no popes, cardinals, bishops (in the denominational sense) in the New Testament Church. And there are not para-church organizations in the New Testament.

John 11:49 ‘But a certain one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all.”’

‘Caiaphas…high priest that year’-According to the Old Testament, the High Priest was to rule for life. ‘but the Romans found they could make vast sums of money by deposing a high priest and selling the office to the highest bidder.’ (Foster p. 984) Caiaphas was appointed in 18 A.D. and will run until 36 A.D. Caiaphas would be High Priest beyond ‘that year’. The expression ‘that year’ probably means also ‘that fateful year’, the year in which Jesus would die.

“You know nothing at all”-demonstrates an arrogance and rudeness, which other ancient writers claim was typical of the Sadducess, which was the party of the priesthood.

17

‘he contemptuously dismisses the whole assembly of the Sanhedrin as ignorant because its members do not see things in the same way.’ (Morris p. 567) Of the Sadducees, Josephus notes, ‘even among themselves, rather boorish in their behavior, and in their intercourse with their peers are as rude as aliens.’ (Morris p. 567)

John 11:50 “nor do you take into account that it is expedient for you that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation should not perish.”

Points To Note: 1. Butler is right when he says, ‘Actually, the high priest and his cohorts were not especially interested in either the temple, the nation, or the people except insofar as they must be concerned in order to protect their religious rackets.’ (p. 157) 2. But Caiaphas was completely wrong. His reason was, ‘Follow Jesus and the nation perishes, put Jesus to death and the nation is saved.’ Actually, the opposite happened.

The Jews murdered Jesus, and the Romans came in A.D. 70 and completely removed their place. 3. ‘Observe the selfishness that is here thinly veiled behind a show of patriotism. Prompted by their motive, these leaders virtually abandon their own idea of a Jewish King-Messiah as far as any TRANSFER of their power to such a Messiah is concerned…Coldly self-seeking, power and place is their one desire.’ (Lenski p.

825) 4. Their attitude is, ‘Whatever is good for them, must be good for the nation as a whole.’

John 11:51 ‘Now this he did not say on his own initiative; but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation,’ ‘did not say on his own initiative…he prophesied’-These are the words of the writer. Clearly, Caiaphas had nothing but evil and selfish intentions, but what he said contained an element of truth. Caiaphas meant one thing, but his words can also mean another thing, which is that Jesus must die to save the nation spiritually. Jesus’ death did not save the nation physically, in fact, just the opposite happened. I don’t believe that John is saying that Caiaphas was speaking by inspiration, for he meant by his words something completely different than the truth. But, unknowing to Caiaphas, he did say something that could be viewed as an insight into the future, if we put a certain construction on his words, that is, Jesus died to save the nation spiritually.

John 11:52 ‘and not for the nation only, but that He might also gather together into one the children of God who are scattered abroad.’ “gather together into one the children of God”-The previous statement, ‘and not for the nation only’, clearly means that Jesus died for another group of people, besides those of Jewish ancestry, i.e. the Gentiles (John 10:16; Ephesians 2:11-22). The “one” under consideration is one body or nation of believers.

18

“the children of God”-this isn’t teaching predestination, that is, that one is a child of God before being gathered into the one body. Other passages plainly assert that conditions exist to becoming a child of God (Galatians 3:26-27). Rather, the passage is teaching that Jesus will die so all those who want to be His children can be gathered into one body. God knew that many among the Gentiles would want to be His children (Acts 18:10). Those arguing for predestination need to seriously consider their position. For predestination has one being a child of God, even before faith in Christ. One cannot logically believe in salvation by faith only and predestination at the same time—and yet this is what is commonly done in the religious world.

John 11:53 ‘So from that day on they planned together to kill Him.’ ‘So from that day on’-The official position was accepted. ‘Jesus brought back life to Lazarus; the Jews plan to bring death to the Lifegiver. Yet despite all their counselling they themselves never found a way---Judas had to show them the way.’ (Lenski p. 831)

John 11:54 ‘Jesus therefore no longer continued to walk publicly among the Jews, but went away from there to the country near the wilderness, into a city called Ephraim; and there He stayed with the disciples.’

‘Ephraim’-‘the wilderness of Judea…was immediately west of the Dead Sea and extended several miles up the Jordan River from where it emptied into the Dead Sea. The second most desolate section in Palestine was a sort of continuation of this wilderness in the wild mountainous section to the north between the Jordan and Bethel…Josephus locates a fortress called Ephraim in the mountainous region northeast of Bethel.’ (Foster p.

985) Once again be impressed that Jesus isn’t trying to die as soon as possible. Rather, He is clearly on a definite time-table and Jewish opposition hasn’t altered that time-table.

‘He retired to Ephraim for seclusion and privacy in order to rest up physically and strengthen Himself and His disciples spiritually for the tremendously burdening events about to transpire.’ (Butler p. 159)

John 11:55 ‘Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and many went up to Jerusalem out of the country before the Passover, to purify themselves.’

‘Passover’-This will be the Passover at which Jesus will die. The rest of this Gospel will be talking about the events that took place before, during and after this celebration.

‘to purify themselves’-many of the people would arrive early in Jerusalem, so they could participate in the Levitical purification ceremonies in order to be permitted to engage in the Passover services. ‘These acts involved various washings the design of which was to remove ceremonial uncleanness growing out of the traditions of the Jews.’

19

(Woods p. 250) At this point it appears that the Passover is only about a week or two away. Pilgrims are already starting to arrive to make sure that they are ceremonially purified before the actual feast (John 18:28).

John 11:56 ‘Therefore they were seeking for Jesus, and were saying to one another, as they stood in the temple, “What do you think; that He will not come to the feast at all?”’

“He will not come to the feast at all?”-It seems that they were saying, ‘He will not likely come, will he.’ It appears that the ‘they’ of the above verse could include the Jewish leaders. But more in line with the context, the ‘they’ appears to be the pilgrims who are: 1. Aware that the rulers have a death warrant out for Jesus (11:57). 2. Wondering if Jesus will show up. Probably thinking that , ‘I doubt Jesus will come this year, in view of the circumstances’, but also disappointed that they won’t see this One who had raised Lazarus from the dead. As at other feasts, the people are in anticipation (7:11-12).

John 11:57 ‘Now the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that if anyone knew where He was, he should report it, that they might seize Him.’

20