John 11

 

The Death of Lazarus

11:1 Now a certain man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village where Mary and her sister Martha lived. 

 

Lazarus, Mary, and Martha were brother and sisters who were living in Bethany. Bethany was on the east side of the Mount of Olives. 

 

11:2 (Now it was Mary who anointed the Lord with perfumed oil and wiped his feet dry with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.) 

 

Mary would later use her hair to anoint Jesus with perfume. Since the Book of John was written thirty years after the other gospels, John may have expected his readers to know about this event.

 

11:3 So the sisters sent a message to Jesus, “Lord, look, the one you love is sick.” 

 

The sisters expected Jesus to immediately return and heal Lazarus.

 

11:4 When Jesus heard this, he said, “This sickness will not lead to death, but to God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” 

 

Jesus would not return immediately because this death would lead to God’s glory. God has appointed everyone to die once. Even death brings glory to God in many mysterious ways.

 

11:5 (Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.)

 

Jesus loved this family very much.

 

11:6 So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he remained in the place where he was for two more days. 

 

Jesus was waiting for Lazarus to die.

 

11:7 Then after this, he said to his disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” 

 

Jerusalem is in Judea. The heart of Judaism leadership was in Judea.

 

11:8 The disciples replied, “Rabbi, the Jewish leaders were just now trying to stone you to death! Are you going there again?” 

 

The Jewish leaders were attempting to kill Jesus and His disciples.

 

11:9 Jesus replied, “Are there not twelve hours in a day? If anyone walks around in the daytime, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. 

 

If one is walking in the will of God, then he is immortal until he accomplishes the task.

 

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

 

If anyone is not walking in the will of God, then he is walking in darkness.

 

11:11 After he said this, he added, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep. But I am going there to awaken him.” 

 

Christians do not die. Jesus puts their physical body to sleep. The soul and spirit go to be with the Lord Jesus.

 

11:12 Then the disciples replied, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” 

 

The disciples did not understand the principle of Christian sleep.

 

11:13 (Now Jesus had been talking about his death, but they thought he had been talking about real sleep.)

 

Often Jesus talked about one thing, but the disciples thought about something different. This is the way it is with humans.

 

11:14 Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died, 

 

Jesus pointed out in a direct manner that Lazarus had died so that there would be no misunderstanding.

 

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

 

Jesus claimed that He was “the resurrection and the life.” Now, He was going to prove it.

 

11:16 So Thomas (called Didymus) said to his fellow disciples, “Let us go too, so that we may die with him.”

 

Didymus means “twin.” Thomas is often called “doubting Thomas” because of his disbelief recorded in chapter 20. According to secular history, most of the disciples died as martyrs for Jesus.

 

Speaking with Martha and Mary

11:17 When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had been in the tomb four days already. 

 

Lazarus died soon after the messengers left Jesus.

 

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

 

With Bethany just two miles away from Jerusalem, many of the Jews from the entire Roman Empire were camped in Bethany for the required Passover Feast. Many would see the miracles and take this information back to their hometown.

 

11:19 so many of the Jewish people of the region had come to Martha and Mary to console them over the loss of their brother.) 

 

Under Jewish culture, Lazarus would be mourned by family and friends for three days. This would increase the number of witnesses of the resurrection of Lazarus.

 

11:20 So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary was sitting in the house. 

 

Martha was the active and aggressive sister. She went out to meet Jesus. Martha was the quiet and spiritual sister. She waited for the timing of Jesus.

 

11:21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 

 

Notice that Martha called Jesus “Lord.” She knew that Jesus could have healed her brother. This is a confession of faith.

 

11:22 But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will grant you.”

 

Martha believes that God will grant Jesus anything that He asks. She was not expecting Lazarus to be resurrected from the dead.

 

11:23 Jesus replied, “Your brother will come back to life again.” 

 

The Greek word “again” is not in the Greek text.

 

11:24 Martha said, “I know that he will come back to life again in the resurrection at the last day.” 

 

Martha did not realize that Jesus would immediately raise Lazarus from the dead. She believed Lazarus would be raised on the last day.

 

11:25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live even if he dies, 11:26 and the one who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” 

 

When a believer “dies,” he is really not dead. Jesus puts his physical body to sleep. The soul and spirit go to be with Christ. The physical body will be joined with the soul and spirit at the Rapture.

 

11:27 She replied, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God who comes into the world.”

 

Martha believed that Jesus was “Lord,” or deity. She believed he was the Messiah. She believed He was the Son of God who came down to earth from heaven.

 

11:28 And when she had said this, Martha went and called her sister Mary, saying privately, “The Teacher is here and is asking for you.” 

 

Jesus desired to have a private conference with Mary.

 

11:29 So when Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. 

 

Mary left her mourning time to visit Jesus.

 

11:30 (Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still in the place where Martha had come out to meet him.) 

 

Jesus was still outside the village, traveling to Bethany.

 

11:31 Then the people who were with Mary in the house consoling her saw her get up quickly and go out. They followed her, because they thought she was going to the tomb to weep there.

 

Jesus asked for a private conversation with Mary but all of her family and friends followed her.

 

11:32 Now when Mary came to the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 

 

Earlier, Mary sat at the feet and learned from Jesus. Now, she falls at the feet of Jesus in worship of Him. Mary had great faith, but her faith was only as strong as the limited divine knowledge which she had received at that time. She knew that Jesus could have healed her brother if Jesus had returned earlier.

 

11:33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the people who had come with her weeping, he was intensely moved in spirit and greatly distressed. 

 

The apathetic and cruel Greco-Roman gods would never weep over the death of a human. The Greek word for “distressed” is ταράσσω (tarassow), an aorist active indicative verb, meaning that Jesus was angry and agitated. Many commentaries teach that Jesus was angry at the people’s unbelief or hypocritical and superstitious wailing. However, no one can believe unless they are regenerated by the Holy Spirit. Jesus was most likely angry at Satan and the satanic world system. They were responsible for murdering His sheep.

 

11:34 He asked, “Where have you laid him?” They replied, “Lord, come and see.” 

 

Jesus knew the answer, but He allowed the crowd to follow.

 

11:35 Jesus wept. 

 

This is the shortest sentence in the Greek Bible. The Greek word for “wept” is δακρύω (dakruow), an aorist active indicative verb, meaning to shed tears quietly. This is the opposite of the wailing of the mourners in verse 33. Their wailing was loud, superstitious, and hypocritical. 

 

11:36 Thus the people who had come to mourn said, “Look how much he loved him!” 

 

The crowd interpreted the tears of Jesus as an act of brotherly love.

 

11:37 But some of them said, “This is the man who caused the blind man to see! Couldn’t he have done something to keep Lazarus from dying?”

 

Some of the people interpreted the tears of Jesus as a weakness of His divine attributes.

 

Lazarus Raised from the Dead

11:38 Jesus, intensely moved again, came to the tomb. (Now it was a cave, and a stone was placed across it.) 

 

The cave was often cut into limestone. A 400 pound rock was rolled over the entrance.

 

11:39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the deceased, replied, “Lord, by this time the body will have a bad smell, because he has been buried four days.” 

 

After four days of death, the body begins to decompose. 

 

11:40 Jesus responded, “Didn’t I tell you that if you believe, you would see the glory of God?” 

 

Jesus reminded the sisters of His promise to raise Lazarus from the dead. The sisters had to make a decision to believe Jesus and remove the stone, or to disbelieve Jesus and leave the stone in place.

 

11:41 So they took away the stone. Jesus looked upward and said, “Father, I thank you that you have listened to me. 

 

Jesus gave glory to God the Father.

 

11:42 I knew that you always listen to me, but I said this for the sake of the crowd standing around here, that they may believe that you sent me.” 

 

This miracle was to occur publicly with many witnesses so that it would build their belief in Jesus.

 

11:43 When he had said this, he shouted in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 

 

Augustine once remarked that if Jesus had not said Lazarus’ name, then all men would have come out from their graves.

 

11:44 The one who had died came out, his feet and hands tied up with strips of cloth, and a cloth wrapped around his face. Jesus said to them, “Unwrap him and let him go.”

 

Lazarus was wrapped tightly in linen cloth. The people would have to unwrap Lazarus so that he could move about freely.

 

The Response of the Jewish Leaders

11:45 Then many of the people, who had come with Mary and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in him. 

 

The miracles of Jesus either caused people to believe, or it hardened them against Jesus.

 

11:46 But some of them went to the Pharisees and reported to them what Jesus had done. 

 

Man is so totally depraved and evil, that if left alone by God, man can see a powerful miracle and still disbelieve.

 

11:47 So the chief priests and the Pharisees called the council together and said, “What are we doing? For this man is performing many miraculous signs. 

 

The miracle was so powerful and so widespread, that the Sanhedrin called an emergency meeting. The enemies of Jesus confessed that Jesus performed miracles. The strongest evidence in a court of law is the positive testimony of hostile witnesses.

 

11:48 If we allow him to go on in this way, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away our sanctuary and our nation.”

 

The Sanhedrin tried disapproval, excommunication, and counter-teaching, but none of these tactics stopped the people from following Jesus. If the Sanhedrin did nothing else, then everyone would believe in Jesus. This will cause an insurrection. Rome will enter in and remove the Jewish leaders from their positions of power.

 

11:49 Then one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said, “You know nothing at all! 

 

Caiaphas was the high priest from 18-36 A.D. According to the Mosaic Law, the office of High Priest was a lifetime position. However, the Romans did not want a man receiving too much power, so they appointed them at their convenience. Caiaphas insulted his own Sanhedrin, showing that it was more of a dictatorship than a council. Caiaphas could be compared to a Mafia king.

 

The decision of Caiaphas was that this man must be sacrificed if the nation was to continue in Rome’s favor. The alternative was destruction of the Jewish nation in war (11:48). But their rejection of Jesus did not solve the problem. The Jewish people followed false shepherds into a war against Rome (a.d. 66–70), which did in fact destroy their nation.

 

11:50 You do not realize that it is more to your advantage to have one man die for the people than for the whole nation to perish.” 

 

Caiaphas spoke paradoxical words. He expressed political expediency, but his words also expressed the core of the Christian faith. The one man Christ must die for the nation so that the nation can be saved.

 

 

 

 

11:51 (Now he did not say this on his own, but because he was high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the Jewish nation, 

 

The Holy Spirit pointed out this divine paradox.

 

11:52 and not for the Jewish nation only, but to gather together into one the children of God who are scattered.) 

 

Jesus was also to die for the Gentiles who were scattered all over the world in different time periods of history.

 

11:53 So from that day they planned together to kill him.

 

The Sanhedrin decided to kill its own Messiah.

 

11:54 Thus Jesus no longer went around publicly among the Judeans, but went away from there to the region near the wilderness, to a town called Ephraim, and stayed there with his disciples. 

 

Ephraim was fifteen miles away from Jerusalem. 

 

11:55 Now the Jewish feast of Passover was near, and many people went up to Jerusalem from the rural areas before the Passover to cleanse themselves ritually. 

 

The rest of the Book of John will cover the last eight days of the life of Jesus. Devout Jews from all over the Roman Empire were traveling to Jerusalem for the required Passover Feast.

 

11:56 Thus they were looking for Jesus, and saying to one another as they stood in the temple courts, “What do you think? That he won’t come to the feast?” 

 

The Pharisees wanted to arrest Jesus. Everyone wondered if Jesus would attend the required feast. If Jesus did not attend, then He would be breaking the Mosaic Law.

 

11:57 (Now the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that anyone who knew where Jesus was should report it, so that they could arrest him.)

 

A bounty price was placed on Jesus. The whole region of Judaism was coming against Him.