John 11 English Standard Version (ESV)
The Death of Lazarus
11 Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. 3 So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” 4 But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”
5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So, when he heard that Lazarus[a] was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.7 Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” 8 The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?” 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. 10 But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” 11 After saying these things, he said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.”12 The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.”13 Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep. 14 Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died, 15 and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” 16 So Thomas, called the Twin,[b] said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”
I Am the Resurrection and the Life
17 Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. 18 Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles[c] off, 19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. 20 So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. 21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life.[d] Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”
Jesus Weeps
28 When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying in private, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” 29 And when she heard it, she rose quickly and went to him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha had met him. 31 When the Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary rise quickly and go out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there. 32 Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved[e] in his spirit and greatly troubled. 34 And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus wept. 36 So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?”
Jesus Raises Lazarus
38 Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. 39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.” 40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” 41 So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.”43 When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” 44 The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”
The Plot to Kill Jesus
45 Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what he did, believed in him, 46 but some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. 47 So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the council and said, “What are we to do? For this man performs many signs.48 If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” 49 But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all. 50 Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.” 51 He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, 52 and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. 53 So from that day on they made plans to put him to death.
54 Jesus therefore no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there to the region near the wilderness, to a town called Ephraim, and there he stayed with the disciples.
55 Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and many went up from the country to Jerusalem before the Passover to purify themselves. 56 They were looking for[f] Jesus and saying to one another as they stood in the temple, “What do you think? That he will not come to the feast at all?” 57 Now the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that if anyone knew where he was, he should let them know, so that they might arrest him.
Footnotes:
- John 11:6 Greek he; also verse 17
- John 11:16 Greek Didymus
- John 11:18 Greek fifteen stadia; a stadion was about 607 feet or 185 meters
- John 11:25 Some manuscripts omit and the life
- John 11:33 Or was indignant; also verse 38
- John 11:56 Greek were seeking for
NETBible
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. 1 11:2 (Now it was Mary who anointed the Lord with perfumed oil 2 and wiped his feet dry with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.) 3 11:3 So the sisters sent a message 4 to Jesus, 5 “Lord, look, the one you love is sick.” 11:4 When Jesus heard this, he said, “This sickness will not lead to death, 6 but to God’s glory, 7 so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” 8 11:5 (Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.) 9
11:6 So when he heard that Lazarus 10 was sick, he remained in the place where he was for two more days.11:7 Then after this, he said to his disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” 11 11:8 The disciples replied, 12 “Rabbi, the Jewish leaders 13 were just now trying 14 to stone you to death! Are 15 you going there again?”11:9 Jesus replied, 16 “Are there not twelve hours in a day? If anyone walks around in the daytime, he does not stumble, 17 because he sees the light of this world. 18 11:10 But if anyone walks around at night, 19 he stumbles, 20 because the light is not in him.”
11:11 After he said this, he added, 21 “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep. 22 But I am going there to awaken him.” 11:12 Then the disciples replied, 23 “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” 11:13 (Now Jesus had been talking about 24 his death, but they 25 thought he had been talking about real sleep.) 26
11:14 Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died, 11:15 and I am glad 27 for your sake that I was not there, so that you may believe. 28 But let us go to him.” 11:16 So Thomas (called Didymus 29 ) 30 said to his fellow disciples, “Let us go too, so that we may die with him.” 31
3 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author. It is a bit surprising that the author here identifies Mary as the one who anointed the Lord with perfumed oil and wiped his feet dry with her hair, since this event is not mentioned until later, in 12:3. Many see this “proleptic” reference as an indication that the author expected his readers to be familiar with the story already, and go on to assume that in general the author in writing the Fourth Gospel assumed his readers were familiar with the other three gospels. Whether the author assumed actual familiarity with the synoptic gospels or not, it is probable that he did assume some familiarity with Mary’s anointing activity.
4 tn The phrase “a message” is not in the Greek text but is implied. Direct objects in Greek were often omitted when clear from context.
sn Jesus plainly stated the purpose of Lazarus’ sickness in the plan of God: The end of the matter would not be death, but the glorification of the Son. Johannine double-meanings abound here: Even though death would not be the end of the matter, Lazarus is going to die; and ultimately his death and resurrection would lead to the death and resurrection of the Son of God (11:45-53). Furthermore, the glorification of the Son is not praise that comes to him for the miracle, but his death, resurrection, and return to the Father which the miracle precipitates (note the response of the Jewish authorities in 11:47-53).
8 sn So that the Son of God may be glorified through it. These statements are highly ironic: For Lazarus, the sickness did not end in his death, because he was restored to life. But for Jesus himself, the miraculous sign he performed led to his own death, because it confirmed the authorities in their plan to kill Jesus (11:47-53). In the Gospel of John, Jesus’ death is consistently portrayed as his ‘glorification’ through which he accomplishes his return to the Father.
9 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author. It was necessary for the author to reaffirm Jesus’ love for Martha and her sister and Lazarus here because Jesus’ actions in the following verse appear to be contradictory.
11 sn The village of Bethany, where Lazarus was, lies in Judea, less than 2 mi (3 km) from Jerusalem (see 11:18).
Speaking with Martha and Mary
11:17 When 32 Jesus arrived, 33 he found that Lazarus 34 had been in the tomb four days already. 35 11:18(Now Bethany was less than two miles 36 from Jerusalem, 37 11:19 so many of the Jewish people of the region 38 had come to Martha and Mary to console them 39 over the loss of their brother.) 40 11:20 So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary was sitting in the house. 41 11:21Martha 42 said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 11:22 But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will grant 43 you.” 44
11:23 Jesus replied, 45 “Your brother will come back to life again.” 46 11:24 Martha said, 47 “I know that he will come back to life again 48 in the resurrection at the last day.” 11:25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live 49 even if he dies, 11:26 and the one who lives and believes in me will never die. 50 Do you believe this?” 11:27 She replied, 51 “Yes, Lord, I believe 52 that you are the Christ, 53 the Son of God who comes into the world.” 54
11:28 And when she had said this, Martha 55 went and called her sister Mary, saying privately, 56 “The Teacher is here and is asking for you.” 57 11:29 So when Mary 58 heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. 11:30 (Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still in the place where Martha had come out to meet him.) 11:31 Then the people 59 who were with Mary 60 in the house consoling her saw her 61 get up quickly and go out. They followed her, because they thought she was going to the tomb to weep 62 there.
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.” 11:33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the people 63 who had come with her weeping, he was intensely moved 64 in spirit and greatly distressed. 65 11:34 He asked, 66 “Where have you laid him?” 67 They replied, 68 “Lord, come and see.” 11:35 Jesus wept.69 11:36 Thus the people who had come to mourn 70 said, “Look how much he loved him!” 11:37 But some of them said, “This is the man who caused the blind man to see! 71 Couldn’t he have done something to keep Lazarus 72 from dying?”
13 tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” In NT usage the term ᾿Ιουδαῖοι (Ioudaioi) may refer to the entire Jewish people, the residents of Jerusalem and surrounding territory, the authorities in Jerusalem, or merely those who were hostile to Jesus. (For further information see R. G. Bratcher, “‘The Jews’ in the Gospel of John,” BT 26 [1975]: 401-9.) Here the phrase refers to the Jewish leaders. See the previous references and the notes on the phrase “Jewish people” in v. 19, and “Jewish religious leaders” in vv. 24, 31, 33.
15 tn Grk “And are.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.
18 sn What is the light of this world? On one level, of course, it refers to the sun, but the reader of John’s Gospel would recall 8:12and understand Jesus’ symbolic reference to himself as the light of the world. There is only a limited time left (Are there not twelve hours in a day?) until the Light will be withdrawn (until Jesus returns to the Father) and the one who walks around in the dark will trip and fall (compare the departure of Judas by night in 13:30).
22 tn The verb κοιμάω (koimaw) literally means “sleep,” but it is often used in the Bible as a euphemism for death when speaking of believers. This metaphorical usage by its very nature emphasizes the hope of resurrection: Believers will one day “wake up” out of death. Here the term refers to death, but “asleep” was used in the translation to emphasize the metaphorical, rhetorical usage of the term, especially in light of the disciples’ confusion over what Jesus actually meant (see v. 13).
26 tn Grk “the sleep of slumber”; this is a redundant expression to emphasize physical sleep as opposed to death.
sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
28 sn So that you may believe. Why does Jesus make this statement? It seems necessary to understand the disciples’ belief here in a developmental sense, because there are numerous references to the disciples’ faith previous to this in John’s Gospel, notably 2:11. Their concept of who Jesus really was is continually being expanded and challenged; they are undergoing spiritual growth; the climax is reached in the confession of Thomas in John 20:28.
31 sn One gets the impression from Thomas’ statement “Let us go too, so that we may die with him” that he was something of a pessimist resigned to his fate. And yet his dedicated loyalty to Jesus and his determination to accompany him at all costs was truly commendable. Nor is the contrast between this statement and the confession of Thomas in 20:28, which forms the climax of the entire Fourth Gospel, to be overlooked; certainly Thomas’ concept of who Jesus is has changed drastically between 11:16 and 20:28.
sn There is no description of the journey itself. The author simply states that when Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had been in the tomb four days already. He had died some time before this but probably not very long (cf. Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5:6,10who were buried immediately after they died, as was the common practice of the time). There is some later evidence (early 3rd century) of a rabbinic belief that the soul hovered near the body of the deceased for three days, hoping to be able to return to the body. But on the fourth day it saw the beginning of decomposition and finally departed (Leviticus Rabbah 18.1). If this belief is as old as the 1st century, it might suggest the significance of the four days: After this time, resurrection would be a first-order miracle, an unequivocal demonstration of the power of God. It is not certain if the tradition is this early, but it is suggestive. Certainly the author does not appear to attach any symbolic significance to the four days in the narrative.
36 tn Or “three kilometers”; Grk “fifteen stades” (a stade as a unit of linear measure is about 607 feet or 187 meters).
37 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
38 tn Or “many of the Judeans” (cf. BDAG 479 s.v. ᾿Ιουδαῖος 2.e); Grk “many of the Jews.” Here the phrase refers to the residents of Jerusalem and the surrounding area in general (those who had been friends or relatives of Lazarus or his sisters would mainly be in view) since the Jewish religious authorities (“the chief priests and the Pharisees”) are specifically mentioned as a separate group in John 11:46-47. See also the note on the phrase “the Jewish leaders” in v. 8.
40 tn Grk “to comfort them concerning their brother”; the words “loss of” are not in the Greek text but are implied.
sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
41 sn Notice the difference in the response of the two sisters: Martha went out to meet Jesus, while Mary remains sitting in the house. It is similar to the incident in Luke 10:38-42. Here again one finds Martha occupied with the responsibilities of hospitality; she is the one who greets Jesus.
44 sn The statement “whatever you ask from God, God will grant you” by Martha presents something of a dilemma, because she seems to be suggesting here (implicitly at least) the possibility of a resurrection for her brother. However, Martha’s statement in 11:39 makes it clear that she had no idea that a resurrection was still possible. How then are her words in 11:22 to be understood? It seems best to take them as a confession of Martha’s continuing faith in Jesus even though he was not there in time to help her brother. She means, in effect, “Even though you weren’t here in time to help, I still believe that God grants your requests.”
sn Jesus’ remark to Martha that Lazarus would come back to life again is another example of the misunderstood statement. Martha apparently took it as a customary statement of consolation and joined Jesus in professing belief in the general resurrection of the body at the end of the age. However, as Jesus went on to point out in 11:25-26, Martha’s general understanding of the resurrection at the last day was inadequate for the present situation, for the gift of life that conquers death was a present reality to Jesus. This is consistent with the author’s perspective on eternal life in the Fourth Gospel: It is not only a future reality, but something to be experienced in the present as well. It is also consistent with the so-called “realized eschatology” of the Fourth Gospel.
52 tn The perfect tense in Greek is often used to emphasize the results or present state of a past action. Such is the case here. To emphasize this nuance the perfect tense verb πεπίστευκα (pepisteuka) has been translated as a present tense. This is in keeping with the present context, where Jesus asks of her present state of belief in v. 26, and the theology of the Gospel as a whole, which emphasizes the continuing effects and present reality of faith. For discussion on this use of the perfect tense, see ExSyn 574-76 and B. M. Fanning, Verbal Aspect, 291-97.
53 tn Or “the Messiah” (Both Greek “Christ” and Hebrew and Aramaic “Messiah” mean “one who has been anointed”).
59 tn Or “the Judeans”; Grk “the Jews.” Here the phrase refers to the friends, acquaintances, and relatives of Lazarus or his sisters who had come to mourn, since the Jewish religious authorities are specifically mentioned as a separate group in John 11:46-47. See also the notes on the phrase “the Jewish leaders” in v. 8 and “the Jewish people of the region” in v. 19.
61 tn Grk “Mary”; the proper name (Mary) has been replaced with the pronoun (her) in keeping with conventional English style, to avoid repetition.
62 tn Or “to mourn” (referring to the loud wailing or crying typical of public mourning in that culture).
63 tn Or “the Judeans”; Grk “the Jews.” Here the phrase refers to the friends, acquaintances, and relatives of Lazarus or his sisters who had come to mourn, since the Jewish religious authorities are specifically mentioned as a separate group in John 11:46-47. See also the notes on the phrase “the Jewish leaders” in v. 8, “the Jewish people of the region” in v. 19, and the word “people” in v. 31.
64 tn Or (perhaps) “he was deeply indignant.” The verb ἐνεβριμήσατο (enebrimhsato), which is repeated in John 11:38, indicates a strong display of emotion, somewhat difficult to translate – “shuddered, moved with the deepest emotions.” In the LXX, the verb and its cognates are used to describe a display of indignation (Dan 11:30, for example – see also Mark 14:5). Jesus displayed this reaction to the afflicted in Mark 1:43, Matt 9:30. Was he angry at the afflicted? No, but he was angry because he found himself face-to-face with the manifestations of Satan’s kingdom of evil. Here, the realm of Satan was represented by death.
65 tn Or “greatly troubled.” The verb ταράσσω (tarassw) also occurs in similar contexts to those of ἐνεβριμήσατο (enebrimhsato). John uses it in 14:1 and 27 to describe the reaction of the disciples to the imminent death of Jesus, and in 13:21 the verb describes how Jesus reacted to the thought of being betrayed by Judas, into whose heart Satan had entered.
66 tn Grk “And he said.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.
68 tn Grk “They said to him.” The indirect object αὐτῷ (autw) has not been translated here for stylistic reasons.
69 sn Jesus wept. The Greek word used here for Jesus’ weeping (ἐδάκρυσεν, edakrusen) is different from the one used to describe the weeping of Mary and the Jews in v. 33 which indicated loud wailing and cries of lament. This word simply means “to shed tears” and has more the idea of quiet grief. But why did Jesus do this? Not out of grief for Lazarus, since he was about to be raised to life again. L. Morris (John [NICNT], 558) thinks it was grief over the misconception of those round about. But it seems that in the context the weeping is triggered by the thought of Lazarus in the tomb: This was not personal grief over the loss of a friend (since Lazarus was about to be restored to life) but grief over the effects of sin, death, and the realm of Satan. It was a natural complement to the previous emotional expression of anger (11:33). It is also possible that Jesus wept at the tomb of Lazarus because he knew there was also a tomb for himself ahead.
70 tn Or “the Judeans”; Grk “the Jews.” Here the phrase refers to the friends, acquaintances, and relatives of Lazarus or his sisters who had come to mourn, since the Jewish religious authorities are specifically mentioned as a separate group in John 11:46-47. See also the notes on the phrase “the Jewish leaders” in v. 8 and “the Jewish people of the region” in v. 19, as well as the notes on the word “people” in vv. 31, 33.
71 tn Grk “who opened the eyes of the blind man” (“opening the eyes” is an idiom referring to restoration of sight).
72 tn Grk “this one”; the second half of 11:37 reads Grk “Could not this one who opened the eyes of the blind have done something to keep this one from dying?” In the Greek text the repetition of “this one” in 11:37b referring to two different persons (first Jesus, second Lazarus) could confuse a modern reader. Thus the first reference, to Jesus, has been translated as “he” to refer back to the beginning of v. 37, where the reference to “the man who caused the blind man to see” is clearly a reference to Jesus. The second reference, to Lazarus, has been specified (“Lazarus”) in the translation for clarity.
Lazarus Raised from the Dead
11:38 Jesus, intensely moved 73 again, came to the tomb. (Now it was a cave, and a stone was placed across it.) 74 11:39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” 75 Martha, the sister of the deceased, 76 replied, “Lord, by this time the body will have a bad smell, 77 because he has been buried 78 four days.” 79 11:40 Jesus responded, 80 “Didn’t I tell you that if you believe, you would see the glory of God?” 11:41 So they took away81 the stone. Jesus looked upward 82 and said, “Father, I thank you that you have listened to me. 83 11:42 I knew that you always listen to me, 84 but I said this 85 for the sake of the crowd standing around here, that they may believe that you sent me.” 11:43 When 86 he had said this, he shouted in a loud voice, 87 “Lazarus, come out!” 11:44 The one who had died came out, his feet and hands tied up with strips of cloth, 88 and a cloth wrapped around his face. 89 Jesus said to them, “Unwrap him 90 and let him go.”
The Response of the Jewish Leaders
11:45 Then many of the people, 91 who had come with Mary and had seen the things Jesus 92 did, believed in him. 11:46 But some of them went to the Pharisees 93 and reported to them 94 what Jesus had done.11:47 So the chief priests and the Pharisees 95 called the council 96 together and said, “What are we doing? For this man is performing many miraculous signs. 11:48 If we allow him to go on in this way, 97 everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away our sanctuary 98 and our nation.”
11:49 Then one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said, 99 “You know nothing at all! 11:50You do not realize 100 that it is more to your advantage to have one man 101 die for the people than for the whole nation to perish.” 102 11:51 (Now he did not say this on his own, 103 but because he was high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the Jewish nation, 104 11:52 and not for the Jewish nation 105 only, 106 but to gather together 107 into one the children of God who are scattered.) 108 11:53 So from that day they planned together to kill him.
11:54 Thus Jesus no longer went 109 around publicly 110 among the Judeans, 111 but went away from there to the region near the wilderness, to a town called Ephraim, 112 and stayed there with his disciples. 11:55Now the Jewish feast of Passover 113 was near, and many people went up to Jerusalem 114 from the rural areas before the Passover to cleanse themselves ritually. 115 11:56 Thus they were looking for Jesus, 116 and saying to one another as they stood in the temple courts, 117 “What do you think? That he won’t come to the feast?” 11:57 (Now the chief priests and the Pharisees 118 had given orders that anyone who knew where Jesus 119 was should report it, so that they could arrest 120 him.) 121
79 sn He has been buried four days. Although all the details of the miracle itself are not given, those details which are mentioned are important. The statement made by Martha is extremely significant for understanding what actually took place. There is no doubt that Lazarus had really died, because the decomposition of his body had already begun to take place, since he had been dead for four days.
85 tn The word “this” is not in the Greek text. Direct objects in Greek were often omitted when clear from the context.
87 sn The purpose of the loud voice was probably to ensure that all in the crowd could hear (compare the purpose of the prayer of thanksgiving in vv. 41-42).
88 sn Many have wondered how Lazarus got out of the tomb if his hands and feet were still tied up with strips of cloth. The author does not tell, and with a miracle of this magnitude, this is not an important fact to know. If Lazarus’ decomposing body was brought back to life by the power of God, then it could certainly have been moved out of the tomb by that same power. Others have suggested that the legs were bound separately, which would remove the difficulty, but the account gives no indication of this. What may be of more significance for the author is the comparison which this picture naturally evokes with the resurrection of Jesus, where the graveclothes stayed in the tomb neatly folded (20:6-7). Jesus, unlike Lazarus, would never need graveclothes again.
91 tn Or “the Judeans”; Grk “the Jews.” Here the phrase refers to the friends, acquaintances, and relatives of Lazarus or his sisters who had come to mourn, since the Jewish religious authorities are specifically mentioned as a separate group in John 11:46-47. See also the notes on the phrase “the Jewish leaders” in v. 8 and “the Jewish people of the region” in v. 19, as well as the notes on the word “people” in vv. 31, 33 and the phrase “people who had come to mourn” in v. 36.
95 tn The phrase “chief priests and Pharisees” is a comprehensive name for the groups represented in the ruling council (the Sanhedrin) as in John 7:45; 18:3; Acts 5:22, 26.
96 tn Or “Sanhedrin” (the Sanhedrin was the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews). The συνέδριον (sunedrion) which they gathered was probably an informal meeting rather than the official Sanhedrin. This is the only occurrence of the word συνέδριον in the Gospel of John, and the only anarthrous singular use in the NT. There are other plural anarthrous uses which have the general meaning “councils.” The fact that Caiaphas in 11:49 is referred to as “one of them” supports the unofficial nature of the meeting; in the official Sanhedrin he, being high priest that year, would have presided over the assembly. Thus it appears that an informal council was called to discuss what to do about Jesus and his activities.
99 tn Grk “said to them.” The indirect object αὐτοῖς (autois) has not been translated for stylistic reasons.
101 tn Although it is possible to argue that ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") should be translated “person” here since it is not necessarily masculinity that is in view in Caiaphas’ statement, “man” was retained in the translation because in 11:47 “this man” (οὗτος ὁ ἄνθρωπος, outo" Jo anqrwpo") has as its referent a specific individual, Jesus, and it was felt this connection should be maintained.
102 sn In his own mind Caiaphas was no doubt giving voice to a common-sense statement of political expediency. Yet he was unconsciously echoing a saying of Jesus himself (cf. Mark 10:45). Caiaphas was right; the death of Jesus would save the nation from destruction. Yet Caiaphas could not suspect that Jesus would die, not in place of the political nation Israel, but on behalf of the true people of God; and he would save them, not from physical destruction, but from eternal destruction (cf. 3:16-17). The understanding of Caiaphas’ words in a sense that Caiaphas could not possibly have imagined at the time he uttered them serves as a clear example of the way in which the author understood that words and actions could be invested retrospectively with a meaning not consciously intended or understood by those present at the time.
104 tn The word “Jewish” is not in the Greek text, but is clearly implied by the context (so also NIV; TEV “the Jewish people”).
106 sn The author in his comment expands the prophecy to include the Gentiles (not for the Jewish nation only), a confirmation that the Fourth Gospel was directed, at least partly, to a Gentile audience. There are echoes of Pauline concepts here (particularly Eph 2:11-22) in the stress on the unity of Jew and Gentile.
111 tn Grk “among the Jews.” Here the phrase refers to the residents of Judea in general, who would be likely to report Jesus to the religious authorities. The vicinity around Jerusalem was no longer safe for Jesus and his disciples. On the translation “Judeans” cf. BDAG 479 s.v. ᾿Ιουδαῖος 2.e. See also the references in vv. 8, 19, 31, 33, 36, and 45.
112 tn There is no certain identification of the location to which Jesus withdrew in response to the decision of the Jewish authorities. Many have suggested the present town of Et-Taiyibeh, identified with ancient Ophrah (Josh 18:23) or Ephron (Josh 15:9). If so, this would be 12-15 mi (19-24 km) northeast of Jerusalem.
113 tn Grk “the Passover of the Jews.” This is the final Passover of Jesus’ ministry. The author is now on the eve of the week of the Passion. Some time prior to the feast itself, Jerusalem would be crowded with pilgrims from the surrounding districts (ἐκ τῆς χώρας, ek th" cwra") who had come to purify themselves ceremonially before the feast.
114 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
115 tn Or “to purify themselves” (to undergo or carry out ceremonial cleansing before participating in the Passover celebration).
118 tn The phrase “chief priests and Pharisees” is a comprehensive name for the groups represented in the ruling council (the Sanhedrin) as in John 7:45; 18:3; Acts 5:22, 26.
11:1–16
Announcement of Lazarus’s Sickness
11:1. Bethany was close to Jerusalem (v. 18); emphasizing Jesus’ Galilean ministry, Mark omits this miracle and is followed by Matthew and Luke.
11:2–5. Visiting and praying for the sick was a pious obligation in Judaism, but Jesus’ reputation as a healer is undoubtedly the main reason for informing him of Lazarus’s sickness. Informing him would serve as a polite request (cf. 2:3).
11:6. It is a long walk from where Jesus is to Bethany, but Lazarus is already dead, perhaps by the time the messengers reach Jesus (11:14, 17)—it was only a day’s journey each way, just over twenty miles. For temporary rebuffs to test faith, cf. 2:4.
11:7–8. Although the Jerusalem priesthood was respected in Galilee, it wielded more power and influence in Judea; Antipas, the ruler of Galilee, did not tolerate direct interference in his territory. (In John’s day, the Pharisaic establishment was also settled in Judea, where it undoubtedly wielded more influence than in Galilee.)
11:9–10. On walking in darkness and stumbling, see comment on 8:12.
11:11–16. Again the disciples interpret Jesus too literally (v. 12)—although “sleep” was a common metaphor for death in Jewish texts and throughout the ancient world (Greek myth even portrayed Sleep and Death as twin brothers). But even though they may not understand that Jesus’ death is the cost of giving Lazarus (and others) life, they are prepared to die with him (v. 16). As much as disciples loved their teachers, this is a rare expression of commitment in practice; in general, Jewish people emphasized only being prepared to die for God and his law.
11:17–37
Comforting the Mourners
11:17–19. Visiting and consoling the bereaved in the days immediately following a close relative’s loss was an essential duty of Jewish piety. The neighbors would provide the first meal after the funeral. Lazarus would have been buried on the day of his death.
11:20. The first week of deep grief after a close relative’s burial would be spent mourning in one’s house, sitting on the floor and visited by friends. This custom, called shivah (for “seven” days), is still practiced in Judaism today and is very helpful for releasing grief. Mourners abstained from adornment for the next three weeks and from common pleasures for the next year.
11:21–24. Prayers for comfort were standard, and this may be the import of verse 22. Conversely, Martha may be asking in verse 22 for her brother’s resuscitation, and verse 24 may test Jesus, pressing him further for the favor (2 Kings 4:16; cf. 4:28). Ancient Near Eastern peoples often sought favors from benefactors in such self-effacing ways, as opposed to the more direct modern Western approach (“Hey, can I have …?”).
11:25–27. The common belief of Judaism in this period was that the dead would be raised bodily at the end; indeed, Pharisees considered those who denied this doctrine (specifically Sadducees) to be damned for doing so.
11:28–37. The time and consolation of an important religious teacher who had come a long distance would be especially meaningful, though local students and teachers of the law joined in funeral processions when it was possible for them to do so. Greek and Roman philosophers emphasized sobriety and remaining calm and untroubled by bereavement; Jesus prefers the traditional Jewish form of expressing grief.
11:38–44
Raising Lazarus
11:38. People were often buried in caves; stones, usually disk-shaped, would be rolled along a groove into place in front of the tomb, protecting its contents from animals, the elements and occasionally robbers.
11:39. The body would be wrapped and left lying on the floor in the tomb’s antechamber; only after a year, when the flesh had rotted off, would family members return to collect the bones into a box, which they would then slide into a slot on the wall. After four days (11:17), decomposition was well under way, especially because it was no longer winter (11:55). Whatever spices they may have used to delay the stench (cf. comment on Mk 16:1) would no longer be effective.
11:40–42. On the preliminary prayer, cf. 1 Kings 18:36.
11:43–44. The deceased would be wrapped in long cloth strips. This wrapping was thorough, binding the limbs to keep them straight and even the cheeks to keep the mouth shut; the facecloth may have been a yard square. This tight wrapping would have made it hard enough for a living person to walk, not to mention a formerly dead person coming forth from the entrance to the tomb; this difficulty further underlines the miraculous nature of this event. Men could not wrap women’s corpses, but women could wrap both men and women, so Lazarus may have been wrapped by his sisters.
11:45–57
The Religious People Plot to Kill Jesus
11:45–46. On the Pharisees here, see comment on 7:32.
11:47–48. The Pharisees and chief priests call together literally a “Sanhedrin,” probably referring here to the supreme court of Israel or those of its representatives who are available.
Their concern is a legitimate one validated by history: those perceived as political messiahs threatened their own power and Judea’s stability, inviting Roman intervention; the Romans accepted only one king, Caesar. Josephus testified to this concern of the priestly aristocracy, and one reason Joseph Caiaphas maintained his office longer than any other high priest of the first century (a.d. 18–36) was that he kept the peace for the Romans. But this is another touch of John’s irony (a common ancient literary device): this was their view, not that of the Romans (18:38; 19:12); and although they killed Jesus, the Romans ultimately did take away their temple and nation, in a.d. 70, anyway.
11:49. The high priesthood, like some Greek priesthoods (e.g., at Eleusis), had originally been a lifelong office. It had never been reduced to an annual assignment, like most priesthoods in Syria or Asia Minor, but John’s “priest that year” may poke fun at how the Roman governor had power to change the high priests, or at how the high priest’s deposed relative could still meddle so much in these affairs (18:13); or he may simply mean “high priest in the particular year of which we speak,” because officials’ terms were used to date events.
The high priest presided over the Sanhedrin. To have a high priest inform his colleagues, “You do not know anything,” is the epitome of John’s irony.
11:50–53. Here the high priest means one thing on the level of his own hearers, but his words have another meaning that would be more obvious to John’s readers: others (both Greeks and Jews) also believed that those appointed as God’s representatives could sometimes prophesy (speak God’s truth) without meaning to do so. Some Jewish traditions seem to associate prophecy with the priesthood.
Sacrificing the few for the many makes good politics but bad religion: Josephus claimed that King Agrippa II urged his people to forego vengeance for injustice for the sake of peace; but Jewish teachers said not to betray a single Israelite to rape or death even if the result would be the rape or execution of all.
11:54–55. The temple courts had countless pools for ritual purification; on this point, cf. also 2:6 and 3:25.
11:56–57. They could not believe someone as pious a religious teacher as Jesus is popularly supposed to be would not show up for one of the great pilgrimage festivals required by the law, especially when he had to come only from Galilee. [1]
Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament
The Raising of Lazarus (11:1–57)
The raising of Lazarus constitutes the seventh and climactic sign of Jesus in this Gospel. Raising the dead is rare in the OT, occurring only four times: Elijah’s raising of the widow’s son (1 Kings 17:17–24); Elisha’s raising of the son of the Shunammite woman (2 Kings 4:32–37); Elisha’s “posthumous” raising of a dead man (2 Kings 13:21); and the witch of Endor’s illicit bringing Samuel back out of the grave at King Saul’s request (1 Sam. 28) (see also Ezekiel’s vision of the valley of dry bones in Ezek. 37:1–14). Raisings of the dead generally were viewed in light of the final resurrection and as an expression of God’s power to bring it about. The raising of Lazarus is one of only three such events in the Gospels.
As part of the climactic Johannine sign, the death and raising of Lazarus serves as a type for Jesus’ own death and raising later in the narrative (see also 2:20–22). In the context of the narrative the raising of Lazarus triggers the Jewish leaders’ resolve to have Jesus arrested and tried for blasphemy (11:45–57), so that John 11 serves a crucial bridge function between the narration of Jesus’ ministry to the Jews in chapters 1–10 and the narrative of his passion in chapters 13–20 (Ridderbos 1997: 381). Significantly, the raising of Lazarus is more than a mere miracle; it is a “sign,” a demonstration of Jesus’ true identity as the Christ and Son of God (cf. 20:30–31). In addition, the Jews’ opposition to Jesus’ raising of Lazarus puts the last nail in the coffin, as it were, of the Jewish leaders and serves as the final damning piece of evidence against Jesus’ opponents. A more powerful sign of Jesus’ messianic identity could not be given.
By coming to comfort Martha and Mary after their brother Lazarus’s death (11:17), Jesus fulfills one of the most essential obligations in the Jewish culture of his day. Martha’s affirmation of end-time resurrection in 11:24 was in keeping with Pharisaic beliefs (cf. Acts 23:8; Josephus, J.W. 2.163; see Barrett 1978: 395) and those of the majority of first-century Jews (Bauckham 1998) as well as Jesus’ own teaching on the subject (cf. 5:21, 25–29; 6:39–44, 54). The resurrection of the dead was the subject of lively debate between the Pharisees and their opponents (e.g., b. Sanh. 90b, referring to Deut. 31:16; Isa. 26:19; Song 7:9). Mishnaic passages likewise denounce those who refuse to affirm the resurrection of the dead (m. Sanh. 10:1; cf. m. Ber. 9:5).
Belief in the resurrection is also evident from the second of the Eighteen Benedictions: “Lord, you are almighty forever, who makes the dead alive.… Blessed are you, Lord, who makes the dead alive” (cf. m. Ber. 5:2; m. Soṭah 9:15; see Schürer 1973–1979: 2:456). The Sadducees (as well as the Samaritans), in contrast to the Pharisees, flatly denied the future reality of resurrection (cf. Matt. 22:23–33 pars.; Acts 23:8; Josephus, J.W. 2.165; Ant. 18.16; see Oepke 1964: 370; Meyer 1971: 46–47). The concept of Jewish corporate personality, wherein one continued to exist only in the lives of one’s descendants, hardly provided satisfactory hope for many pious Jews in Jesus’ day. Yet Jesus’ message went far beyond what Martha had in mind; he himself was the resurrection and the life (11:25 [see commentary at 1:4: “in him was life”]).
Martha’s reference to “the one who is coming into the world” in 11:27 takes up the messianic expression derived from Ps. 118:26 (Beasley-Murray 1999: 192), which is applied to Jesus by others in the Gospels (see esp. Matt. 11:3 par.; John 12:13 pars.).
Jesus’ prayer at the outset of the raising of Lazarus in 11:41–42 (for a commentary on the various aspects of the prayer, see Köstenberger 2004: 344–45) finds an OT antecedent in the prayer of Elijah, “Answer me, O Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, O Lord, are God” (1 Kings 18:37; cf. Ps. 118:21; 121:1; 123:1). A. T. Hanson (1973: 254) and M. Wilcox (1977: 130) contend that 11:41 is actually a quotation of Ps. 118:21a MT (see the discussion in Hunter 1979: 68), and Wilcox (1977: 131) further argues that Ps. 118:22 also resonates in the present passage via the “stone” motif (cf. the citation of Ps. 118:25–26 in 12:13, on which, see the commentary below; see also the possible allusion to Ps. 118:26 in 11:27 above).
The Jews’ fear is that if they allow Jesus to go on like this, the Romans will come and take away their “place” (TNIV: “temple”) and their nation (11:48; cf. 12:19; 2 Macc. 5:19). In Jewish literature “the place” (Heb. māqôm) may refer metaphorically to the Lord (e.g., Gen. Rab. 68:9; b. ʿAbod. Zar. 40b), the promised land (2 Macc. 1:29), Jerusalem (m. Bik. 2:2), or the temple (2 Esdr. 14:7 LXX). Of these, the temple is the most concrete and climactic referent because it is located in Jerusalem, the capital city of the promised land, and the place where God himself dwells (Ridderbos 1997: 408; Carson 1991: 420). Importantly, the temple assumes a central role in God’s judgment of Israel (Jer. 7:14; cf. 1 Kings 9:7).
Apparently, the Jews’ repeated, traumatic (albeit temporary) loss of land and temple elicited the fear (at least on the part of its leaders) that God would once again visit the nation in judgment and allow them to be exiled and the temple to be destroyed if Israel was disobedient to God. This concern resurfaces in another, later Sanhedrin meeting, when false witnesses testify that Stephen “never stops speaking against this holy place,” predicting that Jesus would “destroy this place” (Acts 6:13–14). Later, Paul likewise is charged with teaching “all men everywhere against our people and our law and this place,” as well as with defiling “this holy place” by bringing Greeks into the inner temple area (Acts 21:28).
The pronouncement by the Jewish high priest Caiaphas in 11:50, that it was better for one man to die for the nation than for the whole nation to perish, is firmly rooted in Jewish thought. Discussions frequently turned to 2 Sam. 20, where Sheba is slain while the city of Abel is spared, the argument being made that a person should be handed over rather than all people being killed only if such an individual is specifically identified by name (Gen. Rab. 94:9; cf. t. Ter. 7:20; for further references, see Köstenberger 2004: 352n142). In Jesus’ case, of course, Caiaphas’s words prophetically anticipated the substitutionary atonement that Jesus was to render, without thereby excusing Jewish (or Gentile) unbelief (11:51–52) (on the OT background for prophetic abilities of the high priest, see Köstenberger 2004: 352–53).
The reference to the “scattered children of God” in 11:52, in context, plainly refers to the Gentiles. Although Israel’s end-time hopes were tied to the expectation that the “scattered children of God” (i.e., Jews in the Diaspora) would be regathered in the promised land by the Messiah (or Messiahs [cf. 1QS IX, 11]) to share in God’s kingdom (Ps. 106:47; 107:2–3; Isa. 11:12; 43:5–7; 49:5; Jer. 23:3; 31:8–14; Ezek. 34:11–16; 36:24–38; 37:21–28; Mic. 2:12; cf. James 1:1), OT prophetic literature also includes frequent depictions of the Gentiles as streaming toward the mountain of the Lord (Isa. 2:2–3; 56:6–8; 60:6; Zech. 14:16; cf. 1 Pet. 1:1), and the Jerusalem temple is characterized as “a house of prayer for all nations” (Isa. 56:7; cited in Mark 11:17). Thus Jesus is here shown to anticipate the Gentile mission (cf. esp. 10:16; see also 12:20–21, 32).
The reference to ceremonial cleansing before the Passover in 11:55 is rooted in OT injunctions concerning ritual purity. Individual purification was necessary because ceremonial uncleanness prevented a person from celebrating the Passover (see Num. 9:6; 2 Chron. 30:17–18; John 18:28; cf. m. Pesaḥ. 9:1). This need arose particularly for those who lived in contact with Gentiles, since the latter frequently buried their dead near their houses, which would make their Jewish neighbors subject to the purification commanded by the law (Num. 19:11–12). An OT law still operative in Jesus’ day stipulated the need for ceremonial cleansing before the Passover for anyone who had become defiled, such as by touching a corpse (Num. 9:6–14). The appropriate purification rites might last as long as one week (Num. 19:12), so that many traveled to Jerusalem early, especially in light of the large numbers involved (Josephus, J.W. 1.229; m. Pesaḥ. 9:1).[2]
[1] Robert H. Gundry, Commentary on the New Testament:
Verse-by-Verse Explanations with a Literal Translation
Verse-by-Verse Explanations with a Literal Translation
11:1: And a certain [man] was sick, Lazarus from Bethany, from the town of Mary and Martha her sister. In their culture people didn’t have first and last names as we do. So to distinguish people of the same name, their places of origin or residence were often added, as in “Jesus of Nazareth” and “Saul of Tarsus.” (There were many other Jesuses and Sauls.) Since the following story will feature Lazarus, he’s the one identified as “from Bethany.” According to 10:40–42 Jesus has been staying—and here in chapter 11 is still staying—where the Baptist used to baptize, that is, in Bethany east of the Jordan River (1:28). That Bethany probably wasn’t a town but was a region, the northern part of Transjordan. The present Bethany is a town, not a region, considerably west of the Jordan River and, more specifically, on the east side of the Mount of Olives, which is just across a ravine from Jerusalem. Whereas Lazarus is identified by the name of this town, the town itself is identified by the names of Mary and Martha to distinguish it from the earlier Bethany. Mary is mentioned first because of what she’ll do on a later occasion, as is mentioned in the next verse; and Martha is identified as her sister.
11:2: And it was Mary who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped [it] off with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. The story of that anointing doesn’t come up till chapter 12; so this reference anticipates that story as well as distinguishing this Mary from other Marys. In particular, Mary’s anointing Jesus and wiping off the ointment will symbolize his death, burial, and resurrection, so that John’s mention of her actions here prepares for a preview of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection also in the story of Lazarus. First-time readers of John’s Gospel will notice this preview (and others like it) only in retrospect. For now, we may notice that John calls Jesus “Lord,” which means “Master.” Jesus will prove master of the seemingly impossible situation that’s coming up. And for the first time John lets us know that Lazarus was Mary’s brother, and therefore Martha’s brother too. This sibling relation explains in advance the sisters’ concern for Lazarus. After the statement in 11:1 that Lazarus was sick, the clause in 11:2, “whose brother Lazarus was sick,” is redundant. But the very redundance highlights the crisis.
11:3: Therefore [because Lazarus was the sisters’ brother and was sick] the sisters sent [a message] to him [Jesus], saying, “Lord, look! He whom you love is sick.” Whatever the sisters may have meant by “Lord,” John certainly intends us to think of Jesus as Lord in the sense of deity. Since Jesus is on the other side of the Jordan from Bethany, “look!” means “Pay attention! We have a crisis here. Come and see for yourself.” For a third time Lazarus is described as “sick.” But the sisters’ message doesn’t identify Lazarus by name. Instead, it identifies him as one whom Jesus loves. The sisters don’t need to identify their brother by name. He’s one of Jesus’ sheep, and Jesus already knows his sheep by name. This is the first time in John that Jesus is said to love anyone, but it follows naturally after Jesus’ portraying himself as the good shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep. He loves them, and Lazarus is one of them.
11:4: And on hearing [the message that Mary and Martha had sent], Jesus said, “This sickness isn’t for the purpose of death.” Though Lazarus’s sickness will result in death, its purpose differs from death. “Rather, [the sickness is] for the benefit of God’s glory, in order that the Son of God may be glorified through it [the sickness].” We’re reminded of Jesus’ saying that the blindness of the man born blind had the purpose of manifesting the works of God (9:3). But the glorification of God has the purpose and result of his Son’s glorification too, because the Father and the Son are one (10:30).
11:5–6: And Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. We’ve already learned that Jesus loved Lazarus. Here we learn that he loved Martha and Mary as well. This time John mentions Martha first and refers to Mary not by her name but only as Martha’s sister, probably because later in the story Martha will take the lead and Mary will hang back. Perhaps Martha was older than Mary. The love of Jesus for the two sisters as well as for Lazarus heightens the tension created by Jesus’ not responding immediately to the sisters’ message. But what Jesus will finally do will demonstrate his love despite, and even because of, the delay. 6 Therefore when he [Jesus] heard, “He [Lazarus] is sick,” then he stayed two days in the place where he was. “Therefore” implies that Jesus stayed where he was because he loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. His waiting to arrive till Lazarus has been dead four days will demonstrate to them, when he raises Lazarus, that he is their resurrection and their life. It will be a demonstration that grows out of his love for them.
11:7–8: Then after this [that is, after the two days’ delay] he tells the disciples, “Let’s go into Judea again.” Judea was the southern territory of the land of Israel, west of the Dead Sea, and the location of Jerusalem and the nearby village of Bethany. Jesus and his disciples were there from 7:14 through 10:39. They’ve been away only since 10:40 (“He went away again across the Jordan”). 8 The disciples say to him, “Rabbi [which means ‘Teacher’ according to 1:38; 3:2], the Jews were just now seeking to stone you [10:31–33], and are you going there again?” The disciples can hardly believe their ears. And you can understand why. Not only had the Jewish authorities just tried for the second time to stone Jesus to death (see 8:59 for the first attempt). He’d also escaped and gone across the Jordan to get away from them. But Jesus’ love for Lazarus, Martha, and Mary overpowers the threat to Jesus’ life, just as the shepherd lays down his life for his sheep.
11:9–10: Jesus answered, “There are twelve hours of day, aren’t there?” Of course! “If anyone walks around during the day, he doesn’t stumble, because he sees the light of this world. 10 But if anyone walks around during the night, he does stumble, because the light isn’t in him.” The light of this world is the sun, which shines during the day, so that people don’t stumble over obstacles they can’t see at night. But why does Jesus mention that the day lasts for twelve hours? Well, in 9:4–5 he portrayed himself as the light of the world, so that his earthly ministry constituted a day of salvation. But he also warned that night was coming, by implication because he would depart from the world. What would be the occasion of his departure? “His hour,” the hour of his death, resurrection, and ascension back to heaven. So the mention of twelve hours here in 11:9 reminds us of that last hour of the daytime of Jesus’ earthly ministry. Meanwhile, though, he has nothing to fear. He can elude his enemies so long as the day of his allotted lifetime lasts. But walking around in the light of day also represents discipleship to Jesus. And not stumbling because of the light of this world that Jesus is represents not falling into God’s judgment, because believing in Jesus saves us from that fate. By contrast, walking during the night represents failure to have taken advantage of Jesus’ earthly ministry, and the resultant stumbling represents falling into God’s judgment. But what do we make of the last clause in 11:10: “because the light isn’t in him”? You’d expect, “because he doesn’t see the light of this world [the sun, representing Jesus].” The sun doesn’t shine inside a person, does it? Well, this sun—Jesus—does! He indwells believers: “Abide in me, and I [will abide] in you” (15:4). So even when it’s nighttime outside because Jesus is gone from the world, it’s daytime inside. Not so for unbelievers, though. For them it’s night inside as well as outside.
11:11: He [Jesus] said these things, and after this he tells them [the disciples], “Lazarus our loved one has gone to sleep. But I’m going in order to wake him out of it.” The Greek noun behind “loved one” is usually translated “friend.” But that translation obscures the use of the related Greek verb in 11:3: “He [Lazarus] whom you [Jesus] love is sick” (compare 11:5). Here, though, Jesus speaks of Lazarus as “our loved one”—in other words, “the one we love”—and thus includes his disciples with himself as those who love Lazarus. Hence a preview of the disciples’ loving one another, so that, as Jesus said, “all people will know that you’re my disciples” (13:34–35). Going to wake up Lazarus seems strange. After all, Jesus is a couple of days’ journey or so away from Bethany—a long sleep for Lazarus if he won’t wake up till Jesus arrives! The strangeness of Jesus’ statement suggests a subtler meaning.
11:12–15: Therefore [because of Jesus’ statement] the disciples said to him, “Lord, if he [Lazarus] has gone to sleep, he’ll be saved [‘saved’ in the sense of getting well, because sleep has a healing effect].” But we’ll find out that Lazarus’s salvation will come about not by his sleeping, but by Jesus’ waking him out of sleep. And this temporal salvation will symbolize eternal salvation—and something about Jesus too (for eternal salvation see 3:17; 5:34; 10:9; 12:47). 13 But Jesus had been speaking about his [Lazarus’s] death. Because corpses are buried lying down, silent and motionless, death was often spoken of euphemistically as a kind of sleep. But those ones [the disciples] thought, “He’s speaking about the sleep of slumber.” They mistake the sleep of death for the sleep of slumber. 14 So then Jesus said to them outright, “Lazarus has died; 15 and I rejoice because of you, in order that you may believe, because I wasn’t there. Nevertheless, let’s go to him.” “Outright” means “plainly.” Jesus doesn’t say he rejoices because of Lazarus’s death. Later, to the contrary, he’ll shed tears over it. He rejoices because what he’ll do for Lazarus will make the disciples believe. They’ve already believed; but in this Gospel believing in Jesus is an ongoing activity. Theologians call it the perseverance of the saints. “Because I wasn’t there” means “because I wasn’t there to keep Lazarus from dying by healing him.” The implication? “You’re going to see something better than a healing, something better that will advance your believing.” “Nevertheless” means “despite the fact that it’s too late to go heal Lazarus, let’s go to him anyway.” And Jesus’ knowing at a considerable distance that Lazarus has died shows divine omniscience.
11:16: Therefore [since Jesus has said, “Let’s go …”] Thomas, the one called Didymus, said to [his] fellow disciples, “Let us go too in order that we may die with him.” The name “Thomas” is Aramaic, a Semitic language related to Hebrew. First-century Jews living in Israel spoke Aramaic more than either Hebrew or Greek (though Hebrew has “Thomas” in a form almost exactly like that in Aramaic). “Didymus” is the Greek equivalent of Thomas, and both of them mean “Twin.” It looks as though the other disciples wouldn’t go with Jesus apart from Thomas’s urging—naturally, since they probably share Thomas’s expectation of being stoned to death with Jesus. Ironically, though, the death of Jesus their shepherd will result, not in their deaths, but in eternal life for them—to be symbolized by his allowing himself to be arrested only on condition that they be let go (18:8–9).
11:17: On coming, therefore, Jesus found him [Lazarus] entombed four days already. “Already” emphasizes the length of time Lazarus had been entombed. “Four days” emphasizes that he seemed irreversibly dead, because Jews thought a dead person’s soul hovered around its corpse for three days in hope of a resuscitation but then left. Too late then for a resuscitation, because putrefaction had become evident. So Lazarus’s case looked hopeless. The next number of verses will tell what happened before Jesus entered Bethany and before he came to Lazarus’s tomb. But here in 11:17 John has advanced Jesus’ finding Lazarus entombed four days already to add even further emphasis on the apparent hopelessness of Lazarus’s case.
11:18–19: And Bethany was near Jerusalem, about fifteen stadia [= about one and three-quarter miles] away [from Jerusalem]. This topographical note not only distinguishes the Bethany here from Bethany beyond the Jordan. It also associates the story of Lazarus with the story of what Jesus is going to do in Jerusalem. The parallels between these two stories will heap up as we go along. John’s emphasis on the proximity of this Bethany to Jerusalem (notice not only the phrase “near Jerusalem” but also the specificity of the short distance) will support those parallels. 19 And many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them about [their] brother. Here’s another reason for John’s having mentioned how close Bethany was to Jerusalem. The Jews had come from Jerusalem because the journey was short, and some of them will take back to the authorities in Jerusalem a report of what happened in Bethany (11:46). This report combines with the topographical notations and the description of the Jews as “many” to differentiate them as Judeans in general from the Jewish authorities in particular who receive the report.
11:20–24: So when Martha heard, “Jesus is coming,” she went to meet him. But Mary was sitting at home. 21 So Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you’d been here, my brother wouldn’t have died. 22 Nevertheless, even now I know that God will give you as many things as you ask God [to give you].” Jesus’ approach leads Martha to go meet him outside Bethany. Meeting him leads her to make her statement. Her statement affirms the truth that God will give Jesus however many things Jesus asks of him. And this truth lays a basis for Jesus’ prayer in chapter 17, and also for Jesus’ saying later that God will answer whatever the disciples ask him in Jesus’ name (15:16; 16:23–24). 23 Jesus tells her, “Your brother will rise.” 24 Martha tells him, “I know that he’ll rise in the resurrection at the Last Day.” The implication is that Martha wants Jesus to ask God to raise her brother from the dead right now, not on some future Last Day. Incidentally, “will rise” means “will stand up,” and “the resurrection” means “the standing up.” In other words, corpses lying supine in their tombs like sleepers will wake up and stand up alive. Resurrection has to do with renovated bodies, not with immortal souls.
11:25–27: Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one believing in me will live even though he dies. 26 And everyone living and believing in me will by no means die—forever [that is as long as eternity lasts, and it has no end!]. Do you believe this?” 27 She tells him, “Yes, Lord, I’ve come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one coming into the world.” Jesus is the resurrection and the life in that he embodies them, so that he’ll even raise himself from death to life (10:17–18). And because he has the power to do so, he’s the source of bodily resurrection and eternal life both for Lazarus and for everyone who believes in him (5:21, 25–29; 6:39–40). Even though a believer dies, Jesus will raise the believer from death to live eternally.
Here’s a problem, though. In 11:25 Jesus says the believer may die, but in 11:26 he says that the believer will never die. And here’s the usual solution to the problem: 11:25 means that by virtue of resurrection the believer will live eternally even though he suffered temporal death (that is, the end of present life); and 11:26 means that by virtue of having eternal life the believer will never suffer eternal death (“the second death” in “the lake of fire” according to Revelation 2:11; 20:6, 14; 21:8). We can agree that the believer will never suffer eternal death, because in 8:51 Jesus said that the person who keeps his word “will by no means see death—forever.” But there’s something awkward in this solution. We’d expect Jesus to say in 11:26, “everyone believing in me and living,” so that—as elsewhere throughout John—eternal life follows as a result of believing. As it is here, though, Jesus puts living before believing in him. Or we’d expect Jesus simply to omit the business of living: “everyone believing in me will never die.” So why does he mention living and put it ahead of believing? Could it be that he uses “living” in a temporal as well as eternal sense just as he uses dying in a temporal as well as eternal sense (see 4:50–51, 53 for temporal living elsewhere in John)? Let’s try that possibility: “And everyone living temporally and believing in me will never die even temporally, much less eternally.” Living temporally when? At the Last Day, the day of resurrection, which Martha has just mentioned. Some people won’t need resurrection, because they won’t have died by then. They’ll still be living. And if these people who are still living have believed in Jesus, they’ll not only escape eternal death. They’ll also escape temporal death. This solution makes sense of Jesus’ placement of living before believing. Confirmation comes from 21:23, where Jesus will say to Peter about the beloved disciple, “If I should want him to remain till I come [that is, to stay alive till I come], what’s [that] to you?” So those who’ll never die are those who live up to the second coming, the Last Day, the day of resurrection, as Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 4:16–18: “The Lord himself will come down from heaven with a summons, with the archangel’s voice and with God’s trumpet; and the dead in Christ will resurrect first. Then we who are living and who are [now] being left behind will be snatched up together with them in clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And in this way we’ll always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort each other with these words.”
If Martha hadn’t introduced her answer to Jesus’ question with “Yes,” the answer would have implied that her belief in Jesus as the Christ, God’s Son, and the one coming into the world differed from his claiming to be the resurrection and the life. As it is, her “Yes” implies an equivalence between his being the resurrection and the life, on the one hand, and his being the Christ, God’s Son, and the one coming into the world, on the other hand. The two sets of identifications entail each other. If he weren’t the one set, he wouldn’t be the other. To put it another way, Martha tells Jesus she believes he’s the resurrection and the life because of a prior belief that he’s the Christ, God’s Son, and the one coming into the world—therefore a belief in his preexistence (compare the Baptist’s testifying to Jesus’ preexistence in 1:30). Preexistence guarantees what we might call postexistence, that is, an eternality of life that carries with it the promise of resurrection for all deceased believers.
11:28–29: And on saying this, she went off and called Mary her sister, saying [to her] in private, “The teacher is here and is calling you.” So Jesus is calling Mary through Martha. Martha calls Mary on Jesus’ behalf, just as all believers need to call other people to Jesus on his behalf (compare 2 Corinthians 5:20). We might think privacy was necessary because of a hubbub of weeping and wailing in the middle eastern style. But John says nothing about such a hubbub. On the contrary, people have come to “console” the sisters (11:19, 31). The word for “console” means to cheer up with encouraging words—the opposite of weeping and wailing. So the privacy probably implies that Jesus is calling Mary because she’s one of his sheep, but isn’t calling the Jews from Jerusalem because they’re not his sheep. Later, many of them will become his sheep by believing in him, but not yet. Earlier, Martha addressed Jesus with “Rabbi” (11:8). Here she refers to him as “the teacher,” which “Rabbi” means. 29 And when that one [Mary] heard, she got up quickly [she’d been sitting according to 11:20] and started going to him. What did she hear? She heard Jesus’ calling her through Martha. Why did she hear? She heard because she was one of Jesus’ sheep; and when he calls his own sheep, they hear his voice (10:3–4, 16, 27). The quickness of Mary’s response emphasizes her recognition of Jesus the good shepherd’s voice and therefore her belonging to his flock.
11:30–31: And Jesus hadn’t yet come into the town, but was still in the place where Martha had met him. 31 Therefore the Jews who were with her in the house and were consoling her—seeing Mary, that she’d stood up quickly and gone out—followed her, thinking, “She’s going to the tomb to weep and wail there [as she will according to 11:33].” “Therefore” refers back to Mary’s getting up and starting to go to Jesus. It doesn’t refer to Jesus’ still being outside the village. In the preceding verse, Mary “got up.” Here she “stood up.” Both verbs are used elsewhere for resurrection. Mary isn’t resurrected, of course. But this twofold reference to getting/standing up hints at what Lazarus, who’s not sitting down as Mary was but is lying down in the sleep of death—this twofold reference hints at what Lazarus will do, and after him Jesus too. This is the second time John mentions the quickness of Mary’s response to Jesus’ call. The double mention may not only emphasize her being one of the sheep that belong to him and recognize in him the voice of their shepherd. It may also imply that very shortly Lazarus will get up/stand up.
11:32–34: Therefore when Mary came where Jesus was, on seeing him she fell at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you’d been here, my brother wouldn’t have died [exactly what Martha had said in 11:21 when she met Jesus, except for a slight difference of word order in John’s original Greek].” 33 So when Jesus saw her weeping and wailing, and [saw] the Jews weeping and wailing who’d come with her, he growled with the Spirit and stirred himself up 34 and said, “Where have you laid him?” “Laid” is the same verb Jesus used in 10:17–18 when he said he would lay down his life on his own. They tell him, “Come and see.” Philip used the same expression, “Come and see,” when Nathaniel said to him, “Can anything good be from Nazareth?” (1:46).
The sight of Mary and the others weeping makes Jesus growl and stir himself up. In other words, he’s working himself up to stop all this weeping by raising Lazarus from the dead. Other translations have it that Jesus “sighed” (or something like that) and “was troubled.” But the first verb has a stronger meaning than sighing. It’s used of horses snorting before they charge into battle, for example. In relation to human beings it means growling with indignation. Angry at death, in particular at the death of his beloved friend Lazarus, Jesus charges into battle like a snorting warhorse. The second verb isn’t passive (as it will be in 13:21); it doesn’t mean that Jesus was troubled, was stirred up. As the Word who was God, Jesus takes the initiative; he stirs himself up.
It’s an open question whether “the spirit” refers to Jesus’ human spirit or to the Holy Spirit. Favoring the human spirit is 11:38, which will say that Jesus growled again “in himself.” But up to the present point in John, “the Spirit” has unmistakably referred to the Spirit of God no fewer than seven times and has never referred to Jesus’ or anyone else’s human spirit. So it’s likely that here he growls with the Spirit of God that had come on him, and remained on him, back in 1:32. Since he’s about to make Lazarus come to life, we should remind ourselves that in 6:63 Jesus said, “The Spirit is the one who makes [people] live.” So the Spirit will work along with Jesus to make Lazarus live again. We’ll see that the Father does too, so that the entire Trinity is involved (see 5:17, 19 for God the Father’s coworking with Jesus).
At the same time, Jesus’ humanity is evident. He asks where they’ve laid Lazarus. He doesn’t call on his divine omniscience except when it’s necessary to do so for the work of God’s kingdom. Here it isn’t necessary. And for Jesus’ humanity look also at 11:35–38: Jesus started crying. The verb means to shed tears. 36 Therefore the Jews were saying, “See how he loved him!” “How” has the sense of how much—enough to draw tears. 37 But some of them said, “This one [Jesus], who opened the eyes of the blind [man in chapter 9], could have done [something], couldn’t he, so that also this one [Lazarus] wouldn’t have died?” The implied answer is: Yes, he could have kept Lazarus from dying by healing him. The implied criticism is that he shouldn’t have waited to come. 38 Therefore growling again in himself [where the Holy Spirit abides (see 11:33)], Jesus comes to the tomb. But it was a cave, and a stone lay on it [that is, over the mouth of the cave]. In Israel you can still see such ancient cave-tombs with a large stone disk that’s rolled back and forth in a groove to open and close them.
11:39–40: Jesus says, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of him who had reached his end [= “died” for a bit of irony on John’s part, for Jesus will soon show that Lazarus has not reached his end], says to him, “Lord, he already stinks; for he’s on the fourth [day of being dead, so that putrefaction will be evident—too late now!].” 40 Jesus says to her, “I told you, didn’t I, that if you believe, you’ll see the glory of God?” But did Jesus previously tell Martha that she’d see God’s glory if she believed? No, not in so many words. So seeing God’s glory must be Jesus’ interpretation of what he told her in 11:23–26, that her brother would rise again, that he was the resurrection and the life, and that a believer would live even though he died. Thus the raising of Lazarus will display God’s glory, which 1:14 said is full of grace (God’s ill-deserved favor) and truth (the reality and reliability of God’s revelation of himself in the words and works of the Word incarnate).
11:41–42: So they took away the stone, and Jesus took away his eyes upward [there’s a wordplay here between a horizontal taking away and an upward one] and said, “Father, I thank you that you’ve heard me.” John hasn’t recorded Jesus’ prayer for the raising of Lazarus, but here it’s implied; and Martha said earlier and correctly, “God will give you as many things as you ask God [to give you]” (11:22). Jesus continues: 42 “And I knew that you always hear me.” When did Jesus know that God always hears him? He knew it when he prayed for Lazarus’s raising. And this knowledge that God always hears him gave him confidence in that prayer. But why has Jesus thanked God in public for hearing him? Again he continues: “Nevertheless [that is, despite my knowing that you hear me always, not just occasionally], I’ve spoken on account of the crowd standing around, in order that they may believe that you sent me.” What’s about to happen will demonstrate to the crowd that God answers Jesus’ prayer even for so difficult a task as raising a dead man. And this demonstration has the purpose of leading people to believe that God sent Jesus.
11:43–44b: And on saying these things [to God his Father], he shouted with a loud voice, “Lazarus, hither! Outside!” “Hither!” admittedly sounds old-fashioned. It means, “To here!” or, less literally, “Come here!” “Outside!” means to come outside the tomb, of course. 44a–b The one who’d died came out, bound feet and hands with strips of cloth; and his face had been bound around with a napkin. Jesus called his sheep by name: “Lazarus.” And Lazarus came out. Even though he was dead, he recognized the voice of his shepherd. Jesus’ voice was loud so as to wake Lazarus out of the sleep of death. Jesus’ words proved effective, because they were shouted by the Word who was with God in the beginning, who was God, who had life in himself, and who therefore was the resurrection and the life for Lazarus. Jesus’ shouting brings life, but later the Jewish leaders’ shouting several times will bring death to him (18:40; 19:6, 12, 15). And they will shout for his death because his shout brought life to Lazarus, for it’s his raising of Lazarus that galvanizes their determination to kill Jesus (see 11:45–53; 12:9–11, 17–19). But out of Jesus’ shouted death will spring the eternal life of shouted resurrection (see 12:24–25). That is to say, by killing him the Jewish leaders will unwittingly set the stage for his proving himself the resurrection and the life that he has just now claimed to be (11:25). What has happened in Lazarus’s case dramatically illustrates what Jesus said in 5:25, 28–29: “Amen, amen I tell you that an hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live.… an hour is coming in which all those in the tombs will hear his voice. And the ones who’ve done good things will come out into the resurrection of life, but those who’ve done evil things [will come out] into the resurrection of judgment.”
To keep in place the long sheet (= a shroud) in which Lazarus’s corpse was wrapped, and also to keep the feet together, thin strips of cloth had been tied over the sheet around the ankles. To keep the hands and arms against the torso, thin strips of cloth had been tied over the sheet around the torso at the wrists. And a napkin had been tied around the face, possibly to keep the mouth closed. The best Lazarus could do, then, was to shuffle or hop. 11:44c–45: Jesus tells them [the crowd that should believe in him because he raised Lazarus], “Loose him [= untie those thin strips of cloth] and let him go.” 45 Therefore many of the Jews who’d come to Mary and seen the things that he [Jesus] had done believed in him. Why doesn’t John mention Martha as well as Mary? Because it was Mary whose getting up and standing up hinted at Jesus’ raising up Lazarus and raising up himself too (compare Mary’s anointing Jesus’ feet with perfume and wiping it off with her hair in 12:1–8, actions that will symbolize the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus just as Lazarus’s death, burial, and raising symbolize those events). The fact that John will mention the grave-wrappings of Jesus’ corpse, and also the napkin over Jesus’ face (19:40; 20:5–7), makes the story of Lazarus’s raising symbolize and foreshadow the resurrection of Jesus down to its very details. Jesus will accomplish his own resurrection just as he accomplished the raising of Lazarus.[3]
C. The Miracle at Bethany (11:1–57)
OVERVIEW
The account of the raising of Lazarus plays a significant role in the fourth gospel. It sets into motion the final series of events that culminate in Jesus’ crucifixion. When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had raised a man from the dead—and that in plain view in a neighboring town close by the capital—they reasoned that if they allowed him to go on performing miraculous signs, two things were bound to happen: first, everyone would come to believe in him, and second, the Romans would destroy their temple and deprive them of their limited right to rule (cf. 11:48). “So from that day on they plotted to take his life” (11:53). Since this miracle is so central in John, it seems right to ask why it is not mentioned in any of the three Synoptic Gospels.
Some scholars deny that the event ever happened. Others hold that an original parable (Lazarus and the rich man, Lk 16:19–31) underwent a process that finally resulted in the present “historical” account. Still others, while acknowledging that something probably did take place, hold that there is no way to work back through the process that created the account to the original “event.” Some see John as a literary artist who, fusing together material about Mary and Martha with an otherwise unknown tradition about a man raised from the dead by Jesus, created an allegory of the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus—and thus we have no hope of recovering the truth of what actually happened.
While this is not the place for an extended discussion of the reliability of the text and the historical probability of miracles, several brief comments are in order. There is little question but that John believed that the story he was narrating actually took place. The specific and repeated mention of names and places ties the account to the real world. Furthermore, speculative explanations of the origin of the account are simply not plausible. That the Synoptics do not include the raising of Lazarus is tempered by the fact that they, as well as the fourth gospel, selected their material from a much larger source. As John reminds us, if everything Jesus did had been written down, not even the whole world would have room for that many books (21:25)! Nor was it out of any reluctance on the part of the synoptic writers to record a miraculous raising of the dead that accounts for the omission—consider the raising of Jairus’s daughter (Mt 9:23–26; Mk 5:35–43; Lk 8:49–56) and of the widow’s son at Nain (Lk 7:11–17).
The raising of Lazarus is not the only miracle left out of the Synoptics. The two healing miracles that John records as taking place in Jerusalem are likewise missing—the healing of the lame man at Bethesda (5:1–9) and the restoration of sight for the man born blind (9:1–7). Morris’s comment, 532 n. 1, is apropos: “It is to be noted that the kind of critic who rejects the historicity of this story because it is not in the Synoptics is usually not ready to accept what is there, the feeding of the multitude, for example.”
1. Lazarus Dies (11:1–16)
Commentary
1 As the chapter opens, we learn of a man by the name of Lazarus who lived in the town of Bethany. “Lazarus” is a shortened form of the Hebrew name “Eleazar,” which means “whom God helps.” Apart from this account in ch. 11 and scattered references in the following chapter (thirteen in all), the name occurs only in Luke 16, where a beggar by the same name lay at the gate of a rich man (vv. 20–27).
The Bethany mentioned by John is not the area to which Jesus withdrew as recorded in 10:40–42 (cf. 1:28) but a village (currently called el-’Azariyeh, a name derived from “Lazarus”) lying some two miles southeast of Jerusalem on the road to Jericho. John identifies it as the village of Mary and her sister, Martha. In the only reference to the two sisters outside John, the names are reversed (Lk 10:38–42), apparently because in that context Martha, the older of the two, is portrayed as the one who is in charge of the home. It was Martha who was distracted by the obligations of hospitality, while Mary sat at Jesus’ feet in rapt attention.
2 In a parenthetical sentence, John identifies Mary, the sister of Lazarus, as the one who poured perfume on the Lord and dried his feet with her hair. Since John does not record this event until the following chapter (12:1–8), some regard the verse as an early gloss. The story is included in both Matthew (26:6–13) and Mark (14:3–9), but they do not provide the name of the woman who anointed Jesus with expensive perfume. It is John who identifies her as Mary.
3 Lazarus had fallen sick, so his sisters sent word to their friend Jesus. It is worth noting that all they felt they needed to do was to let Jesus know that the one he loved was sick. They do not beg him to come and restore their brother to good health; it is enough to let him know about his good friend Lazarus’s illness. Certainly this reveals an unusually close relationship between Jesus and the family at Bethany. Such confidence in Jesus undoubtedly resulted from many hours of close personal friendship. We cannot help but wish for a fuller account of the many things they must have discussed around the table. While kyrie (“Lord,” GK 3261) is a common Greek expression that could mean no more than “sir,” it is hard not to believe that on the lips of those so close to Jesus it must have carried overtones of deity.
4 When the news of Lazarus’s illness reached Jesus, he responded by declaring that the sickness would “not end in death.” He did not mean by this that Lazarus would not die. Nor is his point that although Lazarus would die, he would not remain in death. Jesus is saying that the purpose of the sickness is not death but the glory of God. Bruce, 240, writes that “this illness is not so much one that will terminate in death as one which will demonstrate the glory of God.” When the Father receives glory, the Son is also glorified. Both Father and Son are to receive honor and praise as a result of the events set in motion by the illness of Lazarus.
5–6 Perhaps it was because Jesus didn’t go immediately to Bethany but waited a few days that John felt it necessary to add that Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. It was important for John’s readers to understand that the delay on Jesus’ part did not indicate a lack of affection for the family. In fact, the specific mention of each person stresses his love for each one individually. The Greek word for “loved” (ēgapa, GK 26) is a customary imperfect stressing a continuing state. Berkeley translates, “was a dear friend to.” So Jesus, “though He had heard that Lazarus was ill” (Norlie), stayed where he was for two more days.
Pulling together the references to time will help us understand Jesus’ actions. Jesus was across the Jordan in the place where John had been baptizing in the early days (10:20). From 1:28 we identified that locale as Batanea, some 150 kilometers northeast of Jerusalem. Lazarus was still alive when Jesus received word of his friend’s illness (11:3–4). Sometime during the two-day wait, but before Jesus left for Bethany, Lazarus died (v. 11). When Jesus arrived in Bethany, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days (v. 17). This would have allowed Jesus adequate time to make the relatively long journey from Batanea to Bethany.
The question as to why Jesus waited two days before going to Bethany must still be answered. One would think that the illness of a dear friend would have moved him to go to his aid without delay. Some have suggested that Jesus waited so that people would understand that Lazarus had really died and that his return to life could not be explained as resuscitation from a coma. Others refer to a popular Jewish belief that the soul lingered near the body for three days after death and that only after that could there be no hope of resuscitation (cf. Str-B, 2:544). While one cannot be certain as to why Jesus delayed his departure, the most probable answer is that his progress toward Jerusalem and his coming death were self-determined. When his brothers urged him to go up to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles, he refused, for the right time had not yet come (7:1–6). So also now, when informed that Lazarus was ill, he waited because he, not others, would determine when the time was right.
7–8 After the two days had passed, Jesus told his disciples that it was time to return to Judea. The decision was met with surprise and protest: “Rabbi, just a short time ago the Jews were trying to stone you. You’re not going back there again, are you?” This is the last time in John’s gospel that the disciples refer to Jesus as “Rabbi,” the accepted manner of addressing a teacher. From that point on, his relationship with them was far greater than that of teacher—he was to become their Master and Lord.
9–10 Jesus’ answer to the disciples’ question must be understood on two levels. It is quite obvious that there are “twelve hours of daylight” and that people “will not stumble” if they walk during the day, but when night comes and there is no longer light, they will stumble. But what does this simple observation teach on a deeper level? The disciples have just expressed their fear that if Jesus returns to Jerusalem, he will be put to death by the same people who tried to stone him. Jesus answers that he has not yet finished his own twelve hours of “daylight,” and until that determined period of time is complete, he will walk in safety. The precautionary measure they suggest will not lengthen his ministry, nor will the opposition of his enemies bring it to a premature close. It is those who try to walk at night who stumble.
Jesus is the light of the world, and until his mission is accomplished, that light cannot be extinguished. Note here a second application. The disciples also have their twelve hours of daylight; during this time, they are to carry out the tasks assigned to them. They labor illumined by the one who is the light of the world. It is those without the light who will stumble because they are trying to walk in darkness. There is no light in them.
11 Jesus tells his disciples that Lazarus has fallen asleep and that he intends to go to Bethany and “wake him up.” The verb koimaō (“to fall asleep,” GK 3121) occurs eighteen times in the NT, four times in a literal sense (Mt 28:13; Lk 22:45; Jn 11:12; Ac 12:6), but elsewhere as a euphemism for death. Jesus refers to Lazarus as “our friend.” While the term reflects the close personal relationship between Jesus (along with the disciples) and the family at Bethany, it may also have been a common way of referring to another Christian believer.
12–13 The disciples thought that Jesus was talking about Lazarus being asleep in a literal sense and so reply that if that is the case, then “he will get better.” Since the verb is a future passive of sōzō (“to save,” GK 5392), some think John meant that believers who were now asleep in death would be saved (cf. Barrett, 393). While Jesus often speaks on more than one level, finding nuggets of theological truth at every turn is to confuse exegesis with homiletics. The disciples understood in a straightforward manner what Jesus had said. It is difficult to see how John, in recording their response, could have been adding to their words a second level of meaning. How would we know? John then adds the explanatory note that Jesus had been speaking of Lazarus’s death but the disciples thought he was speaking of literal sleep.
14–15 Jesus now says plainly, “Lazarus is dead.” Such knowledge on the part of Jesus about the condition of a man many miles away can be understood only in terms of supernatural enlightenment. It was certainly more than an informed guess that such a serious illness would by that time have resulted in death. Jesus adds that for the disciples’ sake he is glad that he was not there in Bethany. Had he been there he may have taken action sooner and restored Lazarus to health before he actually died. Jesus’ arrival to bring Lazarus back from the grave will be for this purpose: “so that [the disciples] may believe.”
Jesus was not speaking of initial faith but of the growth and maturing of the faith of his followers. While faith begins with a first step of commitment to the Lord, in another sense it is a progressive relationship. Faith grows as experience continues to verify the trustworthiness of the one in whom we have placed our trust. It is said that experience is the best teacher, and in no other realm is this more true than in our relationship to Jesus Christ. It is in this sense that Paul cries out, “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection” (Php 3:10).
16 In response to Jesus’ call, “Let us go to him,” it is Thomas who says to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” (Interestingly, apart from a single reference [6:68], Peter is not mentioned in the fourth gospel between his being chosen as a disciple [1:42–44] and the foot-washing episode in the final week of Jesus’ earthly ministry [13:6–38].) The name “Thomas” comes from an Aramaic word meaning “the twin.” John’s parenthetical statement “called Didymus” (Didymos meaning “twin,” GK 1441) is repeated in 20:24 and 21:22. There is some evidence that “Thomas” may have been a title rather than a personal name and that his real name may have been Judas. Less probable is the claim that he was a twin of Jesus, a theory probably motivated by gnostic theology.
While Thomas is usually portrayed as the great doubter, on this occasion his willingness to accompany Jesus all the way to death reflects not doubt but “raw devotion and courage” (Carson, 410). The others may well have abandoned Jesus in view of the danger awaiting them in Jerusalem, but it was Thomas who encouraged them to forsake the security of their refuge “across the Jordan” and go with Jesus into danger, even though it could cost them their lives.
Notes
5 That John can speak of Jesus’ love for Lazarus and his sisters using the verb ἀγαπάω (agapaō, GK 26) while employing a different verb in the same context (φιλέω, phileō, GK 5797, v. 3) demonstrates that their semantic ranges overlap and that it is therefore unwise to distinguish sharply between the two words for “love” (as is often done in the post-resurrection account in 21:15–17).
9 Obviously not every day of the year has twelve hours of daylight. The length of sunlight in Israel varies from fourteen hours and twelve minutes to twelve hours and nine minutes, depending on the time of year.
2. The Grief of Martha and Mary (11:17–37)
Commentary
17 When Jesus arrived at Bethany, Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. In the warm climate of Israel, death and burial would normally take place the same day. Deuteronomy 21:23 prescribes burial on the same day for the guilty person put to death by impalement. According to rabbinic belief, the soul of a person who has died hovers over the corpse for three days, because it desires to reenter the body. But on the fourth day, when the face of the dead person begins to change in appearance, the soul leaves (cf. Lev. Rab. 18.1). Since Lazarus had been dead for four days, it would be indisputable that he had really died. A return to life after being in the tomb for that length of time would require a miracle of God.
18 The town of Bethany, the home of Lazarus and his sisters, was less than two miles from Jerusalem. The Greek text says that the distance between Bethany and the capital was stadiōn dekapente (“fifteen stadia”), so the village would lie approximately 1.7 miles outside Jerusalem on the road leading down to Jericho.
19 Following the death of Lazarus there would have been an extended time of mourning. Not only would the family grieve over his death, but professional mourners would also take part in the prescribed ritual, which lasted for at least seven days. Since Jerusalem was so close, many Jews were able to come and offer comfort. Those who came were not the hostile leaders intent on plotting the death of Jesus, but friends of Lazarus and his sisters who had come to mourn their loss. John’s point in mentioning “many Jews” is that those who came to pay their respects constituted a large group and would provide a considerable body of witnesses for the coming resurrection of Lazarus.
20 When Martha heard that Jesus was approaching Bethany, she went out to meet him. But Mary remained sitting (ekathezeto, GK 2767, is imperfect) at home. It was customary for those who were mourning to remain in the house while friends would come and sit with them in a silence broken occasionally with sobs of grief (cf. Job 2:8, 13; Eze 8:14). The picture of Mary and Martha in the fourth gospel accords well with the way they are portrayed in Luke 10:38–42. There Martha busies herself with the obligations of hospitality, but Mary sits at Jesus’ feet to learn while the opportunity presents itself. In the story recounted by Luke, it is Mary who is commended for having “chosen what is better” (10:42), but in John’s narrative a number of scholars think that Martha comes out better. Her response to Jesus’ arrival is to go out to meet him without delay. Furthermore, in v. 27 she gives voice to a magnificent confession.
21 It would be easy to interpret Martha’s words here as a complaint against Jesus’ late arrival. “We sent you word that Lazarus was sick, so where have you been for the last four or five days?” But that kind of response would have been inconsistent with the sisters’ relationship to Jesus, not only as a dear friend but also in the heightened sense of “Lord.” Martha’s words were not a rebuke but a genuine expression of sorrow mingled with the confidence that, had Jesus been there, he could have prevented the death of their brother.
22 Martha goes on to say that, even though Lazarus is now dead, she is confident that God would give to Jesus anything that he would ask of him. Martha doesn’t specifically ask Jesus to pray that Lazarus will be raised from the dead, though this is certainly implied in the way she poses the remark. Some would question Martha’s apparent confidence, calling attention to her reluctance at the tomb when Jesus asked to have the stone removed (v. 39). It is better to understand that Martha, in a general sense, believed Jesus could restore her brother to life, but that at the moment when it was about to happen, her faith gave way to the reality that a body dead for four days had already begun to decompose.
23–24 Jesus doesn’t get involved in a theoretical discussion of the possibility that Lazarus could be brought back from the grave but simply tells Martha in the plainest way possible that her brother will rise again. Martha understands his words in reference to the widely accepted Pharisaic belief that the dead would be raised to life at the last day. (Only the Sadducees denied the possibility of resurrection; cf. Mk 12:18; Ac 23:8.) “I know,” she says, “he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” But this was not what Jesus had in mind. He was not speaking of something that would take place in the distant future. Those who had gathered to mourn were about to see Lazarus rise again right before their eyes.
25–26 Pharisaic doctrine was not necessarily wrong; it was simply inadequate. Not only was Jesus able to raise the dead; he was himself, as John records the words of Jesus, “the resurrection and the life” (the fifth of the seven great “I am” statements). What Jesus means by this prophetic announcement is not simply that he is able to restore life by resurrecting people from the dead but that he himself is that resurrection and life. While, as Temple, 1:181, remarks, “there is a forcing of language to express an unutterable thought,” we are nevertheless called on to see Jesus as possessing eternal life in such a way that to believe in him is to share with him the resurrected life of the new age. As Paul would put it, those who are “in Christ” are one with him in the experience of a quality of life both divine and eternal (see, e.g., Ro 8:1; 1 Co 15:22; 2 Co 5:17; Eph 1:3).
In the two following clauses (vv. 25b–26a) Jesus explains what he means by (1) the resurrection and (2) the life. The clauses are parallel but not synonymous, the second advancing on the first. The person who believes in him will come to life (spiritually) even though that person will die (physically). This is the true meaning of resurrection—it forever frees the believer from final death. The raising of Lazarus serves as an illustration in the realm of natural life of a truth that is essentially spiritual and belongs to a higher sphere of reality. The second clause explains “life.” Whoever comes to life (spiritually) by believing in me (Hendriksen, 2:150, calls living and believing “a kind of hendiadys: living by faith”) will never die (spiritually). While resurrection counters the dread enemy death, eternal life is the glorious result of sharing the destiny of the Resurrected One.
So Jesus puts the question to Martha: “Do you believe this?” Not, “Do you believe that I can raise your brother from death even now before the general resurrection at the end of time?” but, “Do you believe that by faith in me a person is raised to a new level of life that is spiritual and that there is no end [death] to this glorious relationship?” In other words, “Do you really believe in me in terms of the higher truths I have taught about myself and my mission?”
27 Martha’s answer comes back as one of the most complete confessions recorded in the NT. Andrew told his brother, Simon Peter, that he had met “the Messiah” (1:41), Nathanael declared that Jesus was “the Son of God” (1:49), and Philip spoke of Jesus as “the one Moses wrote about” (1:45; cf. 1:27, 30); but it was Martha who combined them all into one magnificent confession that Jesus was “the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.” The perfect tense of “believe” (pepisteuka, GK 4409) reflects what Bruce, 245, calls “a settled attitude of soul.” Martha has come to the firm belief that Jesus is the Messiah, that he is the very Son of God, and that he is the fulfillment of Jewish expectations. Even though Lazarus lies dead in the grave, her confidence in who Jesus is and what he can do is not diminished even the slightest. Sorrow fills her heart because her brother is dead, but faith reigns supreme in her confidence that, with Jesus at hand, all is well.
28 Martha leaves Jesus on the outskirts of Bethany and returns home, where she takes her sister Mary aside to tell her that the Teacher has arrived and is asking for her. Martha speaks to her sister “in secret” or “privately” (lathra, GK 3277; NIV, “aside”) in the hope that Mary can slip away unnoticed by the friends who have come to mourn. She wants her to have a few minutes alone with Jesus. The reference to Jesus as “Teacher” is a bit unusual because rabbis would not teach women (cf. 4:27). It reflects the fact that Jesus spoke his message freely to all who would listen—to women as well as to men.
29–31 Mary responded immediately to the summons. She got up quickly and went to Jesus, who was still in the place where Martha had met him. Since in Jesus’ day burial grounds were outside the town, it seems reasonable to picture Jesus as waiting there where he would soon perform a miracle rather than going into town to the home of Martha and Mary. When the mourners saw Mary leave the house so quickly, they assumed she would be going out to the tomb. So they followed her there.
One wonders why the mourners did not leave when Martha went out to meet Jesus. Could it be that they were naturally attracted by the emotional warmth of Mary but somewhat put off by her take-charge sister Martha? A winsome personality draws more friends than does any number of more aggressive types.
32 Mary’s response to seeing Jesus was to fall at his feet. Lindars, 397, thinks that her reaction was one “of supplication, rather than of worship,” but that is unlikely because no request is made. Instead, she speaks to Jesus using the very same words as Martha (cf. v. 21). She did not, however, repeat what her sister had said about God granting to Jesus whatever he might ask (see v. 22). Undoubtedly the sisters had lamented on repeated occasions that if only Jesus had been there, Lazarus would not have died. So it was natural for the women to express themselves in this way when they first encountered Jesus. Mary’s “[throwing] herself at his feet” (TCNT) is consistent with what we know of her from the episode in Mark 14:3–9 (cf. Jn 12:2–8), where she anointed Jesus with expensive perfume. (The account in Lk 7:36–50 appears to be a similar event but actually took place much earlier in Jesus’ ministry.)
33–34 So with Mary at Jesus’ feet, weeping and surrounded by her many friends who were also weeping and wailing (klaiō, GK 3081, refers to a loud, unrestrained form of weeping especially appropriate in times of sorrow for the dead), John writes that Jesus was “deeply moved in spirit and troubled.” This expression has engendered considerable debate. Following the lead of Martin Luther, German scholars have emphasized the primary meaning of embrimaomai (“to snort” with indignation, GK 1839) and have understood Jesus as reacting in anger at the disorderly and intemperate scene he encountered. (EDNT, 1:442, says he became “indignant,” “furious.”) If this interpretation is correct, we must ask why Jesus responded as he did. Some suggest that his frustration resulted from the fact that such a tumult was forcing him to perform a miracle, which would lead to a premature arrest. But certainly Jesus was not boxed in to such a limited course of action. Besides, anger in such a situation runs counter to what we know of Jesus elsewhere in the Gospels. If Jesus actually was angry, then it would seem to stem from the mourners’ failure to grasp the truth that their sorrow was irreconcilable with faith in the one who is “the resurrection and the life” (v. 25).
The majority of English translators have understood that while embrimaomai in this context may well have indicated an outburst of indignation, the term is sufficiently comprehensive to include compassion as well. The expression “in spirit” (also “in himself,” en heauto, v. 38) is said to be a “Semitism for expressing the internal impact of the emotions” (Brown, 425). Phillips translates, “He was deeply moved and visibly distressed.” Lindars, 399, concludes, “We are thus driven back to the classic interpretation of this verse as a testimony to the human feeling of Jesus, who shares with all men in their pain and distress.” Jesus asks very simply, “Where have you laid him?” to which Mary and the others answer, “Come and see, Lord”—a strange sequel if Jesus is still in a fit of anger!
35 In the shortest verse in the Bible, we learn that “Jesus wept.” Note here that John uses a different word for the tears of Jesus than for the weeping of Mary and those with her. While klaiō (GK 3081) is used of loud weeping or wailing (v. 33), dakryō (GK 1233) refers to a more restrained breaking out in tears. Dakryō occurs only here in the NT, though the cognate dakryon, “a tear,” appears ten times. We read of Jesus’ tears in two other places in the NT: Luke records Jesus’ weeping over Jerusalem as he approached it for the last time (Lk 19:41), and the author of Hebrews reminds us that during the days of his life on earth, Jesus “offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears” (Heb 5:7).
The reason for Jesus’ tears in the Lazarus story was not grief over Lazarus’s death—that would bracket him with those “who have no hope” (1 Th 4:13). Nor was it simply an expression of love and concern for the sisters and their friends. Jesus wept because of the havoc wrought on the world by sin and death. To the one who came to bring life, death was a stark reminder of the continuing cosmic struggle between God and Satan for the souls of men and women. As long as death reigned, the kingdom of God was not yet finally and completely established.
36 The Jews failed to understand the real cause of Jesus’ tears. They said, “See how he loved him!”—an observation true enough, but one that fell far short of the real reason for Jesus’ tears. He wept over the sad state of a people too blind to see that in him there is life eternal and that by faith in him death is transformed into a gateway to eternal bliss. It was the tragic state of their spiritual blindness that caused him pain and brought tears to his eyes.
37 While some of the mourners were impressed by Jesus’ tears, others were more critical of him. Convinced of the astuteness of their insight, they questioned why a person who could open the eyes of a blind man had not kept his good friend from dying. They implied that since Jesus could have come and prevented Lazarus’s death, there must have been some other (and more sinister) reason for his failure to do so.
Notes
19 The single article τήν (tēn) before Μάρθαν καὶ Μαριὰμ (Marthan kai Mariam, “Martha and Mary”) is changed to τὰς περί (tas peri) in P45vid A C3 Θ Ψ 0250 et al.—a change that would indicate the Jews came not so much to Martha and Mary but to their household. The shorter text, however, is to be preferred and is supported by such MSS as P66.75vid א B C* L W and others. The article serves both names and binds them together as one.
25 The phrase καὶ ἡ ζωή (kai hē zōē, “and the life”) is omitted by the early Greek papyrus P45, two versional witnesses, and several early church fathers. This short text is suitable to the context, and the addition could easily have been made by a copyist; but the UBS committee retained the words on the basis of their age, weight, and diversification of witnesses (cf. Metzger, 199). It is interesting that while ἀνάστασις (anastasis, “resurrection,” GK 414) is found only once in John’s gospel outside the present passage (6:39), ζωή (zōē, “life,” GK 2437) occurs thirty-six times.
27 Martha’s affirmation of faith is strengthened by the addition of the first person personal pronoun ἐγώ (egō, “I”). Coupled with the perfect tense πεπίστευκα (pepiskteuka, “have believed”), it results in the strongest possible personal testimony of faith. While Martha is often criticized for what is regarded as paying unnecessary attention to the details of hospitality (vis-à-vis Mary’s desire to learn at the Master’s feet), her ringing testimony to her conviction that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, is a clear indication of her perceptive mind and believing heart.
33 If ἐνεβριμήσατο (enebrimēsato, GK 1839) is taken more in the sense of anger, then it is certain that Jesus’ “anger” was directed at death itself and at the one who holds the power of death.
35 Bruce, 246, takes ἐδάκρυσεν (edakrysen, GK 1233) as an ingressive aorist and translates “burst into tears.”
3. Jesus Raises Lazarus (11:38–44)
Commentary
38 When Jesus arrived at the tomb, his response to the situation was the same as it had been when he saw Mary and her friends mourning. He was “once more shaken with emotion” (Rieu). The tomb was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. The Jews normally buried their dead in caves hewn out of the rocks. For private burials the vertical tomb was more common. That Lazarus was in this kind of tomb is favored by two observations: (1) the preposition epi (“across,” GK 2093)—the stone that covered the opening of the tomb would be laid “over” or “across” the opening, and (2) the verb in v. 39, airō (GK 149), which in this verse means “to lift up, move from one place to another” (BDAG, 24). Other tombs were cut horizontally into the rocks. In the walls of the main chamber were carved a number of vaults. The traditional site of the tomb of Lazarus dates back to the fourth century and is currently occupied by a mosque.
39 Jesus orders the stone that covers the mouth of the tomb to be taken away. Martha, who has joined the group by now, is quick to raise an objection. Lazarus has been in the tomb for four days, and “by this time there is a bad odor,” she protests. This assumes that the body was not embalmed. Some have seen a contradiction with v. 44, which says that the body had been bound with strips of linen. But this does not necessarily mean that it had been embalmed. In Jewish circles, the practice of wrapping aromatic spices next to the body was to counteract the odors of decomposition, not to embalm. It has also been suggested by some that the reason Jesus wanted to have the tomb opened was not in order to prepare for the raising of Lazarus from the dead, but so that he could take a last look at his dear friend. That, however, would put Jesus in the same group with those who grieved without hope—a position inconsistent with the reality that Jesus is himself the resurrection and the life. Since Jesus was on the verge of restoring Lazarus to life, it would be pointless to “take a last look” at him in the grave.
40 So Jesus reminds Martha that if she would only believe, she would see the glory of God, i.e., “the wonder of what God can do” (Phillips). While she knew that Lazarus would be raised from the dead (v. 23), that God would be glorified as a result (v. 4), and that she had acknowledged the deity and the messianic mission of Jesus (v. 27), still, bodies in a grave for four days are not only dead but have begun to deteriorate! It is one thing for faith to express itself in bold affirmation when it is in the form of a creed, but the stark reality of life has a way of eroding its assurance. Certainly Jesus is the Son of God who came into the world (v. 27) and can receive from God whatever he asks (v. 22), but, after all, Lazarus is dead and buried. The genuineness of a person’s faith is seen in how it reacts to the actual crises of life.
41–42 So at Jesus’ command (v. 39) they took away the stone and Jesus raised his eyes (a few MSS add “up to heaven”), a characteristic preface to prayer (cf. Lk 18:13). God is addressed as “Father,” not “our Father,” because while Christian believers share a common relationship to God as Father, God is “Father” to the Son in a unique sense.
It is noteworthy that John does not record a prayer in which Jesus asks that Lazarus be raised from the dead. Instead he thanks God for having heard him. Apparently Jesus has been in prayer all along, asking his Father to perform a mighty miracle. With typical insight Temple, 1:184, comments, “There was no one moment of prayer. He lived prayer.” Jesus “explains” to the Father that, though he has always known that his prayers are heard (note the egō, “I”), he said what he did for the benefit of the people there. The contrast is further strengthened by the strong adversative alla (“but”). He wanted them to know that the imminent resurrection of Lazarus was the result of prayer. His purpose was that they “may come to believe” (taking pisteusōsin as an ingressive aorist).
43–44 Then Jesus “raised his voice in a great cry” (NEB), “Lazarus, come out!” And as a prelude to that great day when the dead will hear the same life-giving shout and come from the tombs of this earth, Lazarus came out of the grave—“hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.” We need not question how a man wrapped so tightly with grave clothes could walk. If God can raise the dead, he can take care of all such incidentals. We are not told how the body was wrapped. If each leg was wrapped separately, walking would have been quite possible.
Jesus then ordered that the grave clothes be taken off and that Lazarus be set free. Temple’s homiletical point, 1:185, is that as the wrappings of the grave held Lazarus fast, “so old habits may cling about us when the sin itself is eradicated. If we are truly to be alive, we must be freed from these also.”
Notes
38 See v. 33 for the other occurrence of ἐμβριμάομαι (embrimaomai) in John.
A μνημεῖον (mnēmeion, GK 3646) is first of all a monument built to someone who has died (L&N, 7:76; as in Mt 23:29) and then a grave (the far more frequent usage).
43 Taking δεῦρο (deuro, GK 1306) as an adverb of place yields the succinct command, “Here! Outside!” (Morris, 561 n. 83).
44 The word σουδάριον (soudarion, GK 5051) is a Latin loanword (sudarium, “a cloth used to wipe perspiration from the face”). In Luke 19:20 it was the piece of cloth in which the third servant kept the money entrusted to him. Here in John 11:44 (and also in 20:7) it refers to a piece of cloth placed over the face (or around the head) of the corpse. In Acts 19:12 the σουδάριον soudarion is best understood as a handkerchief.
4. Reaction by Jewish Authorities (11:45–57)
OVERVIEW
In the verses that follow, we read of the far-reaching results of the miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead. Some, when they saw what Jesus had done, “put their faith in him” (v. 45). Others went to the Pharisees to report the miracle (v. 46), and their act led to the plot that ended in the crucifixion of Jesus.
Commentary
45 The raising of Lazarus was not without its immediate effect. John writes that when those who had come to mourn saw what Jesus had done, they “put their faith in him.” John’s “therefore” establishes a strong causal relationship between the raising of Lazarus and the consequent coming to faith of those who saw it happen. While faith based on the miraculous may not be a strong faith, it certainly is a beginning and is far better than no faith at all. The people’s “seeing” involved far more than natural vision. Brown, 439, notes that the verb theaomai (“to see,” GK 2517) “often connotes perceptive vision.” It wasn’t the mere sight of a dead man being raised that brought about faith, but a true insight into what was really taking place.
One may ask why the text says that the Jews “had come to visit Mary” and omit any reference to Martha? One reasonable answer is that Mary, being the more emotional of the two, would have been in greater need of comfort and solace. It is also true that Martha, with her more dominant personality, would be less likely to gain the sympathy of others. Both sisters had met Jesus just outside Bethany and greeted him with the same words, but while Mary’s plight brought tears to Jesus’ eyes (v. 35), Martha received a lesson in theology (vv. 20–26).
46 Those who saw and believed are now contrasted with those who only saw the unusual event. This second group went to the Pharisees and reported what Jesus had done—not out of a desire to see their leaders come to faith but out of the suspicion that any man who could work such wonders must pose a serious threat to the tenuous relationship between the Jewish nation and their Roman overlords. As one might expect, the result of a miracle once again created a division (9:16; cf. 7:43). Everyone saw exactly the same thing: in response to Jesus’ command, Lazarus, already dead for four days, had come out of the tomb alive. Those predisposed to believe accepted what they saw and gave God the glory; others rejected what they saw and resorted to a plot to get rid of the person who had such unusual power. Based on each group’s predispositions, both responses were rational and appropriate. To repeat a figure of speech, the sheep that belong to Jesus recognize the voice of their shepherd (cf. 10:2–5).
47 On learning that Lazarus has been raised from the dead, the ruling priests and the Pharisees call a meeting of the Sanhedrin. Apparently this was an official meeting (however, see the NET translator’s note that argues, on the basis of the anarthrous synedrion [“Sanhedrin,” GK 5284], that it was probably an informal meeting) in that Caiaphas, who was president of the Sanhedrin by virtue of his role as high priest, appeared to be in charge (vv. 49–52). The plural designation “chief priests” is understood by Bruce, 250, to include “the high priest, the captain of the temple and the members of the leading priestly family.”
Though much of our knowledge of the Sanhedrin comes from a later time, and therefore may not reflect the actual circumstances at the time of Jesus, it is safe to say that this judicial body of seventy-one dealt with matters of justice within the boundaries set by the Romans and was the final court of appeal for questions related to Mosaic law. It reflected primarily the Sadducean point of view. From this point forward in John we hear of the Pharisees on only three occasions (12:19, 42; 18:3), the opposition to Jesus issuing in his death being led by the chief priests.
The question “What are we accomplishing?” posed by the chief priests and Pharisees is not immediately clear. Barrett, 405, suggests that the question mark be placed after the first clause of the Greek text (ti poioumen) rather than at the end of the verse, which would result in a question asking, “What are we now doing?”—the implied answer being, “Nothing. We ought to be doing something about it but we’re not, because this man is performing miracles.” This rendition is superior to taking the question as a deliberative subjective, “What are we to do?” The NIV’s “What are we accomplishing?” follows the former alternative, as does the NASB’s “What are we doing?”
48 The members of the Sanhedrin were at an impasse. It cannot be denied that Jesus had performed many miraculous signs, the most recent and certainly the most startling being the raising to life of a dead man. If they allowed him to continue, he would quickly gain a following as a messianic leader and they, the ruling elite of the Jewish nation, would lose their favored position in Jewish life and society. As the NIV puts it, “the Romans would come and take away both our place and our nation.” While “our place” (ton topon, GK 5536) is normally taken as referring to the temple (see NIV text note), it is better understood as portraying the favored position in society enjoyed by the religious leaders. Of the religious leadership, Carson, 421, writes, “They are prompted less by dispassionate concern for the well-being of the nation than for their own positions of power and prestige.”
49–50 Caiaphas had been appointed high priest in AD 18 and served in that capacity until he was deposed some eighteen years later. He was the son-in-law of the powerful Annas, who had been high priest until AD 15. (The intervening three years saw a quick succession of three other high priests.) While the high priest was theoretically appointed for life (Nu 35:25), such was not the case during Roman occupation. The Romans saw to it that no high priest who failed to serve their own political purposes would continue in office; they replaced such priests with individuals more amenable to Roman desires. John’s reference to Caiaphas as high priest that year—as though the appointment were an annual affair, as was so often the case in the Graeco-Roman world—does not indicate any lack of knowledge on John’s part about the region’s customs. The expression means no more than “in that fateful/memorable year.”
With the rudeness traditionally assigned to the Sadducees (cf. Josephus, J.W. 1.266) Caiaphas addresses the assembly: “You know nothing at all.” The added personal pronoun hymeis puts the stress on “you”; Barclay translates, “You are witless creatures.”
Caiaphas’s cynical solution to the problem of Jesus, the worker of miracles, was pure utilitarianism—“You don’t seem to grasp the fact that it is in our interest that one man die rather than the entire nation be destroyed. In other words, the welfare of Israel rests on our willingness to do what is necessary to preserve it—i.e., to put this man Jesus to death.” The power of the human mind to rationalize a course of action, no matter how devious, is marvelous to behold. Better to kill a single person than to let an entire nation perish. Sounds reasonable, but it makes the fatal mistake of disregarding the rights of the individual. All socialist doctrine fails at its basic premise—i.e., that the good of the masses is to be preferred over the good of the individual. History has shown the vacuity of this deceptive doctrine. It is only when the rights of the individual are protected that the welfare of the group is enhanced.
51 While Caiaphas was promoting the cynical idea that the greatest amount of benefit would accrue to the greatest number of people by the murder of the one unfortunate, unwittingly he was summarizing the gospel (cf. Temple, 1:187). His words were far more profound than he ever intended. Acting as high priest, he had just prophesied that the death of Jesus would serve to bring together and make one “the Jewish nation” and “the scattered children of God” (v. 52). What he intended was that by killing Jesus, political Israel would be preserved. What he actually said (and that at a deeper level) was that by his death Jesus would guarantee spiritual life to Jew and Gentile alike who came to him by faith. That Caiaphas did not speak “on his own” does not mean that he had no control over what he was saying. The thought and the words chosen to express the idea were strictly his own. What was beyond his control was that these very words, cynical as they were, could also carry an important message on a different level.
52–53 Since “the scattered children of God” refers to Gentiles who were yet to hear and respond to the gospel, it is sometimes asked how they could be designated “children of God” prior to regeneration. Such is the predestinarian nature of the fourth gospel. Jesus had already spoken in the same way of “other sheep” that would hear his voice and follow him (1:3–5; cf. 6:37). The Gentiles are currently scattered, but they will be brought together with believing Jews and made one body. This, of course, enraged the authorities, who from that day plotted to take Jesus’ life (v. 53).
54 Jesus then went to a village called Ephraim. The location is probably to be identified as the OT Ephron (2 Ch 13:19)—the modern et-Taiyibeh, which lies about thirteen miles north-northeast of Jerusalem and some four miles northeast of Bethel. It was far enough from the capital to provide sanctuary but close enough to allow Jesus to return for the final week.
55 As the Feast of Passover approached, many Jews went up to Jerusalem from the surrounding country. Passover was one of the three great pilgrim feasts. John records a first Passover in AD 28, some forty-six years after Herod began to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem (2:20). A second Passover is mentioned in 6:4, and this is now the third (11:55). It is for this reason that most scholars accept as a time span for the public ministry of Jesus a period of slightly over two years.
56–57 Many people arrived early in Jerusalem in order to fulfill the requirements of ceremonial cleansing (cf. Ex 19:10–15; Nu 9:9–14). They were on the lookout for Jesus and wondering whether or not he would come to the Feast. They questioned one another as to whether he would show up. By this time the chief priests had issued orders that anyone who knew where Jesus was should report it to the officials so that they might arrest him.
Notes
49 Tasker, 142 n. 49, notes that the pronoun ἐκείνος (ekeinos, “that”) is a favorite of John and that while not always emphatic, it would appear to be so in this location. It stresses the truth that this was annus mirabilis, the year of man’s redemption. In the parallel phrase in v. 51, ἐκείνου ekeinou, is omitted from P66 and D, while the entire phrase is left out by P45 e 1 sys.
55 From the very beginning Israel was to be a holy nation (Lev 20:26). Their moral separation from sin was to be expressed outwardly by separation from objects considered to be unclean. Israelites who had come into contact with that which was unclean were required to separate themselves from the congregation for a period of time and then be reinstated after certain purification rites were observed. At times a sacrifice was required. In preparation for the Jewish Passover, it was essential that everyone taking part in the festival undergo purification.
57 That John used the pluperfect δεδώκεισαν (dedōkeisan, “had given,” GK 1443) rather than the aorist ἔδωκαν (edōkan) may reflect the continuing nature of the command. The order was to remain in force until Jesus was in fact located.
Reflections
As this chapter draws to an end, an air of expectancy hangs over the city as those who had encountered Jesus or knew anything about him wait to see what will happen. The stage is set for the most dramatic and far-reaching event of Jesus’ earthly ministry. He had come to give his life “for the people” (v. 50), and that moment was rapidly approaching. Angels must have held their breath in anticipation as Jesus prepared for the triumphal entry and what would follow. The redemptive invasion of God into human history is about to draw to a close with the events leading to the crucifixion of the Lamb of God and his triumphant resurrection after three days. As John the Baptist cried out at the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (1:29).[4]
Edwin A. Blum, The Bible Knowledge Commentary
E. The great sign at Bethany (11:1–44)
This climactic miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead was Jesus’ public evidence of the truth of His great claim, “I am the Resurrection and the Life.” Death is the great horror which sin has produced (Rom. 5:12; James 1:15). Physical death is the divine object lesson of what sin does in the spiritual realm. As physical death ends life and separates people, so spiritual death is the separation of people from God and the loss of life which is in God (John 1:4). Jesus has come so that people may live full lives (10:10). Rejecting Jesus means that one will not see life (3:36) and that his final destiny is “the second death,” the lake of fire (Rev. 20:14–15).
11:1–2. This Lazarus is mentioned in the New Testament only in this chapter and in chapter 12. Bethany (cf. 11:18) is on the east side of the Mount of Olives. Another Bethany is in Perea (cf. 1:28). Luke added some information on the two sisters Mary and Martha (Luke 10:38–42). This Mary … was the same one who later (see John 12:1–10) poured perfume on the Lord and wiped His feet with her hair. However, John may be assuming that the original readers of his Gospel already had some knowledge of Mary (cf. Mark 14:3–9).
11:3. The sisters assumed, because of the Lord’s ability and His love for Lazarus, that He would immediately respond to their word about Lazarus’ illness and come.
11:4. Jesus did not go immediately (see v. 6). But His delay was not from lack of love (cf. v. 5), or from fear of the Jews. He waited till the right moment in the Father’s plan. Lazarus’ sickness would not end in death, that is, in permanent death. Instead Jesus would be glorified in this incident (cf. 9:3). This statement is ironic. Jesus’ power and obedience to the Father were displayed, but this event led to His death (cf. 11:50–53), which was His true glory (17:1).
11:5–6. In spite of Jesus’ love for all three (Martha and her sister and Lazarus), He waited two more days. Apparently (vv. 11, 39) Lazarus was already dead when Jesus heard about him. Jesus’ movements were under God’s direction (cf. 7:8).
11:7–10. His disciples knew that His going to Judea, would be dangerous (10:31). So they tried to prevent Him from going. Jesus spoke in a veiled way to illustrate that it would not be too dangerous to go to Bethany. In one sense He was speaking of walking (living) in physical light or darkness. In the spiritual realm when one lives by the will of God he is safe. Living in the realm of evil is dangerous. As long as He followed God’s plan, no harm would come till the appointed time. Applied to people then, they should have responded to Jesus while He was in the world as its Light (cf. 1:4–7; 3:19; 8:12; 9:5). Soon He would be gone and so would this unique opportunity.
11:11–12. Jesus then said, Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep. The word “friend” has special significance in Scripture (cf. 15:13–14; James 2:23). This “sleep” is the sleep of death. Since the coming of Christ the death of a believer is regularly called a sleep (cf. Acts 7:60; 1 Cor. 15:20; 1 Thes. 4:13–18). Dead Christians are asleep not in the sense of an unconscious “soul sleep,” but in the sense that their bodies appear to be sleeping. The disciples wrongly assumed that Jesus meant Lazarus had not died, but was sleeping physically (cf. John 11:13) and was on his way to recovery: If he sleeps, he will get better.
11:13–15. As was often the case in the Gospels, Jesus was speaking about one thing but the disciples were thinking about another. The words Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there seem shocking at first. But if Lazarus had not died, the disciples (and readers of all ages) would not have had this unique opportunity to have their faith quickened. Lazarus’ death was so that you may believe.
11:16. Didymus means “twin.” Thomas is often called “doubting Thomas” because of the incident recorded in 20:24–25. But here he took the leadership and showed his commitment to Christ, even to death. That we may die with Him is ironic. On one level it reveals Thomas’ ignorance of the uniqueness of Christ’s atoning death. On another level it is prophetic of many disciples’ destinies (12:25).
11:17. Apparently Lazarus had died soon after the messengers left. Jesus was then a day’s journey away. Since Palestine is warm and decomposition sets in quickly, a person was usually buried the same day he died (cf. v. 39).
11:18–19. The fact that Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem points up two things. It explains why many Jews from Jerusalem were at the scene of this great miracle (vv. 45–46). It also prepares the reader for the coming climax which was to take place in the great city. When a person died, the Jews mourned for a prolonged period of time. During this period it was considered a pious duty to comfort the bereaved.
11:20–22. Martha, the activist, went … to meet Jesus while Mary, the contemplative sister, waited. (Cf. Luke 10:39–42 for a similar portrayal of their personalities.) Martha’s greeting is a confession of faith. She really believed that Jesus could have healed her brother if He had been there. No criticism of Jesus seems to be implied since she knew her brother was dead before the messengers got to Jesus. Her words But I know … God will give You whatever You ask might imply by themselves that she was confident Lazarus would be resuscitated. But her actions in protest at the tomb (John 11:39) and her words to Jesus (v. 24) contradict that interpretation. Her words may be taken as a general statement of the Father’s blessing on Jesus.
11:23–24. Your brother will rise again. Since the word “again” is not in the Greek it is better to omit it in the translation. This promise sets the stage for Jesus’ conversation with Martha. She had no thought of an immediate resuscitation but she did believe in the final resurrection at the last day.
11:25–26. I am the Resurrection and the Life. This is the fifth of Jesus’ great “I am” revelations. The Resurrection and the Life of the new Age is present right now because Jesus is the Lord of life (1:4). Jesus’ words about life and death are seemingly paradoxical. A believer’s death issues in new life. In fact, the life of a believer is of such a quality that he will never die spiritually. He has eternal life (3:16; 5:24; 10:28), and the end of physical life is only a sleep for his body until the resurrection unto life. At death the spiritual part of a believer, his soul, goes to be with the Lord (cf. 2 Cor. 5:6, 8; Phil. 1:23).
11:27. Martha gave a great confession of faith in Christ. She agreed with Jesus’ exposition about eternal life for those who believe in Him. Then she confessed three things about Jesus. He is (a) the Christ (“Messiah”), (b) the Son of God—which is probably a title of the Messiah (cf. 1:49; Ps. 2:7)—and (c) the One who was to come into the world (lit., “the Coming One”; cf. John 12:13). She believed that Jesus is the Messiah who came to do God’s will, but as yet she had no hint of the coming miracle regarding her brother.
11:28–30. Martha then told Mary that Jesus the Teacher was asking for her. He evidently wanted to have a private conversation with Mary. His purpose was probably to comfort and instruct her. “The Teacher” is a notable title for it was unusual for a Jewish Rabbi to instruct a woman (cf. 4:1–42).
11:31–32. Mary’s sudden departure to see Jesus caused the crowd of Jewish comforters to follow her. So a private session with Jesus became impossible. Reaching Jesus, Mary fell at His feet. This is significant, for on a previous occasion she had sat at Jesus’ feet listening to His teaching (Luke 10:39). Her greeting to Jesus was the same as her sister’s (John 11:21). She felt the tragedy would have been averted if He had been present. Her faith was sincere but limited.
11:33–34. In great contrast with the Greek gods’ apathy or lack of emotion, Jesus’ emotional life attests the reality of His union with people. Deeply moved may either be translated “groaned” or more likely “angered.” The Greek word enebrimēsato (from embrimaomai) seems to connote anger or sternness. (This Gr. verb is used only five times in the NT, each time of the Lord’s words or feelings: Matt. 9:30; Mark 1:43; 14:5; John 11:33, 38.)
Why was Jesus angry? Some have argued that He was angry because of the people’s unbelief or hypocritical wailing. But this seems foreign to the context. A better explanation is that Jesus was angry at the tyranny of Satan who had brought sorrow and death to people through sin (cf. 8:44; Heb. 2:14–15). Also Jesus was troubled (etaraxen, lit., “stirred” or “agitated,” like the pool water in John 5:7; cf. 12:27; 13:21; 14:1, 27). This disturbance was because of His conflict with sin, death, and Satan.
11:35–37. Jesus’ weeping differed from that of the people. His quiet shedding of tears (edakrysen) differed from their loud wailing (klaiontas, v. 33). His weeping was over the tragic consequences of sin. The crowd interpreted His tears as an expression of love, or frustration at not being there to heal Lazarus.
11:38–39. Disturbed emotionally (cf. comments on deeply moved, in v. 33), He came to the tomb. Tombs were often cut into limestone making a cave in the side of a wall of rock. A stone was placed over the entrance. Jesus commanded that the stone door be taken away. To do so was to risk defilement. But obedience was necessary if Jesus’ purpose was to be realized. The scene was highly dramatic. The crowd watched and listened. Mary was weeping and Martha objected because after four days putrefaction had set in.
11:40. Jesus reminded Martha of His earlier promise (vv. 25–26; cf. v. 4). If she believed His word that He is the Resurrection and the Life and trusted Him, God would be glorified. But unless the sisters had trusted Jesus, permission would not have been given to open the tomb.
11:41–42. With the stone taken away, the tension mounted. What would Jesus do? He simply thanked His Father for granting His request. He knew He was doing the Father’s will in manifesting His love and power. His prayer of thanksgiving was public, not so that He would be honored as a Wonder-Worker but so He would be seen as the Father’s obedient Son. The granting of His request by the Father would give clear evidence to the people that He had been sent by the Father and would cause the people to believe (cf. Elijah’s prayer; 1 Kings 18:37).
11:43–44. On other occasions Jesus had said that men would hear His voice and come out of their graves (5:28) and that His sheep hear His voice (10:16, 27). After His brief prayer He called (ekraugasen, lit., “shouted loudly”) in a loud voice. This verb is used only nine times in the New Testament, eight of them in the Gospels (Matt. 12:19; Luke 4:41; John 11:43; 12:13; 18:40; 19:6, 12, 15; Acts 22:23).
Jesus shouted only three words: Lazarus come out! Augustine once remarked that if Jesus had not said Lazarus’ name all would have come out from the graves. Immediately, the dead man came out. Since he was wrapped in strips of linen, a special work of God’s power must have brought him out. Jesus’ directive to the people, Take off the grave clothes, enabled Lazarus to move on his own and at the same time gave evidence that he was alive and not a ghost.
This event is a marvelous picture of God’s Son bringing life to people. He will do this physically at the Rapture for church saints (1 Thes. 4:16), and at His return for Old Testaments saints (Dan. 12:2) and Tribulation saints (Rev. 20:4, 6). Also He now speaks and calls spiritually dead people to spiritual life. Many who are dead in sins and trespasses believe and come to life by the power of God (Eph. 2:1–10).
F. The plot to kill Jesus (11:45–57).
11:45–47a. Jesus’ revelation of Himself always produces two responses. For many of the Jews, this miracle was clear proof of Jesus’ claim. In response they trusted Him. But others were only hardened in sin or confused. They went to His enemies, the Pharisees, and reported what had happened. This miraculous sign was so significant that the chief priests and the Pharisees decided to call an emergency session of the Sanhedrin (see comments on 3:1 on the Sanhedrin). Doubtless they felt that Jesus was some kind of magician who by secret arts was deceiving the people.
11:47b–48. The council expressed its inability to solve the problem by continuing to do what they had been doing. Official disapproval, excommunication, and counterteaching were not stopping Jesus’ influence. The outcome would be insurrection and the Romans would crush the Jewish revolt; taking away both our place (i.e., the temple) and our nation.
11:49–50. Caiaphas was the high priest that year (cf. 18:13–14, 24, 28). Originally the high priest held his position for a lifetime, but the Romans were afraid of letting a man gain too much power. So the Romans appointed high priests at their convenience. Caiaphas had the office from a.d. 18 to 36. His contempt was expressed in his words, You know nothing at all! His judgment 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.
11:51–53. John by God’s Spirit recognized a deep irony in Caiaphas’ words. As the high priest, Caiaphas pointed to the last sacrificial Lamb in a prophecy he did not even know he made. Caiaphas meant Jesus had to be killed, but God intended the priest’s words as a reference to His substitutionary atonement. Jesus’ death would abolish the old system in God’s eyes by fulfilling all its types and shadows. His death was not only for Jews but also for the world, thus making a new body from both (cf. Eph. 2:14–18; 3:6). The Sanhedrin then decided to kill Jesus.
11:54. Jesus … withdrew from Bethany to a village 15 or so miles to the north called Ephraim. The little village provided a place for rest and it was close to the wilderness of Judea in case it was necessary to escape.
11:55–57. Jewish pilgrims went up to the Passover feast at Jerusalem and looked for Jesus. Previously (2:13–25) He had attended the national festivals during which time He publicly taught in the temple area. Would He continue this pattern of ministry? Large crowds gathering in the city kept looking for Him. The religious authorities gave orders for anyone to report if he found out where Jesus was so they could arrest Him.[5]
CHAPTER ELEVEN
THE LAST MIRACLE—THE LAST ENEMY
John 11
The raising of Lazarus from the dead was not our Lord’s last miracle before the Cross, but it was certainly His greatest and the one that aroused the most response both from His friends and His enemies. John selected this miracle as the seventh in the series recorded in his book because it was really the climactic miracle of our Lord’s earthly ministry. He had raised others from the dead, but Lazarus had been in the grave four days. It was a miracle that could not be denied or avoided by the Jewish leaders.
If Jesus Christ can do nothing about death, then whatever else He can do amounts to nothing. “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable’ (1 Cor. 15:19). Death is man’s last enemy (1 Cor. 15:26), but Jesus Christ has defeated this horrible enemy totally and permanently.
The emphasis in John 11 is on faith; you find some form of the word believe at least eight times in this account. Another theme is “the glory of God” (John 11:4, 40). In what Jesus said and did, He sought to strengthen the faith of three groups of people.
The Disciples (John 11:1–16)
We sometimes think of the disciples as “supersaints,” but such was not the case. They often failed their Lord, and He was constantly seeking to increase their faith. After all, one day He would leave them and they would have the responsibility of carrying on the ministry. If their faith was weak, their work could never be strong.
Jesus was at Bethabara, about twenty miles from Bethany (John 1:28; 10:40). One day, a messenger arrived with the sad news that our Lord’s dear friend Lazarus was sick. If the man had traveled quickly, without any delay, he could have made the trip in one day. Jesus sent him back the next day with the encouraging message recorded in John 11:4. Then Jesus waited two more days before He left for Bethany; and by the time He and His disciples arrived, Lazarus had been dead for four days. This means that Lazarus had died the very day the messenger left to contact Jesus!
The schedule of events would look something like this, allowing one day for travel:
Day 1— The messenger comes to Jesus (Lazarus dies).
Day 2— The messenger returns to Bethany.
Day 3— Jesus waits another day, then departs.
Day 4— Jesus arrives in Bethany.
When the messenger arrived back home, he would find Lazarus already dead. What would his message convey to the grieving sisters now that their brother was already dead and buried? Jesus was urging them to believe His word no matter how discouraging the circumstances might appear.
No doubt the disciples were perplexed about several matters. First of all, if Jesus loved Lazarus so much, why did He permit him to get sick? Even more, why did He delay to go to the sisters? For that matter, could He not have healed Lazarus at a distance, as He did the nobleman’s son? (John 4:43–54) The record makes it clear that there was a strong love relationship between Jesus and this family (John 11:3, 5, 36); yet our Lord’s behavior seems to contradict this love.
God’s love for His own is not a pampering love; it is a perfecting love. The fact that He loves us, and we love Him is no guarantee that we will be sheltered from the problems and pains of life. After all, the Father loves His Son: and yet the Father permitted His beloved Son to drink the cup of sorrow and experience the shame and pain of the Cross. We must never think that love and suffering are incompatible. Certainly they unite in Jesus Christ.
Jesus could have prevented Lazarus’ sickness or even healed it from where He was; but He chose not to. He saw in this sickness an opportunity to glorify the Father. It is not important that we Christians are comfortable, but it is important that we glorify God in all that we do.
In their “prayer” to Jesus, the two sisters did not tell Him what to do. They simply informed Him that there was a need, and they reminded Him of His love for Lazarus. They knew that it was dangerous for Jesus to return to Judea because the Jewish leaders were out to destroy Him. Perhaps they hoped that He would “speak the word” and their brother would be restored to health.
Our Lord’s message to the sisters did not say that their brother would not die. It promised only that death would not be the ultimate result, for the ultimate result would be the glory of God. (Note that once again, Jesus called Himself “the Son of God.”) He wanted them to lay hold of this promise; in fact, He reminded Martha of this message when she balked at having the tomb opened (John 11:40).
When we find ourselves confronted by disease, disappointment, delay, and even death, our only encouragement is the Word of God. We must live by faith and not by sight. Their situation seemed hopeless, yet the sisters knew that Jesus was the Master of every situation. The promise in Psalm 50:15 finds a parallel here: “And call upon Me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify Me.”
What about our Lord’s delay? He was not waiting for Lazarus to die, for he was already dead. Jesus lived on a divine timetable (John 11:9) and He was waiting for the Father to tell Him when to go to Bethany. The fact that the man had been dead four days gave greater authenticity to the miracle and greater opportunity for people to believe, including His own disciples (see John 11:15).
When our Lord announced that He was returning to Judea, His disciples were alarmed, because they knew how dangerous it would be. (Bethany is only about two miles from Jerusalem.) But Jesus was willing to lay down His life for His friends (John 15:13). He knew that His return to Judea and the miracle of raising Lazarus would precipitate His own arrest and death.
The Lord calmed their fears by reminding them that He was on the Father’s schedule, and that nothing could harm them. As we have seen, this is an important theme in the Gospel of John (John 2:4; 7:6, 8, 30; 8:20; 12:23; 13:1; 17:1). But the disciples not only misunderstood the schedule, they also misunderstood the reason for the visit. They thought that, if Lazarus was sleeping, he was getting better! It was another example of their inability to grasp spiritual truth. “If he is sleeping, he must be improving—so let’s not bother to go to Bethany!”
Then He told them openly that Lazarus was dead. (Death for the believer is compared to sleep. See Acts 7:60; 1 Cor. 15:51; 1 Thes. 4:13–18.) He did not say He was glad that His friend died, but that He was glad He had not been there; for now He could reveal to His disciples His mighty power. The result would be glory to God and the strengthening of their faith.
If Thomas’ attitude was any indication, the faith of the disciples certainly needed strengthening! The name Thomas means “twin” in the Aramaic language; the Greek equivalent is Didymus. We do not know whose twin he was, but there are times when all of us seem to be his twin when we consider our unbelief and depressed feelings! It was Thomas who demanded evidence before he would accept the truth of our Lord’s resurrection (John 20:24–28).
Thomas was a doubting man, but we must confess that he was a devoted man: he was willing to go with Jesus into danger and risk his own life. We may not admire his faith, but we can certainly applaud his loyalty and courage.
The Sisters (John 11:17–40)
Jesus was concerned not only about the faith of His own disciples, but also about the faith of Mary and Martha (John 11:26, 40). Each experience of suffering and trial ought to increase our faith, but this kind of spiritual growth is not automatic. We must respond positively to the ministry of the Word and the Spirit of God. Jesus had sent a promise to the two sisters (John 11:4), and now He would discover how they had received it.
The event recorded in Luke 10:38–42 makes it clear that Mary and Martha were quite different in their personalities. Martha was the worker, the active one, while Mary was the contemplative one who sat at the feet of Jesus and listened to His word. Jesus did not condemn Martha’s service, but He did rebuke her for being “torn apart” by so many things. She needed to have priorities and center her activities on the things that God would approve. As an old Wesley hymn puts it, we need to have a balanced life:
Faithful to my Lord’s commands,
I still would choose the better part:
Serve with careful Martha’s hands
And loving Mary’s heart.
We would expect Martha to rush out to meet Jesus while Mary sat in the house, weeping with her friends. Since Mary later echoed Martha’s words of greeting (John 11:32), it is likely that the sisters often said these words to each other as they waited for Jesus to arrive. While there may have been a tinge of disappointment in the statement, there was also evidence of faith, for nobody ever died in the presence of Jesus Christ. “If” is such a big word! How futile it is to imagine what might have been, if—!
Martha was quick to affirm her faith in Jesus Christ (John 11:22), and Jesus responded to that faith by promising her that her brother would rise again. He was thinking of the immediate situation, but she interpreted His words to mean the future resurrection in the last day (Dan. 12:2–3; John 5:28–29). Here is another instance in John’s Gospel of people lacking spiritual perception and being unable to understand the words of Jesus.
Our Lord’s reply is the fifth of the I AM statements. It is important to note that Jesus did not deny what Martha said about the future resurrection. The resurrection of the human body is a cardinal doctrine in the orthodox Jewish faith. But in His great I AM statement, our Lord completely transformed the doctrine of the resurrection and, in so doing, brought great comfort to Martha’s heart.
To begin with, He brought the doctrine of the resurrection out of the shadows and into the light. The Old Testament revelation about death and resurrection is not clear or complete; it is, as it were, “in the shadows.” In fact, there are some passages in Psalms and Ecclesiastes that almost make one believe that death is the end and there is no hope beyond the grave. False teachers like to use these passages to support their heretical teachings, but they ignore (or misinterpret) the clear teachings found in the New Testament. After all, it was not David or Solomon who “brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel” (2 Tim. 1:10), but Jesus Christ!
By His teaching, His miracles, and His own resurrection, Jesus clearly taught the resurrection of the human body. He has declared once for all that death is real, that there is life after death, and that the body will one day be raised by the power of God.
He transformed this doctrine in a second way: He took it out of a book and put it into a person, Himself. “I am the resurrection and the life”! (John 11:25) While we thank God for what the Bible teaches (and all Martha had was the Old Testament), we realize that we are saved by the Redeemer, Jesus Christ, and not by a doctrine written in a book. When we know Him by faith, we need not fear the shadow of death.
When you are sick, you want a doctor and not a medical book or a formula. When you are being sued, you want a lawyer and not a law book. Likewise, when you face your last enemy, death, you want the Saviour and not a doctrine written in a book. In Jesus Christ, every doctrine is made personal (1 Cor. 1:30). When you belong to Him, you have all that you ever will need in life, death, time, or eternity!
But perhaps the greatest transformation Jesus performed was to move the doctrine of the resurrection out of the future and into the present. Martha was looking to the future, knowing that Lazarus would rise again and she would see him. Her friends were looking to the past and saying, “He could have prevented Lazarus from dying!” (John 11:37) But Jesus tried to center their attention on the present: wherever He is, God’s resurrection power is available now (Rom. 6:4; Gal. 2:20; Phil. 3:10).
Jesus affirmed that believers would one day be raised from the dead (John 11:25). Then He immediately revealed the added truth that some believers would never die (and it is a double negative, “never never die!”) (John 11:26). How is this possible? The answer is found in 1 Thessalonians 4:13, 18. When Jesus Christ returns in the air to take His people home, those who are alive at His coming shall never die. They shall be changed and caught up to meet Him in the air!
Martha did not hesitate to affirm her faith. She used three different titles for Jesus: Lord, Christ (Messiah), and Son of God. The words “I believe” are in the perfect tense, indicating a fixed and settled faith. “I have believed and I will continue to believe!”
Our Lord dealt with Martha’s faith; now He had to help Mary. Why did Martha call Mary “secretly”? Possibly because of the danger involved: they knew that the Jewish leaders were out to arrest Jesus. When Mary arose to go to meet Jesus, her friends misunderstood her actions and thought she was going to the tomb to weep. They wanted to weep with her, so they followed along. Imagine their surprise when they met Jesus!
Mary is found three times in the Gospel record, and each time she is at the feet of Jesus (Luke 10:39; John 11:32; 12:3). She sat at His feet and listened to His word; she fell at His feet and poured out her sorrow; and she came to His feet to give Him her praise and worship. Mary’s only recorded words in the Gospels are given in John 11:32, and they echo what Martha had already said (John 11:21).
Mary did not say much because she was overcome with sorrow and began to weep. Her friends joined in the weeping, as Jewish people are accustomed to do. The word used means “a loud weeping, a lamentation.” Our Lord’s response was to groan within and “be moved with indignation.” At what was He indignant? At the ravages of sin in the world that He had created. Death is an enemy, and Satan uses the fear of death as a terrible weapon (Heb. 2:14–18). No wonder Jesus was indignant!
The mystery of our Lord’s incarnation is seen by His question in John 11:34. Jesus knew that Lazarus had died (John 11:11), but He had to ask where he was buried. Our Lord never used His divine powers when normal human means would suffice.
“Jesus wept” is the shortest and yet the deepest verse in Scripture. His was a silent weeping (the Greek word is used nowhere else in the New Testament) and not the loud lamentation of the mourners. But why did He weep at all? After all, He knew that He would raise Lazarus from the dead (John 11:11).
Our Lord’s weeping reveals the humanity of the Saviour. He has entered into all of our experiences and knows how we feel. In fact, being the perfect God-Man, Jesus experienced these things in a deeper way than we do. His tears also assure us of His sympathy; He is indeed “a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” (Isa. 53:3). Today, He is our merciful and faithful High Priest, and we may come to the throne of grace and find all the gracious help that we need (Heb. 4:14–16).
We see in His tears the tragedy of sin but also the glory of heaven. Perhaps Jesus was weeping for Lazarus, as well as with the sisters, because He knew He was calling His friend from heaven and back into a wicked world where he would one day have to die again. Jesus had come down from heaven; He knew what Lazarus was leaving behind.
The spectators saw in His tears an evidence of His love. But some of them said, “If Jesus loved Lazarus so much, why did He not prevent his death?” Perhaps they were thinking, “Jesus is weeping because He was unable to do anything. They are tears of deep regret.” In other words, nobody present really expected a miracle! For this reason, nobody could accuse Jesus of “plotting” this event and being in collusion with the two sisters and their friends. Even the disciples did not believe that Jesus would raise Lazarus from the dead!
The one person who declared her faith was Martha (John 11:27), and she failed at the last minute. “Open the tomb? By now he smells!” Jesus gently reminded her of the message He had sent at least three days before (John 11:4), and He urged her to believe it. True faith relies on God’s promises and thereby releases God’s power. Martha relented, and the stone was rolled away.
The Jews (John 11:41–57)
The emphasis from this point on was on the faith of the spectators, the people who had come to comfort Mary and Martha. Jesus paused to pray (John 11:41; also see 6:11) and thanked the Father that the prayer had already been heard. When had He prayed? Probably when He received the message that His friend was sick (John 11:4). The Father then told Him what the plan was, and Jesus obeyed the Father’s will. His prayer now was for the sake of the unbelieving spectators, that they might know that God had sent Him.
A quaint Puritan writer said that if Jesus had not named Lazarus when He shouted, He would have emptied the whole cemetery! Jesus called Lazarus and raised him from the dead. Since Lazarus was bound, he could not walk to the door of the tomb; so God’s power must have carried him along. It was an unquestioned miracle that even the most hostile spectator could not deny.
The experience of Lazarus is a good illustration of what happens to a sinner when he trusts the Saviour (Eph. 2:1–10). Lazarus was dead, and all sinners are dead. He was decayed, because death and decay go together. All lost people are spiritually dead, but some are more “decayed” than others. No one can be “more dead” than another.
Lazarus was raised from the dead by the power of God, and all who trust Christ have been given new life and lifted out of the graveyard of sin (see John 5:24). Lazarus was set free from the graveclothes (see Col. 3:1ff) and given new liberty. You find him seated with Christ at the table (John 12:2), and all believers are “seated with Christ” in heavenly places (Eph. 2:6), enjoying spiritual food and fellowship.
Because of the great change in Lazarus, many people desired to see him; and his “living witness” was used by God to bring people to salvation (John 12:9–11). There are no recorded words of Lazarus in the Gospels, but his daily walk is enough to convince people that Jesus is the Son of God. Because of his effective witness, Lazarus was persecuted by the religious leaders who wanted to kill him and get rid of the evidence.
As with the previous miracles, the people were divided in their response. Some did believe and on “Palm Sunday” gave witness of the miracle Jesus had performed (John 12:17–18). But others immediately went to the religious leaders and reported what had happened in Bethany. These “informers” were so near the kingdom, yet there is no evidence that they believed. If the heart will not yield to truth, then the grace of God cannot bring salvation. These people could have experienced a spiritual resurrection in their own lives!
It was necessary that the Jewish council (Sanhedrin) meet and discuss what to do with Jesus. They were not seeking after truth; they were seeking for ways to protect their own selfish interests. If He gathered too many followers, He might get the attention of the Roman authorities; and this could hurt the Jewish cause.
The high priest, Caiaphas, was a Sadducee, not a Pharisee (Acts 23:6–10); but the two factions could always get together to fight a common enemy. Unknown to himself and to the council, Caiaphas uttered a divine prophecy: Jesus would die for the nation so that the nation would not perish. “For the transgression of My people was He stricken” (Isa. 53:8). True to his vision of a worldwide family of God, John added his inspired explanation: Jesus would die not only for the Jews, but for all of God’s children who would be gathered together in one heavenly family. (note John 4:42 and 10:16.)
The official decision that day was that Jesus must die (see Matt. 12:14; Luke 19:47; John 5:18; 7:1, 19–20, 25). The leaders thought that they were in control of the situation, but it was God who was working out His predetermined plan (Acts 2:23). Originally, they wanted to wait until after the Passover, but God had decreed otherwise.
Jesus withdrew to Ephraim, about fifteen miles north of Jerusalem; and there He remained in quiet retirement with His disciples. The crowd was gathering in Jerusalem for the Passover feast, and the pilgrims were wondering if Jesus would attend the feast even though He was in danger. He was now on the “wanted” list, because the council had made it known that anyone who knew where Jesus was must report it to the officials.
John 11 reveals the deity of Jesus Christ and the utter depravity of the human heart. The rich man in hades had argued, “If one went unto them from the dead, they will repent” (Luke 16:30). Lazarus came back from the dead, and the officials wanted to kill him! Miracles certainly reveal the power of God, but of themselves they cannot communicate the grace of God.
The stage had been set for the greatest drama in history, during which man would do his worst and God would give His best.[6]
[1] Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993), Jn 11:1–12:8.
J.W. Jewish War
b. Babylonian Talmud
Sanh. Sanhedrin
m. Mishnah
Sanh. Sanhedrin
m. Mishnah
Ber. Berakot
m. Mishnah
Ber. Berakot
m. Mishnah
J.W. Jewish War
Ant. Jewish Antiquities
Rab. (biblical book +) Rabbah
b. Babylonian Talmud
ʿAbod. Zar. ʿAbodah Zarah
m. Mishnah
Bik. Bikkurim
Rab. (biblical book +) Rabbah
t. Tosefta
Ter. Terumot
1QS 1QRule of the Community
m. Mishnah
J.W. Jewish War
m. Mishnah
[3] Robert H. Gundry, Commentary on the New Testament: Verse-by-Verse Explanations with a Literal Translation (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2010), 410–415.
Norlie New Testament in Modern English
GK Goodrick & Kohlenberger numbering system
Lev. Rab. Leviticus Rabbah
GK Goodrick & Kohlenberger numbering system
GK Goodrick & Kohlenberger numbering system
EDNT Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament
Phillips New Testament in Modern English, J. B. Phillips
GK Goodrick & Kohlenberger numbering system
Rieu Penguin Bible
BDAG Bauer, Danker, Arndt, and Gingrich (3d ed.). Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature
Phillips New Testament in Modern English, J. B. Phillips
GK Goodrick & Kohlenberger numbering system
L&N Louw and Nida. Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains
J.W. Jewish War (Josephus)
[6] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 333–338.
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