LAZARUS RAISED FROM THE DEAD
John chapter 11 v.1 to 44
In the first ten chapters of this gospel, Christ revealed Himself in an ever widening circle.
Beginning at the wedding of Cana, where there were guests and also His disciples, we learn that His disciples believed on Him.
At the Feast of Tabernacles and the Feast of Dedication, where the whole nation was before Him, He presented Himself to the nation and He was rejected by their religious leaders: His works (chapter 5:16), His words (chapter 8:58-59) and His person were all rejected (chapter 10:30-31).
This chapter is like an intermission: His public ministry was virtually over and He retired into a private ministry.
The events reported here occurred between the Feast of Dedication and His final Passover, some time between December and April.
Following the purpose of this book (that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name - chapter 20:31), we are now given proof that Jesus had power even over death.
Lazarus, an abbreviation of Eleazar (whom God helps), and his sisters Mary and Martha lived in Bethany (house of dates), described by historians as remarkably beautiful, the perfection of retirement and repose, of seclusion and lovely peace.
Martha (bitterness) is believed to have been a widow, the eldest of the three and the owner of the house they lived in. This may account for her impatient, bustling spirit, eager to be helpful in providing the best things for the Master's use, in contrast to the quiet earnestness of Mary, who was more concerned to avail herself of the opportunity of sitting at His feet and learning of Him. [To clearly place this family, Mary is identified as the Mary who anointed the Lord and wiped His feet with her hair (chapter 12:1-8), for which she was already famous as the Lord had predicted (Matthew 26:13). She was definitely not Mary Magdalene (Luke 8:2) nor the sinful woman (Luke 7:36-50), as legend would have it.]
The sisters sent a message to the Lord, simply stating that "he whom He loved was sick". They demanded nothing, but left the matter in His care.
Presumably He was still in Bethabara beyond the Jordan (chapter 10:40).
He explained to His disciples that this sickness was not unto death, (as a final issue: Lazarus did die, but did not remain dead) but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified through it, and stayed there for two more days: He knew exactly what was going to happen! He loved Lazarus, yet He allowed him to get sick and even let him die.
The Lord Jesus was not motivated by sentiment but by love, and that love was for the good of the individual and for the glory of God. We must learn to trust Him down in the valley, even in the valley of the shadow of death, knowing that He works all things well. Beyond the tears, the sorrows, and the trials of life, we shall see that God has a purpose in everything that happens. Nothing will come into our lives without His permission, and if He permits it, it is going to be for His glory.
After the two days had elapsed, knowing that Lazarus was now dead, the Lord calls His disciples to go back into Judea. As they had but recently escaped the rage of the Jews in Jerusalem (chapter 10:39) to this haven in Bethabara, the disciples were convinced they were facing death, but bravely agreed to go with Him (the Aramaic word for Thomas means Twin, as does Didymus, its Greek translation; clearly Thomas had a twin brother or sister).
Because the Father had given the Son a work to do within a given time, nothing could stop Him before it was accomplished, as surely as there are twelve hours within the day (in contrast to night). If we are living in His light, nobody, not even Satan, can interfere with God's purpose for us, any more than they can change the hour of sunset. We can go into the danger zone with Him, and we won't be touched. But those who fail to follow Him are in the darkness of night and in danger of stumbling for He is the Light of the World.
The use by the Lord of the word sleep as a metaphor for death of the body was not understood by His disciples, so He explained it. The body of Lazarus was put to sleep, to be awakened by our Lord. The same metaphor is used later by Paul (1 Corinthians 11:30, 15:51, etc.). The soul, however, does not sleep (see 2 Corinthians 5:8).
They arrived in Bethany four days after Lazarus' death and funeral (in Jewish custom burial took place on the day of death) and found that many of the religious leaders, not necessarily those hostile to the Lord Jesus, had come to comfort Martha and Mary during the seven days of solemn mourning (1 Samuel 31:13).
Martha went to meet the Lord as soon as she heard that He was coming, but Mary was sitting in the house: both acted true to form (Luke 10:38-42). Martha was the woman of action, revealing a wonderful faith but also an impatience to see something done by the Master about what seemed to be a major disaster, because of His delay in coming. She still had courageous faith in the power of God through the Lord Jesus, and He practically repeated later (verse 41) what she said here.
Mary stayed at home, patiently awaiting their arrival.
The Lord told Martha her brother would rise again, but she took it to mean the resurrection of the just and the unjust (Daniel 12:2). As she believed in the truth of the Holy Scriptures, she believed in this resurrection, and such comfort was probably commonly offered then as it is now; but she was hoping for something more from the Lord.
His reply was startling: not just doctrine about future events, but present realities about Himself. He had spoken before of the future resurrection (chapter 6:39), but now he explained that Lazarus was still alive: he who believes in Me, though he may die (physical death), he shall live (in spirit and soul), and whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die (of spiritual death, which is separation from God).
He then required Martha to declare whether she believed what He said. Whether Martha fully understood all He said and meant we don't know, but she did not ask any questions: she trusted Him and made her own confession of faith: He was the Messiah, the Son of God, who was to come as prophesied.
After saying this, she went over and called Mary secretly out of the house and away from the crowd, to tell her the glad news: "the Teacher has come and is calling for you."
Mary came over to Him straight away. He had not come into town, perhaps not to draw attention to Himself. Mary reproached Him, like Martha, for not arriving in time to prevent the death of Lazarus. The crowd followed her out, believing she was going to weep at the tomb. Mary's weeping at the feet of the Lord was genuine, that of the Jews was partly perfunctory and professional and probably actual wailing.
The Lord knew Lazarus was to be brought back to life, but was violently displeased at the scene, and became very emotive because of His sympathy with the weeping sister and the wailing crowd (v.33). Jesus wept in sympathy, for death is a terrible thing for those left behind.
The Jews thought He was weeping for Lazarus, and some of them, like the sisters, thought He could have healed him like He healed the blind man, which recent event had clearly impressed them.
At the tomb He required them to take away the stone - it was an act of faith, overcoming Martha's objection that the body was decaying.
Referring to a previous communication He had had with the Father, He now prayed for the benefit of those around Him, without incantation, or even "wrestling in prayer", but simple words of thanksgiving, making it clear that what was to follow was a sign that God had sent Him.
He then called, with a loud voice, to Lazarus to come out, and he did, restored in body and joined again with his spirit and soul.
R David Jones
1 Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.
2 It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.
3 Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick."
4 When Jesus heard that, He said, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, 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 he was sick, He stayed two more days 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, lately the Jews sought 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 one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him."
11 These things He said, and after that He said to them, "Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up."
12 Then His disciples said, "Lord, if he sleeps he will get well."
13 However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep.
14 Then Jesus said to them plainly, "Lazarus is dead.
15 "And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe. Nevertheless let us go to him."
16 Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with Him."
17 So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days.
18 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away.
19 And many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.
20 Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house.
21 Then 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 of 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 at the last day."
25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.
26 "And whoever 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 to come into the world."
28 And when she had said these things, she went her way and secretly called Mary her sister, saying, "The Teacher has come and is calling for you."
29 As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly and came to Him.
30 Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him.
31 Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, "She is going to the tomb to weep there."
32 Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died."
33 Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled.
34 And He said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to Him, "Lord, come and see."
35 Jesus wept.
36 Then the Jews said, "See how He loved him!"
37 And some of them said, "Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?"
38 Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, 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 him who was dead, said to Him, "Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days."
40 Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?"
41 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.
42 "And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me."
43 Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!"
44 And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with grave clothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go."