Written ~ 04-18-2024
Read John Chapter Eleven
John 11
Today we see an extraordinary story about Jesus and His beloved friend, Lazarus, the brother to Mary and Martha. At the beginning of chapter eleven, Jesus has received a message from Mary and Martha that Lazarus was very ill.
John 11:4-7…
4 But when Jesus heard about it He said, “Lazarus’s sickness will not end in death. No, it happened for the glory of God so that the Son of God will receive glory from this.” 5 So although Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, 6 He stayed where He was for the next two days. 7 Finally, He said to His disciples, “Let’s go back to Judea.”
When Jesus heard about Lazarus being very sick, does it surprise you that He didn’t immediately get on the road and go to him? I think if we’re honest that answer would be yes. It’s hard to understand in that moment why Jesus would hesitate. Those with Him would know He had the authority to heal Lazarus with one word. So why would He wait?
Back in Judea, the Jewish leaders had a warrant for the arrest of Jesus, only a few days before the people of Judea were trying to stone Him. Could this reason possibly have caused the delay? What we do know is that Jesus made it a point to hesitate long enough that Lazarus would be dead four days before He arrived. Mary and Martha would have known about His arrest warrant but still they sent word of Lazarus’ illness, that indicates the seriousness of the illness, otherwise they would not have summoned Him back to the very place He could be arrested or killed.
Jesus waited two days before He left for Judea, though it isn’t written where He was exactly, I am guessing it was a two day journey to get to Judea and to the little town of Bethany.
Verses 11:6-7…
6 He stayed where He was for the next two days. 7 Finally, He said to His disciples, “Let’s go back to Judea.”
His disciples were less than pleased that He decided to head to Judea and they let Him know their adamant protest…
Verse 11:8…
8 But His disciples objected. “Rabbi,” they said, “only a few days ago the Jewish people in Judea were trying to stone You. Are You going there again?”
I love the reply Jesus gave… not only did He not show concern over the danger of returning to Judea, but He gave His disciples the reason for Him returning to a place that could cause Him great harm.
John 11:9-15…
9 Jesus replied, “There are twelve hours of daylight every day. During the day people can walk safely. They can see because they have the light of this world. 10 But at night there is danger of stumbling because they have no light.”
11 Then He said, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but now I will go and wake him up.”
12 The disciples said, “Lord, if he is sleeping, he will soon get better!” 13 They thought Jesus meant Lazarus was simply sleeping, but Jesus meant Lazarus had died.
14 So He told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. 15 And for your sakes, I’m glad I wasn’t there, for now you will really believe. Come, let’s go see him.”
Let’s look more closely at what Jesus says in verses 11:9-10, “There are twelve hours of daylight every day. During the day people can walk safely. They can see because they have the light of this world. But at night there is danger of stumbling because they have no light.” For an explanation as to what Jesus may having been implying in these two verses, let’s look at what the “Expositor’s Bible Commentary” has to say…
- Jesus countered the disciples’ objection with this most enigmatic statement. That expression may have been a current proverb, perhaps similar to His remark in John 9:4-5… “4 We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent us. The night is coming, and then no one can work. 5 But while I am here in the world, I am the light of the world.” In both instances, Jesus was thinking of His obligation to perform the work the Father had committed to Him. Realizing that He was acting in accord with that purpose, Jesus resolutely decided to return to Judea in spite of the peril. To digress from God’s purpose is to walk in darkness; to remain in fellowship with God is to walk in the light… See 1 John 1:6… “So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth.”
So the purpose Jesus needed to carry out was doing the Will of God. Even if that meant going back into a place where danger awaited Him.
Then Jesus goes on to tell the disciples that His friend is asleep. When the true meaning escaped the disciples He explained that Lazarus was already dead. And I love what He says to His disciples in verse 11:15, “…I’m glad I wasn’t there, for now you will really believe…”
In verse 11:16, Thomas spoke up, it was like he had given up trying to oppose Jesus’ request to go to Judea, it was as though he threw up his hands and said to his companions, “Come on! We might as well go die with Him!” (vs.11:16)
John 11:17-19…
17 When Jesus arrived at Bethany, He was told that Lazarus had already been in his grave for four days. 18 Bethany was only a few miles down the road from Jerusalem, 19 and many of the people had come to console Martha and Mary in their loss.
Jesus had arrived on the scene, the word would have spread quickly of His arrival and soon Martha got word and she went out to meet Him. Mary stayed in the house with the other mourners.
The next few verses are quite poignant, take time to look over them, think about what your response would have been. Grief would’ve been written all over Martha’s face as she met her Lord.
John 11:21-27…
20 When Martha got word that Jesus was coming, she went to meet Him. But Mary stayed in the house. 21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if only You had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that God will give You whatever You ask.”
23 Jesus told her, “Your brother will rise again.”
24 “Yes,” Martha said, “he will rise when everyone else rises, at the last day.”
25 Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in Me will live, even after dying. 26 Everyone who lives in Me and believes in Me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?”
27 “Yes, Lord,” she told Him. “I have always believed You are the Messiah, the Son of God, the One who has come into the world from God.”
When you read verse 11:26, replace Martha’s name with your own. Would your reply be as definitive? In this brief conversation, Jesus is telling us who He is. He is the Resurrection! He is the Life!
If you and I believe this, we already have the assurance that we have eternal life through Jesus Christ. You may have made the decision long ago to put your trust in who Jesus is, but there are so many that don’t know this truth. Either they refuse to hear the message of who Jesus is, or maybe they truly have never heard the message of who Jesus is. Either way, their answer to the question, “Do you believe this?” would be quite different from ours.
What then would your answer be to the question, “Why do you believe this?” I think it’s important to have that answer ready! Not scripted, like pulling out flash cards from your pocket. But have a confident well-versed reply. I think all of us know in our hearts what the answer would be, but can we verbalize it? When Martha was asked, “Do you believe this, Martha?” her response was a very strong “Yes.” Then she proceeded to say quite emphatically who Jesus was to her, “…the Messiah, the Son of God, the One who came from God…” There is no denying that she knew who she was speaking to at the moment.
Next, Martha went to get Mary… Mary ran to Jesus and fell at His feet, weeping… “Lord, if only You had been here, my brother would not have died.”
In verse 11:33-35 we see Jesus’ response to Mary’s sorrow…
33 When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, a deep anger welled up within Him, and He was deeply troubled. 34 “Where have you put him?” He asked them. They told Him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Then Jesus wept.
Let’s not get confused about the anger we see welling up within Jesus, He wasn’t angry at the sorrow He was witnessing. I learned something new from the “Expositor’s Bible Commentary” that helps to explain what was happening to Jesus at this moment…
- When Mary appeared, crushed with sorrow and accompanied by the waiting mourners, Jesus was moved with deep emotion. His feeling is expressed by three words: “deeply moved”, “troubled” (vs.33), and “wept” (vs.35). The first of these connotes anger. Perhaps Jesus was expressing His resentment against the ravages of death that had entered the human world because of sin. The second word expresses agitation. That is, Jesus was not apathetic or unnerved by the prevailing mood of sorrow. Lazarus had been a beloved friend, and Jesus shared in the common feeling of grief over his death. Overcome by emotion, He spontaneously burst into tears.
Some people standing around were a bit confused by His sorrow, though some believed it was in great sadness that He cried for His friend, but to some they wondered why He hadn’t just healed Lazarus like He had done with many others.
When Jesus came to the tomb where Lazarus had been buried He said, “Roll the stone aside.” But Martha protested, “Lord, he has been dead for four days. The smell will be terrible.” (vs.11:39)
And look what Jesus says in response…
John 11:40…
40 Jesus responded, “Didn’t I tell you that you would see God’s glory if you believe?”
When you and I go through very troubling situations, what if we stopped everything and thought about what Jesus said in John 11:4, “…it happened for the glory of God so that the Son of God will receive glory from this.” Are you waiting for something specific to happen in your life? Has the anxiety of waiting gotten you all twisted up inside? Are you asking, “Where are You Lord?” “Why aren’t You here? I’ve sent for You!”
Well.. here is the Lord’s reply…
I AM THE RESURRECTION
I AM THE LIFE
LIVE IN ME
BELIEVE IN ME
All this is happening to show you THE GLORY OF GOD!
Do you believe?
Let’s finish up with verses 11:41-44…
41 So they rolled the stone aside. Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, thank you for hearing Me. 42 You always hear Me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here, so that they will believe You sent Me.” 43 Then Jesus shouted, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 And the dead man came out, his hands and feet bound in graveclothes, his face wrapped in a headcloth. Jesus told them, “Unwrap him and let him go!”
Verses 11:41-44 tell us how Jesus called into the tomb for Lazarus to come out. Once again let’s look at what the “Expositor’s Bible Commentary” has to say about the verses…
- Jesus took the next step. He did not ask God to raise Lazarus; He thanked Him for having already answered His prayer. So great was Jesus’ faith in the Father that He assumed that this miracle, so necessary to His mission, was as good as done. His main reason for raising Lazarus was to convince the assembled people that He had been sent by the Father. Having uttered this prayer, Jesus addressed the dead man. He had said on a previous occasion that a time would come when all who were in their graves would hear His voice (see John 5:28). This occasion was a remarkable demonstration of that authority. The words spoken were brief and direct, and can be paraphrased, “Lazarus! This way out!” as if Jesus were directing someone lost in a gloomy dungeon. The creative power of God reversed the process of corruption and quickened the corpse into life. The effect was startling. The dead man appeared at the entrance to the tomb, still bound by his graveclothes. Jesus then ordered that he be released from the wrappings and returned to normal life. It was a supreme demonstration of the power of eternal life that triumphed over death, corruption, and hopelessness.
Many believed in Jesus that day, but as we can always suspect, the Pharisees would see all the more reason to arrest Jesus and put Him to death.
When we are without Christ, we live in darkness, like that of a tomb which holds the dead. When we hear the voice of Jesus calling out our name to “Come” we will respond and make our way to the Lord. We cannot ignore the Lord Jesus when He calls us by name. He wants us to come to Him so the “graveclothes” can be removed and we can become alive in Christ. When Jesus shouted “Lazarus, come out!” A man who had been dead came to life! His hands and feet were bound, but at the Lord’s command he was unwrapped and set free! When we continue in a life without Christ, we are bound in sin and death. But believing in the Lord Jesus Christ sets us free! We read about being set free in John 8:31-59, go back and read that study if you need reminding!
In closing… let’s reiterate the question Jesus posed to Martha…
“Do you believe?”
My prayer is that your answer to Jesus would be a heartfelt shout crying out, “YES!”
~AMEN~