Category: New Testament
Scriptures:
John 11:1-11:46
John 11:1-11:46
1 Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus from Bethany, of the village of Mary and her sister, Martha.
2 It was that Mary who had anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother, Lazarus, was sick.
3 The sisters therefore sent to him, saying, “Lord, behold, he for whom you have great affection is sick.”
4 But when Jesus heard it, he said, “This sickness is not to death, but for the glory of God, that God’s Son may be glorified by it.”
5 Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus.
6 When therefore he heard that he was sick, he stayed two days in the place where he was.
7 Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let’s go into Judea again.”
8 The disciples told him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just trying to stone you, and are you going there again?”
9 Jesus answered, “Aren’t there twelve hours of daylight? If a man walks in the day, he doesn’t stumble, because he sees the light of this world.
10 But if a man walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light isn’t in him.”
11 He said these things, and after that, he said to them, “Our friend, Lazarus, has fallen asleep, but I am going so that I may awake him out of sleep.”
12 The disciples therefore said, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.”
13 Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he spoke of taking rest in sleep.
14 So Jesus said to them plainly then, “Lazarus is dead.
15 I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may believe. Nevertheless, let’s go to him.”
16 Thomas therefore, who is called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, “Let’s go also, that we may die with him.”
17 So when Jesus came, he found that he had been in the tomb four days already.
18 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about fifteen stadia away.
19 Many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to console them concerning their brother.
20 Then when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary stayed in the house.
21 Therefore Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you would have been here, my brother wouldn’t have died.
22 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 will still live, even if he dies.
26 Whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Christ, God’s Son, he who comes into the world.”
28 When she had said this, she went away, and called Mary, her sister, secretly, saying, “The Teacher is here, and is calling you.”
29 When she heard this, she arose quickly, and went to him.
30 Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was in the place where Martha met him.
31 Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and were consoling her, when they saw Mary, that she rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, “She is going to the tomb to weep there.”
32 Therefore when Mary came to where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you would have been here, my brother wouldn’t have died.”
33 When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews weeping who came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled,
34 and said, “Where have you laid him?” They told him, “Lord, come and see.”
35 Jesus wept.
36 The Jews therefore said, “See how much affection he had for him!”
37 Some of them said, “Couldn’t this man, who opened the eyes of him who was blind, have also kept this man from dying?”
38 Jesus therefore, again groaning in himself, came to the tomb. Now 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, “Didn’t I tell you that if you believed, you would see God’s glory?”
41 So they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, “Father, I thank you that you listened to me.
42 I know that you always listen to me, but because of the multitude standing around I said this, that they may believe that you sent me.”
43 When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”
44 He who was dead came out, bound hand and foot with wrappings, and his face was wrapped around with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Free him, and let him go.”
45 Therefore many of the Jews, who came to Mary and saw what Jesus did, believed in him.
46 But some of them went away to the Pharisees, and told them the things which Jesus had done.
Commentary
Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, are friends and followers of Jesus. When Lazarus fell gravely ill, his sisters sent for Jesus, who is “across the Jordan” (John 10:40; John 11:1-3). Jesus’ response to their situation seems surprisingly nonchalant. “... after having heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was” (John 11:5-6). Jesus expresses confidence that Lazarus’ illness will not lead to death, but rather to the glory of God (John 11:4).
We can understand the anguished cries of Martha and Mary to Jesus, who greet him separately but with the same words: “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” Hidden in this statement may be some accusations. Where were you, Jesus? Why did you take so long getting here? I thought you loved my brother. Of course, these are exactly the kinds of questions we ask when tragedy strikes. Where were you, Lord? How could you have let this happen?
Notice that Jesus does not rebuke Martha or Mary, but responds with a promise: “Your brother will rise again.” After Martha confirms her belief in the resurrection on the last day, Jesus responds with another promise: “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.”
John does not provide a verbal response by Jesus to Mary, but recounts that he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved, and Jesus himself began to weep. He doesn’t explain to Mary and Martha and all those grieving why he didn’t come sooner, but it is clear that he is completely with them in their pain and loss, deeply moved and grieved.
When they come to the tomb, he says, “Take away the stone” (John 11:39). Martha is alarmed. “Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days.” Undaunted by the stench , Jesus has the stone taken away, and cries, “Lazarus, come out!” Obediently, Lazarus comes out. This poignant scene recalls earlier statements of Jesus, including the promise that “the hour is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and will come out” (John 5:28-29).
Jesus had seemed so slow in coming, but with Jesus it is never too late. Even when we are convinced that all is lost, even when we are ready to concede to the power of death, Jesus demonstrates that there is no loss or tragedy, and no power in heaven or on earth or under the earth, that can place us beyond the reach of his infinite love and abundant life.