Carey's Bible Study Notes
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lazarus
life of christ: john 11.1-57
the resurrection of lazarus
introduction
With the episode of the resurrection of Lazarus, we are coming to the end of the 3rd year of Jesus� public ministry. Jesus began that year with feeding the 5,000 and then delivering the Sermon on the Bread of Life which resulted in a host of His disciples deserting Him because He claimed that the only way for them to enter the kingdom of God was by having a faith/obedience relationship with Him. After this event Jesus nailed down in His disciples� minds that He was the Messiah in the kingdom of God. Moreover, He was a humble Messiah who was going to suffer persecution and death at the hands of the Jewish religious authorities. As His disciples, they in turn had to be humble by being willing to suffer martyrdom for His name, by serving even those who hate them, by praying Jesus� kind of prayer, and by associating even with those members of society normally rejected.
During this 3rd year of ministry, Jesus focused on His trip to Jerusalem. In John we read that Jesus visited Jerusalem at least 2x during this last year, one during the fall festival of Tabernacles (John 7:1� 10:21 and one during the winter festival of Dedication (John 10:22-39). During these 2 visits Jesus� relationship with the Jewish religious leaders deteriorated so badly that several times they attempted to stone Him to death. During the Feast of Tabernacles He actually applied the divine name "I Am" to Himself, while during the Feast of Dedication He also claimed to be God the Son (John 8:58; 10:36).
The episode of the resurrection of Lazarus came at the end of the 3rd year of Jesus� public ministry. If John ordered his material chronologically, then the present episode occurred just 1-2 months before Jesus� death. Since His death occurred sometime between March 15 and April 15, the present episode then occurred sometime between January 1 and March 1.
jesus receives news of lazarus' illness (John 11.1-16)
At this point Jesus is residing on the eastern side of the Jordan River in the region called Perea (John 10:40-42; most of Luke 9:51-19:27 depicts Jesus� ministry in this region). While there Jesus receives news from Mary and Martha that their brother Lazarus, whom Jesus loves, has taken ill. When Jesus receives this news, He informs His disciples that the end result of this illness will not be death but the glory of God and the glory of His Son Jesus. By this Jesus does not mean that Lazarus is not going to die. In fact, that is exactly what is going to happen. It�s just that his death is going to be temporary. The main purpose of this episode is that God and His Son will be glorified.
In the Bible the word "glory" essentially means that God is present with His people. Now when God is with His people, they see something about Him they had probably never ever seen before, for example, greater insight into His love, His holiness, His beauty, etc. When God reveals Himself, we see that He is wonderful, that is, glorious. What should be our response to what God shows us about Himself? If we are rightly related to Him, then we will praise Him, that is, glorify Him. In the episode of Lazarus, God will show us that Jesus is the resurrection and the life. As a result we will praise Jesus because He is the resurrection and the life, and thereby also praise God who sent Him.
This event will lead to the glory of Jesus because it will be the final event which drives the Jewish religious leaders to kill Jesus. How does this relate to glory? Well, if the word "glory" means that God is present and that He reveals something about Himself, then the cross is the place where we ultimately see the glory of God. The cross is where we see God most clearly. We see that He is righteous. He is so righteous and hates sin so much, that He demands death to be the result of sin. You sin, you die. The cross also shows us that God is pure love. He loves so deeply that He chooses to die on the cross so that we will not have to die. Since the resurrection of Lazarus leads to the cross, Jesus says that this event will ultimately glorify Him.
In verse 5 John inserts a parenthetical remark in order to help us have the right perspective on what Jesus is about to do. John claims that Jesus loved Lazarus. Why was it necessary for John to make this remark? Because of what Jesus does next. When Jesus receives the message from the 2 sisters, He does not rush to Bethany where Lazarus is sick but rather stays right where He is! Verse 6 then seems to contradict verse 5; however, it doesn�t. Simply because Jesus lets Lazarus die does not mean that Jesus does not love Lazarus. The fact is that something is more important than Lazarus being healed before he died. What could be more important than Lazarus� comfort? How about Jesus glorifying the Father by raising Lazarus from the dead?
Too many times we get caught up in the trap of thinking that God�s love for us means that He is going to keep us comfortable, while the truth is that there is not one shred of evidence in the whole Bible which supports that. Paul from personal experience knew that it was only just that the people of Jesus the Messiah suffer since He suffered in order to bring about the kingdom of God (2 Thess. 1:5-7). God is more interested in revealing Himself through us and in bringing us into a deeper relationship with Him through the tremendous spiritual encounters we have with Him.
As harsh as this may seem though, look at what Lazarus experienced because Jesus let him die. First, he actually got to experience resurrection, something nobody had ever experienced up to this point in time. Moreover, whereas he would have had a wonderful testimony if Jesus had healed him while he was still alive, because Jesus waited until he died, he got to experience resurrection. Jesus had healed hundreds who were sick; he was the only one He raised from the dead in this way. (The other examples of resurrection in Jesus� ministry differ radically from this one as we shall see later). I sincerely believe that if Lazarus had it all to do over again, he would have willingly died so that he could experience the resurrection Jesus was giving him and also so that he could have this tremendous story about what God had done through him.
After 2 days have passed, Jesus turns to His disciples and informs them that they are going to Judea, that is, to Bethany where Lazarus is. The disciples recoil in horror because they know that it is dangerous for Jesus to get anywhere near Jerusalem, the headquarters of those wanting to kill Jesus. Twice before the religious leaders had tried to kill Jesus by stoning Him; this time they just might succeed.
Jesus responds though by saying that the safest place in the world is the will of God. Jesus compares walking by the will of God with walking in the light. Jesus says that the person who walks in God�s will is safe because he can see where he is going. In Jesus� day, the roads were quite primitive. There might be gaping potholes in the roads, or even boulders which served as stumbling blocks. If a person walked during the daytime, he could see the potholes and boulders, and thereby avoid them because the sun was illuminating them; however, if that person was walking during the night, he could easily trip over the boulder or fall into the pothole because he had nothing to illuminate his way. Jesus is saying that since it is His Father�s will that He go to Bethany, He is safe even though Bethany is less than 2 miles away from His enemies� camp. On the other hand, even though Perea is a good day�s journey away from Jerusalem, it is an unsafe place to be if God does not want Him there.
Jesus then comments that Lazarus has fallen asleep. When Jesus says this, He is using a euphemism; He is basically saying that Lazarus is dead. The disciples though misunderstand Jesus and assure Jesus that Lazarus� sleep indicates that the worst of the illness is over. Apparently, they think, the fever accompanying the illness has broken, and now he is able to rest peacefully. Jesus though responds that Lazarus is not literally asleep but that He is dead. Jesus does not say that He is glad Lazarus died; however, He does say that for the sake of the disciples, He is glad that He delayed in going to Lazarus. Because of this delay, they are going to learn something about Jesus they would have never learned if He had rushed to Lazarus� side�that He is the resurrection and the life. Whereas they believe in Him now, their confidence in Him is going to grow considerably when they see Jesus raise Lazarus from the dead.
Thomas, to his credit, urges the 12 to join him in going with Jesus to Bethany. From what he surmises, Thomas feels that their going to Bethany means certain death. Thomas has taken seriously Jesus� call to suffering for His sake. When we come to the passion story, we need to remember this episode here. Although the disciples end up failing Jesus, they did go with Him a long way in being willing to suffer for Him.
jesus' conversation with martha (11.17-28)
Jesus now arrives in Bethany four days after Lazarus has died. The 4 days are significant because in Jewish thought a person was really dead if he did not resuscitate within 3 days. The Jews believed that a person�s spirit hovered above the body for 3 days during which time it could reenter the body. If the spirit had not reentered within 3 days, then it permanently left the body after which there was no hope of resuscitation. In other words, when Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead, since he had been dead 4 days, no one could say that it just was pure coincidence: "Jesus just got lucky." This was purely and simply a miracle and nothing less.
John next adds a parenthetical remark that Bethany was just a little less than 2 miles from Jerusalem. It lay off the road which connected Jericho and Jerusalem. Just to the east of Jerusalem rose the Mount of Olives; on the eastern side of the mount lay Bethany. Since Bethany is so close to Jerusalem and since the family of Lazarus appears to be quite wealthy, many Jews from Jerusalem come to comfort Mary and Martha. Their presence will provide numerous witnesses to what Jesus is about to do. Jesus did not perform His miracles in private but in full view of people so that all could see them and so that none could claim He was a charlatan.
When Martha receives the news that Jesus has just arrived, she rushes to meet Him on the outskirts of the village where He is waiting for her. Apparently Mary does not receive this word since she remains sitting in the house mourning her brother. When Martha rushes up to Jesus, she tactfully rebukes Him for taking so long in getting there: "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died." Apparently this had been the hot topic in the Lazarus household because when Mary sees Jesus for the first time, she reproaches him with the same comment. Martha though balances her comment with an expression of general confidence in Him: "Even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You." Her later behavior makes us conclude that she is not thinking that He will raise Lazarus from the dead. Rather she seems to be thinking that Lazarus is dead and gone for good; however, she still believes in Him and is committed to Him. (Many Christians express just this same sentiment whenever Jesus does not perform a miracle in their particular situation).
Jesus tells her that Lazarus is going to live again. In just a few moments, He is going to raise Lazarus from the dead; Martha, however, misunderstands Jesus. She thinks that He is expressing some general words of comfort which most Jews shared with each other during the loss of a loved one. She interprets Him to mean: "Death is not the final answer. On the last day I, the Messiah, will raise all people from the dead. On that day you will see your brother again."
Jesus corrects her. Jesus is the resurrection and the life. It�s not that He simply gives life; He is the essence of life itself. If a person wants the life of God, then he must come to Jesus because God has not placed that life in anything else or in any other person. Since Jesus is that life, the one who believes in Jesus will come back to life physically even if he dies physically. Moreover, the person who believes in Jesus has that life right now, the life of God. Since it is God�s life, that life will never, no never perish. He asks her if she believes this.
She replies affirmatively and then utters a confession which is the theological high point of this episode: "You are the Christ, the Son of God, even He who comes into the world." Martha�s words have a much deeper meaning than she probably attached to them. She conceived of Jesus as the Messiah, the One God had sent to bring in the kingdom of God. She probably believed that because He was the Messiah, He had such a unique relationship with God that He was like a son to God. Moreover, He was the One God created in Bethlehem to come save His people.
We have the advantage of fully understand the deeper meaning of this verse. Jesus is the Christ, the One God has anointed with His Spirit to bring about the kingdom of God; however, His relationship with God is not like that of a son to a Father. He is God the Son. As God�s Son, He is as much God as the Father and Holy Spirit are God. He has always existed and enjoyed every prerogative and privilege which go along with being God. God the Son to be sure, but nevertheless still God. Finally, because Jesus is God, He did not come into existence just 33 years prior to this event. He has always existed. It�s just that 33 years before, He existed in heaven. From there God sent Him to bring salvation to His people. At this point, Martha leaves Jesus to tell Mary that Jesus now wants to speak to her.
jesus raises lazarus (11:29-57)
When Martha informs Mary secretly that Jesus is here and asking for her, Mary jumps up and rushes out of the house to meet Jesus. The Jews who are with her inside the house think that she has lost it and is going to the tomb in order to mourn there. As conscientious mourners, they go along with Mary in order to assist her in her mourning. When Mary sees Jesus, she greets Him with the same rebuke Martha used to greet Jesus: "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died."
At this point, Jesus surveys the situation confronting Him. Mary is prostrate before Him weeping; the Jews are all around Him weeping. John tells us that Jesus then was "deeply moved in spirit and was troubled" (11:33). The English translation of this verse unfortunately misleads us to think that Jesus was greatly saddened when He saw Mary and the Jews weeping. The words literally mean though that Jesus is angry. In fact, the words translated "deeply moved in spirit" have the idea of a bull snorting in anger before he charges after somebody. It�s like Jesus� nostrils flare wide open when He sees this scene.
Why though is Jesus angry? Is He being insensitive to the hurts of the family of Lazarus and of their friends? Remember that this incident occurred a full 3 years into Jesus� public ministry. For 3 years He has demonstrated His love for them. For 3 years He has performed great miracles in their presence. And how do they respond once something like this happens? They get angry. They start blaming Him. They are acting like unbelievers who have no hope in resurrection or in Jesus. When Jesus arrived on the scene, they should have rejoiced! Why? Because Jesus is here, and now everything is going to be OK. This is something we need to process too. How much more does Jesus Christ have to do for us before we have complete confidence in Christ? There comes a point when our unbelief warrants anger and not sympathy from Christ. (This may seem a little harsh; however, Jesus expresses this same sentiment after He had spent 3 years ministering in Capernaum, Bethsaida, and Chorazin. Matt. 11:20-24). Jesus asks them to take Him to the tomb.
At this point, John tells us that Jesus wept. I saw the movie The Greatest Story Ever Told in which Jesus stands before Lazarus� tomb and produces slowly one of the biggest tears you�ve ever seen. It finally trickles down his right cheek. That�s not what happened here. The Greek implies that He burst out in tears. These are either tears of anger because of the unbelief confronting Him or else tears of great sorrow because of the havoc death and Satan have wreaked upon every human being who has walked on the face of this earth.
The Jews misunderstand His tears. Some are moved, feeling that the tears reveal the depth of Jesus� love for Lazarus. Others show no sympathy because they like Martha and Mary feel that Jesus should have been here earlier to prevent this from happening. (Had they been the source and cause of Mary and Martha�s reproach of Jesus?)
The crowd takes Jesus to the tomb where He instructs them to remove the stone from the tomb. I have been fortunate to see the tomb. It is carved out of the side of the mountain. It is a shaft which goes down diagonally. A stone would have been rolled in front of the tomb in order to prevent animals from ravaging the body and to prevent people from stealing it. Martha is mortified at the instruction. The body has been dead 4 days, and although they had wrapped it with spices, after 3 days the putrefaction of the body would have overcome the spices.
Jesus reminds Martha though that He had promised her that they would see God�s glory. After they removed the stone, Jesus raises His eyes to heaven and prays. Look at both the way Jesus prays and the purpose of His prayer. First, He does not make a request but instead thanks God. Why thanksgiving instead of request? Because He is not asking God to honor what He wants to do; instead, as vv. 9-10 indicate, Jesus is raising Lazarus from the dead because that is what the Father wants Him to do. Prayer should be discovering God�s will and then thanking for Him for what He is about to do through you or me. When we have to ask God to bless, it is normally because we are pushing our own agenda and not His.
Second, the purpose of His praying out loud is that the people will know that Lazarus� resurrection is a result of Jesus� relationship with the Father. Jesus is not doing this miracle in His own power; rather the Father is operating through Him. As a result, the way a person responds to Jesus clearly indicates the way a person responds to the Father. If a person responds positively to Jesus, then he is responding positively to the Father. The converse is likewise true.
Jesus now cries out, "Lazarus, come forth!" More literally, Jesus says, "Lazarus, here! Out!" A black minister once said that Jesus had to specify Lazarus because if He had just said "Come out" and had not specified for Lazarus alone to come out, Jesus would have raised all the dead. Lazarus comes forth from the tomb wrapped with cloths from head to toe with his feet and hands likewise wrapped in order to give the body some dignity.
The crowds who witness this are split into 2 camps. One camp is amazed and believes in Jesus as the One God sent. The second camp immediately runs to the Jewish religious leaders and informs them of what Jesus has done. When the religious leaders receive news of this event, they determine that Jesus has gone too. It is time for Jesus to die. It is now not a matter of "if" Jesus is going to die but only "when." Little did they know that what was about to happen to Jesus was due to the Father�s plan, not to their maneuverings.
In conclusion, when we look at Lazarus� resurrection, we are getting a good idea of what is going to happen to us on the last day. On the last day, Jesus is going to return and with a loud cry and the blast of the trumpet, the dead in Christ shall rise first, and then those who are alive will be radically transformed into the image of Jesus (1 Thess. 4:13-18). Lazarus� resurrection differs from ours in that whereas Lazarus rose only to die again, we will rise to be like Christ so that we will never, no never die again.