John 11

Joh 11:1-46.

LAZARUS

RAISED FROM THE

DEAD--THE

CONSEQUENCES OF

THIS.

1. of Bethany--at the east side of Mount Olivet.

the town of Mary and her sister Martha--thus distinguishing it

from the other Bethany, "beyond Jordan." (See on

Joh 1:28;

Joh 10:40).

2. It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment, &c.--This,

though not recorded by our Evangelist till

Joh 12:3,

was so well known in the teaching of all the churches, according to our

Lord's prediction

(Mt 26:13),

that it is here alluded to by anticipation, as the most natural way of

identifying her; and she is first named, though the younger, as the

more distinguished of the two. She "anointed THE

LORD," says the Evangelist--led doubtless to the

use of this term here, as he was about to exhibit Him illustriously as

the Lord of Life.

3-5. his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, he whom thou lovest is

sick--a most womanly appeal, yet how reverential, to the known

affection of her Lord for the patient. (See

Joh 11:5, 11).

"Those whom Christ loves are no more exempt than others from their

share of earthly trouble and anguish: rather are they bound over to it

more surely" [TRENCH].

4. When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death--to

result in death.

but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified

thereby--that is, by this glory of God. (See Greek.) Remarkable

language this, which from creature lips would have been intolerable. It

means that the glory of GOD manifested in the resurrection of dead

Lazarus would be shown to be the glory, personally and immediately,

of THE

SON.

5. Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus--what a picture!--one

that in every age has attracted the admiration of the whole Christian

Church. No wonder that those miserable skeptics who have carped at the

ethical system of the Gospel, as not embracing private friendships in

the list of its virtues, have been referred to the Saviour's peculiar

regard for this family as a triumphant refutation, if such were needed.

6. When he heard he was sick, he abode two days still . . . where he

was--at least twenty-five miles off. Beyond all doubt this was just to

let things come to their worst, in order to display His glory. But how

trying, meantime, to the faith of his friends, and how unlike the way in

which love to a dying friend usually shows itself, on which it is plain

that Mary reckoned. But the ways of divine are not as the ways of

human love. Often they are the reverse. When His people are sick,

in body or spirit; when their case is waxing more and more desperate

every day; when all hope of recovery is about to expire--just then and

therefore it is that

"He abides two days still in the same place where He is." Can they

still hope against hope? Often they do not; but "this is their

infirmity." For it is His chosen style of acting. We have been well

taught it, and should not now have the lesson to learn. From the

days of Moses was it given sublimely forth as the character of His

grandest interpositions, that "the Lord will judge His people and repent

Himself for His servants"--when He seeth that their power is gone

(De 32:36).

7-10. Let us go into Judea again--He was now in Perea, "beyond

Jordan."

8. His disciples say unto him, Master, the Jews of late sought,

&c.--literally, "were (just) now seeking" "to stone thee"

(Joh 10:31).

goest thou thither again?--to certain death, as

Joh 11:16

shows they thought.

9. Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the

day?--(See on

Joh 9:4).

Our Lord's day had now reached its eleventh hour, and having till now

"walked in the day," He would not mistime the remaining and more

critical part of His work, which would be as fatal, He says, as

omitting it altogether; for "if a man (so He speaks, putting

Himself under the same great law of duty as all other men--if a man)

walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him."

11-16. Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go that I may wake him out

of sleep--Illustrious title! "Our friend Lazarus." To

Abraham only is it accorded in the Old Testament, and not till

after his death,

(2Ch 20:7;

Isa 41:8),

to which our attention is called in the New Testament

(Jas 2:23).

When Jesus came in the flesh, His forerunner applied this name, in a

certain sense, to himself

(Joh 3:29);

and into the same fellowship the Lord's chosen disciples are declared

to have come

(Joh 15:13-15).

"The phrase here employed, "our friend Lazarus," means more than "he

whom Thou lovest" in

Joh 11:3,

for it implies that Christ's affection was reciprocated by

Lazarus" [LAMPE]. Our Lord had been told only

that Lazarus was "sick." But the change which his two days' delay had

produced is here tenderly alluded to. Doubtless, His spirit was all the

while with His dying, and now dead "friend." The symbol of "sleep" for

death is common to all languages, and familiar to us in the Old

Testament. In the New Testament, however, a higher meaning is put into

it, in relation to believers in Jesus (see on

1Th 4:14),

a sense hinted at, and clearly, in

Ps 17:15

[LUTHARDT]; and the "awaking out of sleep"

acquires a corresponding sense far transcending bare resuscitation.

12. if he sleep, he shall do well--literally, "be preserved"; that

is, recover. "Why then go to Judea?"

14. Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead--Says

BENGEL beautifully, "Sleep is the death of the

saints, in the language of heaven; but this language the disciples here

understood not; incomparable is the generosity of the divine manner of

discoursing, but such is the slowness of men's apprehension that

Scripture often has to descend to the more miserable style of human

discourse; compare

Mt 16:11."

15. I am glad for your sakes I was not there--This certainly implies

that if He had been present, Lazarus would not have died; not because He

could not have resisted the importunities of the sisters, but because,

in presence of the personal Life, death could not have reached His

friend [LUTHARDT]. "It is beautifully congruous to the divine decorum

that in presence of the Prince of Life no one is ever said to have died"

[BENGEL].

that ye may believe--This is added to explain His "gladness" at not

having been present. His friend's death, as such, could not have been to

Him "joyous"; the sequel shows it was "grievous"; but for them it

was safe

(Php 3:1).

16. Thomas, . . . called Didymus--or "the twin."

Let us also go, that we may die with him--lovely spirit, though

tinged with some sadness, such as reappears at

Joh 14:5,

showing the tendency of this disciple to take the dark view of

things. On a memorable occasion this tendency opened the door to

downright, though but momentary, unbelief

(Joh 20:25).

Here, however, though alleged by many interpreters there is nothing of

the sort. He perceives clearly how this journey to Judea will end, as

respects his Master, and not only sees in it peril to themselves, as

they all did, but feels as if he could not and cared not to survive his

Master's sacrifice to the fury of His enemies. It was that kind of

affection which, living only in the light of its Object, cannot

contemplate, or has no heart for life, without it.

17-19. when Jesus came, he found that he had lain in the grave four

days--If he died on the day the tidings came of his illness--and was,

according to the Jewish custom, buried the same day (see JAHN'S

Archæology, and

Joh 11:39;

Ac 5:5, 6, 10)

--and if Jesus, after two days' further stay in Perea, set out on the

day following for Bethany, some ten hours' journey, that would make out

the four days; the first and last being incomplete [MEYER].

18. Bethany was nigh Jerusalem, about fifteen furlongs--rather less

than two miles; mentioned to explain the visits of sympathy noticed in

the following words, which the proximity of the two places facilitated.

19. many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary to comfort them--Thus

were provided, in a most natural way, so many witnesses of the glorious

miracle that was to follow, as to put the fact beyond possible question.

20-22. Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met

him--true to the energy and activity of her character, as seen

in

Lu 10:38-42.

(See on

Lu 10:38-42).

but Mary sat . . . in the house--equally true to her

placid character. These undesigned touches not only charmingly

illustrate the

minute historic fidelity of both narratives, but their

inner harmony.

21. Then said Martha . . . Lord, if thou hadst been here,

my brother had not died--As Mary afterwards said the same thing

(Joh 11:32),

it is plain they had made this very natural remark to each other,

perhaps many times during these four sad days, and not without having

their confidence in His love at times overclouded. Such trials of

faith, however, are not peculiar to them.

22. But I know that even now, &c.--Energetic characters are usually

sanguine, the rainbow of hope peering through the drenching cloud.

whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee--that is "even

to the restoration of my dead brother to life," for that plainly is her

meaning, as the sequel shows.

23-27. Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again--purposely

expressing Himself in general terms, to draw her out.

24. Martha said, . . . I know that he shall rise again . . . at the

last day--"But are we never to see him in life till then?"

25. Jesus said, I am the resurrection and the life--"The

whole power to restore, impart, and maintain life, resides in Me."

(See on

Joh 1:4;

Joh 5:21).

What higher claim to supreme divinity than this grand saying can be

conceived?

he that believeth in me, though . . . dead . . .

shall he live--that is, The believer's death shall be swallowed up

in life, and his life shall never sink into death. As death comes by

sin, it is His to dissolve it; and as life flows through His

righteousness, it is His to communicate and eternally maintain it

(Ro 5:21).

The temporary separation of soul and body is here regarded as not even

interrupting, much less impairing, the new and everlasting life

imparted by Jesus to His believing people.

Believest thou this?--Canst thou take this in?

27. Yea, . . . I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God,

&c.--that is, And having such faith in Thee, I can believe all

which that comprehends. While she had a glimmering perception that

Resurrection, in every sense of the word, belonged to the Messianic

office and Sonship of Jesus, she means, by this way of expressing

herself, to cover much that she felt her ignorance of--as no doubt

belonging to Him.

28-32. The Master is come and calleth for thee--The narrative does

not give us this interesting detail, but Martha's words do.

29. As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly--affection for her

Lord, assurance of His sympathy, and His hope of interposition, putting

a spring into her distressed spirit.

31. The Jews . . . followed her . . . to the

grave--Thus casually were provided witnesses of the glorious

miracle that followed, not prejudiced, certainly,

in favor of Him who wrought it.

to weep there--according to Jewish practice, for some days after

burial.

fell at his feet--more impassioned than her sister, though her

words were fewer. (See on

Joh 11:21).

33-38. When Jesus . . . saw her weeping, and the Jews . . . weeping

. . . he groaned in the spirit--the tears of Mary and her friends

acting sympathetically upon Jesus, and drawing forth His emotions. What

a vivid and beautiful outcoming of His "real" humanity! The word here

rendered "groaned" does not mean "sighed" or "grieved," but rather

"powerfully checked his emotion"--made a visible effort to restrain

those tears which were ready to gush from His eyes.

and was troubled--rather, "troubled himself" (Margin); referring

probably to this visible difficulty of repressing His emotions.

34. Where have ye laid him? . . . Lord, come and see--Perhaps it was

to retain composure enough to ask this question, and on receiving the

answer to proceed with them to the spot, that He checked Himself.

35. Jesus wept--This beautifully conveys the sublime brevity of the

two original words; else "shed tears" might have better conveyed the

difference between the word here used and that twice employed in

Joh 11:33,

and there properly rendered "weeping," denoting the loud wail for the

dead, while that of Jesus consisted of silent tears. Is it for

nothing that the Evangelist, some sixty years after it occurred,

holds up to all ages with such touching brevity the sublime spectacle

of the Son of God in tears? What a seal of His perfect oneness

with us in the most redeeming feature of our stricken humanity! But

was there nothing in those tears beyond sorrow for human suffering and

death? Could these effects move Him without suggesting the

cause? Who can doubt that in His ear every feature of the scene

proclaimed that stern law of the Kingdom, "The wages of sin is

death"

(Ro 6:23),

and that this element in His visible emotion underlay all the rest?

36. Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him!--We thank you, O ye

visitors from Jerusalem, for this spontaneous testimony to the human

tenderness of the Son of God.

37. And--rather, "But."

some . . . said, Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the

blind, have caused that this man should not have died?--The former

exclamation came from the better-feeling portion of the spectators; this

betokens a measure of suspicion. It hardly goes the length of attesting

the miracle on the blind man; but "if (as everybody says) He did that,

why could He not also have kept Lazarus alive?" As to the restoration of

the dead man to life, they never so much as thought of it. But

this disposition to dictate to divine power, and almost to peril our

confidence in it upon its doing our bidding, is not confined to men of

no faith.

38. Jesus again groaning in himself--that is, as at

Joh 11:33,

checked or repressed His rising feelings, in the former instance, of

sorrow, here of righteous indignation at their unreasonable unbelief;

(compare

Mr 3:5)

[WEBSTER and WILKINSON]. But

here, too, struggling emotion was deeper, now that His eye was about to

rest on the spot where lay, in the still horrors of death, His

"friend."

a cave--the cavity, natural or artificial, of a rock. This, with the

number of condoling visitors from Jerusalem, and the costly ointment

with which Mary afterwards anointed Jesus at Bethany, all go to show

that the family was in good circumstances.

39-44. Jesus said, Take ye away the stone--spoken to the attendants

of Martha and Mary; for it was a work of no little labor [GROTIUS].

According to the Talmudists, it was forbidden to open a grave after the

stone was placed upon it. Besides other dangers, they were apprehensive

of legal impurity by contact with the dead. Hence they avoided coming

nearer a grave than four cubits [MAIMONIDES in

LAMPE]. But He who

touched the leper, and the bier of the widow of Nain's son, rises here

also above these Judaic memorials of evils, every one of which He had

come to roll away.

Observe here what our Lord did Himself, and what He made others do.

As Elijah himself repaired the altar on Carmel, arranged the wood, cut

the victim, and placed the pieces on the fuel, but made the by-standers

fill the surrounding trench with water, that no suspicion might arise

of fire having been secretly applied to the pile

(1Ki 18:30-35);

so our Lord would let the most skeptical see that, without laying a

hand on the stone that covered His friend, He could recall him to life.

But what could be done by human hand He orders to be done, reserving

only to Himself what transcended the ability of all creatures.

Martha, the sister of . . . the dead--and as such the proper guardian

of the precious remains; the relationship being here mentioned to

account for her venturing gently to remonstrate against their exposure,

in a state of decomposition, to eyes that had loved him so tenderly in

life.

Lord, by this time he stinketh, for he hath been dead four

days--(See on

Joh 11:17).

It is wrong to suppose from this (as LAMPE and

others do) that, like the by-standers, she had not thought of his

restoration to life. But the glimmerings of hope which she cherished

from the first

(Joh 11:22),

and which had been brightened by what Jesus said to her

(Joh 11:23-27),

had suffered a momentary eclipse on the proposal to expose the now

sightless corpse. To such fluctuations all real faith is subject in

dark hours. (See, for example, the case of Job).

40. Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that if thou wouldest

believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?--He had not said those

very words, but this was the scope of all that He had uttered to her

about His life-giving power

(Joh 11:23, 25, 26);

a gentle yet emphatic and most instructive rebuke: "Why doth the

restoration of life, even to a decomposing corpse, seem hopeless in the

presence of the Resurrection and the Life? Hast thou yet to learn that

'if thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that

believeth?'"

(Mr 9:23).

41. Jesus lifted up his eyes--an expression marking His calm solemnity.

(Compare

Joh 17:1).

Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me--rather, "heardest Me,"

referring to a specific prayer offered by Him, probably on intelligence

of the case reaching Him

(Joh 11:3, 4);

for His living and loving oneness with the Father was maintained and

manifested in the flesh, not merely by the spontaneous and

uninterrupted outgoing of Each to Each in spirit, but by specific

actings of faith and exercises of prayer about each successive case as

it emerged. He prayed (says LUTHARDT well) not for

what He wanted, but for the manifestation of what He had; and having

the bright consciousness of the answer in the felt liberty to ask it,

and the assurance that it was at hand, He gives thanks for this with a

grand simplicity before performing the act.

42. And--rather, "Yet."

I knew that thou hearest me always, but because of the people that

stand by I said it, that they might believe that thou hast sent me--Instead

of praying now, He simply gives thanks for answer to prayer

offered ere He left Perea, and adds that His doing even this, in the

audience of the people, was not from any doubt of the prevalency of His

prayers in any case, but to show the people that He did nothing without His

Father, but all by direct communication with Him.

43, 44. and when he had thus spoken, he cried with a loud voice--On

one other occasion only did He this--on the cross. His last utterance

was a "loud cry"

(Mt 27:50).

"He shall not cry," said the prophet, nor, in His ministry, did He.

What a sublime contrast is this "loud cry" to the magical "whisperings"

and "mutterings" of which we read in

Isa 8:19; 29:4

(as GROTIUS remarks)! It is second only to the

grandeur of that voice which shall raise all the dead

(Joh 5:28, 29;

1Th 4:16).

44. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him and let him go--Jesus will no

more do this Himself than roll away the stone. The one was the necessary

preparation for resurrection, the other the necessary sequel to

it. THE LIFE-GIVING ACT ALONE

HE RESERVES TO

HIMSELF. So

in the quickening of the dead to spiritual life, human instrumentality is

employed first to prepare the way, and then to turn it to account.

45, 46. many . . . which . . . had seen . . . believed . . . But some

. . . went . . . to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus

had done--the two classes which continually reappear in the Gospel history; nor is

there ever any great work of God which does not produce both. "It is

remarkable that on each of the three occasions on which our Lord raised

the dead, a large number of persons was assembled. In two instances, the

resurrection of the widow's son and of Lazarus, these were all witnesses

of the miracle; in the third (of Jairus' daughter) they were necessarily

cognizant of it. Yet this important circumstance is in each case only

incidentally noticed by the historians, not put forward or appealed to

as a proof of their veracity. In regard to this miracle, we observe a

greater degree of preparation, both in the provident arrangement of

events, and in our Lord's actions and words than in any other. The

preceding miracle (cure of the man born blind) is distinguished from all

others by the open and formal investigation of its facts. And both these

miracles, the most public and best attested of all, are related by John,

who wrote long after the other Evangelists" [WEBSTER and

WILKINSON].

47-54. What do we? for this man doeth many miracles--"While we trifle,

'this man,' by His 'many miracles,' will carry all before Him; the

popular enthusiasm will bring on a revolution, which will precipitate

the Romans upon us, and our all will go down in one common ruin." What a

testimony to the reality of our Lord's miracles, and their resistless

effect, from His bitterest enemies!

51. Caiaphas . . . prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation--He

meant nothing more than that the way to prevent the apprehended ruin of

the nation was to make a sacrifice of the Disturber of their peace. But

in giving utterance to this suggestion of political expediency, he was

so guided as to give forth a divine prediction of deep significance; and

God so ordered it that it should come from the lips of the high priest

for that memorable year, the recognized head of God's visible people,

whose ancient office, symbolized by the Urim and Thummim, was to decide

in the last resort, all vital questions as the oracle of the divine

will.

52. and not for that nation only, &c.--These are the Evangelist's

words, not Caiaphas'.

53. they took council together to put him to death--Caiaphas but

expressed what the party was secretly wishing, but afraid to propose.

Jesus . . . walked no more openly among the Jews--How could He,

unless He had wished to die before His time?

near to the wilderness--of Judea.

a city called Ephraim--between Jerusalem and Jericho.

55-57. passover . . . at hand . . . many went . . . up . . . before

the passover, to purify themselves--from any legal uncleanness which

would have disqualified them from keeping the feast. This is mentioned

to introduce the graphic statement which follows.

56. sought they for Jesus, and spake among themselves, as they stood

in the temple--giving forth the various conjectures and speculations

about the probability of His coming to the feast.

that he will not come--The form of this question implies the opinion

that He would come.

57. chief priests and the Pharisees had given a commandment that if any

knew where he were, he should show it, that they might take him--This

is mentioned to account for the conjectures whether He would come, in

spite of this determination to seize Him.