Bible Study Companion–John 11

John 11

• John 11:1-3 By the time John wrote this Gospel account, many people were quite familiar with Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. He wanted his readers to identify this Mary with the same one mentioned in chapter 12. Mary’s actions in John 12 were apparently well known even by the Christians living near the end of the first century.
• John 11:4-6 Jesus was in a town about 20 miles from Bethany. If the messenger traveled quickly, he could have arrived in one day. When Jesus heard the news, He sent the messenger back with the encouraging proclamation, “This sickness is not to end in death”. So the messenger travels another day to return to Bethany. But we will learn later on that by the time he returned, Lazarus had died. So even if Jesus had immediately left for Bethany with the messenger, it would have been too late. And I think Jesus knew this. However, we have to wonder why He didn’t simply do a long distance healing like he did for the Nobleman’s son (see John 4:43-54). But Jesus was waiting for a reason – a very important reason. This trip to Bethany will eventually end at the cross. This is His final trip to Jerusalem (Bethany was about two miles from Jerusalem). Not only did the timing need to be right for His death (He needed to die during the Passover), but He was going to use the death of Lazarus as one last opportunity to bring glory to Himself (John 11:4). It will become one last miracle to boldly testify to those living in darkness that He is the great I AM.
• John 11:7-10 Afraid for His life (and perhaps their own), the Apostles protest the trip, especially since Jesus had said Lazarus would not die (verse 4). But Jesus points out that His time to shed light in this dark world is coming to a close. God was providing one last opportunity for Jesus to shed some light upon the people of this world.
• John 11:11-16 The term “sleep” is used often times in the New Testament to describe death, especially when speaking about a believer. But the Apostles didn’t make this connection. That’s why Jesus tells them plainly that the man was dead.
• John 11:17-19 Apparently is was not just believers who came to comfort Mary & Martha. Many Jews came as well. My church will typically provide a small meal for those who wish to fellowship and visit with the family after the graveside ceremony. This would be something similar, just longer. So although Lazarus would have been buried quickly, people would have been coming and going for several days. In Jewish culture expressing sympathy to those in mourning was considered a sacred duty.
• John 11:20-27 Martha does not seem to criticize Jesus. She just stated her faith in Jesus. And it is a good faith. Martha did not doubt that one day they all will rise again. But Jesus had something planned that Martha and Mary could not possibly know: to use this tragedy as one last opportunity to demonstrate that He is the Resurrection and the Life. It is obvious Jesus had been saying this and teaching this because Martha confessed to believing this. But this truth needed to be demonstrated, and not just for those in attendance. This truth needed to be recorded so that all who would read it would believe. Jesus was about to do something for one man that He will later do for all who believe. He will stand at the grave, call out our name, and we will rise (compare Paul’s example in 1 Corinthians 15:51-53). “I AM”, says Jesus. I AM in charge of the resurrection. I AM in charge of life.
• John 11:28-32 Jesus waits outside of town while Martha runs to get Mary. A crowd of mourners follow her, presumably either to or near the cemetery. Personally, I think Jesus was close to the tomb just waiting for the crowd to come. And I love the irony here: eternal life standing among death, ready to shout death into submission.
• John 11:33-38 Why was Jesus angry? Why was He troubled? Why did He weep? Was He moved by the emotion demonstrated by Mary and the mourners? What broke the Savior’s heart? I do believe He was touched by the sadness being expressed here. And I believe this is what moved Him to tears; to see people struggling with their loss. But I suggest that Jesus was angry and troubled at death itself. How great a blemish death truly is in God’s creation! It has left a foul smell and a foul taste upon what God had originally described as good. Why wouldn’t Jesus be angry, for He was there when creation began! I imagine Jesus felt even more determined to go to the cross. I can almost picture Jesus saying “Death, your tyranny ends NOW”.
• John 11:39-44 Why did Jesus wait so long? So there could be no doubt in anyone’s mind that Lazarus was indeed dead. He had not fainted. He did not swoon. Jesus didn’t perform CPR. Lazarus was dead and already decomposing. But with a shout the last four days become undone, as if they had never happened. Jesus reverses the damage caused by death and the damage caused by the illness. With just a shout, the man comes out. Some have said it was a good thing Jesus mentioned Lazarus’ name because had He not, many other dead people in that graveyard would have come walking out of their tombs. But the truth is, Jesus had just demonstrated His authority over death. Incidentally, Lazarus lived a long time after this event. Once Christ ascended, it is said that Lazarus traveled to Britton and then France to preach Christ. Eventually he ended up on the island of Cyprus where he became Bishop of that church. 30 years after being called from the tomb, Lazarus died (again).
• John 11:45 Now I don’t know about you, but this would have been a life changing event for me. At least I hope it would have been, but I guess I will never know. Being a believer, this would have confirmed my belief. But if I was a skeptical unbeliever, would it have changed my mind? I’m not sure.
• John 11:46-48 Notice verse 48 specifically. One of the main reasons the Jewish leaders refused to publically acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah was because they feared Roman rule. This is because they wrongly assumed that Jesus, being the Messiah, would establish as earthly rule at this time, placing Palestine in opposition to the Roman government. Naturally, Rome would win. At least that’s what they thought. Isn’t it pathetic that they had no faith in Jesus, neither spiritually or physically? Since Jesus was the Messiah that would have meant that He was sent by God. And if sent by God, surely He had the power and the authority to tell Rome to take a hike. But they wouldn’t even believe that! How pathetic. Seems I remember eight spies believing the same thing (see Numbers 13:31).
• John 11:49-52 What Caiaphas suggested here was the in order to preserve their way of life, Jesus should be killed. Better for one man to die for the nation than the nation to die for the one man. John points out that there was indeed a splinter of truth behind that statement, even though Caiaphas was acting in rebellion.
• John 11:53-57 Thus brings to a close the public ministry of Jesus. The other three gospel writers will fill in some more details, but the point is, once Lazarus was raised from the dead, Jesus stopped traveling from town to town teaching and calling people to believe. He spends the next several days in a town 14 miles northeast of Jerusalem. But even though there was a bounty on His head, Jesus would still go to Jerusalem at the appointed time. Knowing what will unfold next, I started to wonder if Judas the Betrayer knew of this bounty before they arrived for the Passover. Did he carry one of those wanted posters around in his pocket?