The Lazarus Story (Jesus Christ, disciples, Jerusalem, Mary, confess)

[angellous_evangellous]

John 11:1-44 ESV John 11:1 Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. 3 So the sisters sent to him, saying, "Lord, he whom you love is ill."

These people had a very close relationship with Jesus, but it did not prevent suffering.


4 But when Jesus heard it he said, "This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it." 5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.

Jesus says that the illness will serve his purposes, and his love for them is reaffirmed by the narrator.


6 So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. 7 Then after this he said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again." 8 The disciples said to him, "Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?" 9 Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. 10 But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him." 11

Jesus descides that he will stay away from the family who needs him, ministering to other people.


After saying these things, he said to them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him." 12 The disciples said to him, "Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover." 13 Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep. 14 Then Jesus told them plainly, "Lazarus has died, 15 and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him." 16

Jesus tells his disciples that he knows what is going on elsewhere, even though he is not there. It is critical for Christianity that death is called sleep... it is not permanent, but a condition over which God has perfect control, being able to wake a person up when he desires.

So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with him." 17

Commentators usually think that Thomas thought that Jesus was going back to Bethany to die because Jesus had been threatened there before.

Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. 18 Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, 19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. 20 So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. 21 Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you." 23

Now this truly is the cry of desperation from the Christian to Christ in times of suffering. We believe that Jesus has all power, including the ability to raise people from the dead and end all of our troubles. However, it is quite rare that all of our troubles disappear dispite our faith and God's love.

It is absolutely critical for Christians to recognize the way that Martha and Mary, relatives of the dead Lazarus come to Jesus and the way that Jesus receives them. Most of us who have lost loved ones will say to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my family member would not have died." The aching question is why.


Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." 24 Martha said to him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day." 25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?" 27 She said to him, "Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world." 28

The Christian confession.

When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying in private, "The Teacher is here and is calling for you." 29 And when she heard it, she rose quickly and went to him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha had met him. 31 When the Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary rise quickly and go out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there. 32 Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." 33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. 34

Jesus receives the heartbroken Mary and cries with her. The Greek indicates the deepest grieving possible - that Jesus sounded like a horse - he received the crying Mary in tears. It is ok to grieve in the presence of the Lord!

And he said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to him, "Lord, come and see." 35 Jesus wept. 36 So the Jews said, "See how he loved him!" 37 But some of them said, "Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?" 38 Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. 39 Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, "Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days." 40 Jesus said to her, "Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?" 41 So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me." 43 When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out." 44 The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Unbind him, and let him go."

The great miracle of the ressurrection demonstrated in power.

[Halcyon]

Originally Posted by angellous_evangellous

So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with him." 17

Commentators usually think that Thomas thought that Jesus was going back to Bethany to die because Jesus had been threatened there before.

I always interpreted this as Thomas saying that the disciples should go to Judea to die with Lazurus, so that they could all be reborn to new life under Jesus Christ.

[angellous_evangellous]

Originally Posted by Halcyon

I always interpreted this as Thomas saying that the disciples should go to Judea to die with Lazurus, so that they could all be reborn to new life under Jesus Christ.

This may have been considered, but I don't remember anyone suggesting it when I read the commentaries.

The Greek I think could go either way, and I don't know if there are textual variants that add a name (Jesus or Lazarus) for clarification regarding the personal pronoun (him).

[Halcyon]

Originally Posted by angellous_evangellous

This may have been considered, but I don't remember anyone suggesting it when I read the commentaries.

The Greek I think could go either way, and I don't know if there are textual variants that add a name (Jesus or Lazarus) for clarification regarding the personal pronoun (him).

There you go then, i must be right if no-one thought of it before!

[angellous_evangellous]

Originally Posted by Halcyon

There you go then, i must be right if no-one thought of it before!

Ha! Don't underestimate the creativity of hairy ticks! I'm sure that someone has thought of it before, I just haven't seen it.

Believe me, I am painfully aware of what it feels like to get a good idea only to see it in writing somewhere else.

[Halcyon]

Originally Posted by angellous_evangellous

Ha! Don't underestimate the creativity of hairy ticks! I'm sure that someone has thought of it before, I just haven't seen it.

Believe me, I am painfully aware of what it feels like to get a good idea only to see it in writing somewhere else.

I'm sure they have, but don't you underestimate my powers of remote spontaneous combustion.

[angellous_evangellous]

Originally Posted by Halcyon

I'm sure they have, but don't you underestimate my powers of remote spontaneous combustion.

That sounds very cool. Some worthless moron is talking on their cell-phone in the library.

I'll find some way to compensate you for a demonstration.

[Halcyon]

Originally Posted by angellous_evangellous

That sounds very cool. Some worthless moron is talking on their cell-phone in the library.

I'll find some way to compensate you for a demonstration.

Sorry, it only works on books and journals, c'est la vie.

[angellous_evangellous]

Originally Posted by Halcyon

Sorry, it only works on books and journals, c'est la vie.