John 11 Explained: Jesus Raises Lazarus, “I Am the Resurrection and the Life” | Verse-by-Verse Study
Paul Woodley walks through John 11, where Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead and declares "I am the resurrection and the life." The chapter climaxes Jesus' miracles in John's gospel, showing how Martha, Mary, and the disciples respond differently to the resurrection promise, while the religious authorities plot to kill Jesus over their fear of Roman intervention.
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Well, good morning everyone. It is Paul here doing another Bible study on January 28th, uh, in sunny Atlanta, Georgia. So wherever you're from, uh, I hope you're doing well. So today's Bible study is going to be in the book of John, Gospel of John, chapter 11. This is a very, very powerful chapter, as I had mentioned yesterday. As we're going to go talk about the death of Lazarus, which is a monumental point in Jesus' ministry. So we will start to unpack it, but just as a preview of the sections here, we're going to see that this person Lazarus, who he is, why he's important to the ministry, what Jesus says about him being raised to life, what that is all about. We're going to see Jesus make one of the most famous and bold statements where he says, "I am the resurrection and the life." We're also going to see in another section starting in verse 28, the time recorded where Jesus actually weeps. We'll see the raising of Lazarus, of course, starting in verse 38. Then we're going to see the plot to kill Jesus starting in verse 45. All right. So as a way of review, we're coming out of John chapter 10, right? So up until this point, Jesus in the book of John has had 6 miracles and signs that have already been done. He turned water into wine in John 2:1-11. He healed the nobleman's son in John 4:46-54. He restored that impotent man, that invalid man, in John 5:1-15. He multiplied the loaves and fishes in John 6:1-14. He walked on the water in John 6:6, 15-21. And he cured the man born blind in chapter 9:1-12. And now we're going to see kind of the capstone of His miracles in the raising of Lazarus, and how of all of those miracles that have happened, the raising of Lazarus is the most powerful and most potent, and the one particular sign and miracle that He did that both scared the Jews, the religious leaders, the most, and also the miracle that caused the most people to believe in Jesus. Now, Jesus had healed, had raised two other people in the Bible prior to. He raised, let me see here where I've got it. He raised the widow's son in Nain, which is found in Luke 7:11-16. And he raised up Jairus' daughter, also found in Luke 8:40-56. And what makes Lazarus' resurrection a little bit more powerful than those resurrections is that those two people that died, the resurrection, bringing them back to life, occurred shortly after they had died. But in Lazarus, as we'll learn here, Lazarus was straight up in the grave for four full days, to the point where his body is decomposing and smelling that that he's raised then. And they're proof positive that he, um, there's, there's no doubt in anyone's mind that Lazarus was really dead for real, for real kind of dead, right? So that's why his, um, resurrection, which was witnessed by a lot of people, was very, very powerful. Okay, so in John chapter 10, where we came out of, right? We left it where they're debating who Jesus is. Jesus is at the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem in John chapter 10:22. And there, they're debating, they're arguing about him, who he is. And they said to him in verse 24, um, how long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly. And Jesus answered them, I told you and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name bear witness about me, but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. And if you remember, we were talking about the sheep the Good Shepherd. And now he's telling them that you can't hear my word because you're not of my flock. That's why you can't hear. My sheep hear my voice, in verse 27. I know them and they follow me, verse 28. I give them eternal life and they will never perish. And then he goes on to give us this great promise, which is great for all of us who believe in Jesus, where where he says, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. And then he goes on to say, not only my hand, but the Father's hand, because in the very next verse, in 29 of John chapter 10, he says, my Father who has given them to me, right? He says, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. Then he goes on to say, I and the Father are one. And then it says in verse 31, they picked up stones again to stone him. So we already know that they've been trying multiple ways, trying to capture him, trying to arrest him, trying to stone him, because they feel that what he's saying is blasphemous, because he, a man, is making himself out to be God, right? And so, um, we end in verse, uh, 40 through 42 of the last chapter, it says, he went away again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing at first, and there he remained. And many came to him and they said, John did no sign, but everything that John said about this man was true. And many believed in him there. And that was the end of the last chapter that we went over yesterday, and that leads us into Today's study in John chapter 11. So some time has passed, the, the chapter resets, and it starts this way. Verse 1, it says, now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. So the sisters sent to him saying, "Lord, he whom you love is ill." 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." Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister, and Lazarus. So when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed 2 days longer in the place where he was. Then after this, he said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again." The disciples said to him, "Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?" Jesus answered, are there not 12 hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble because he sees the light of this world. But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles because the light is not in him. After saying these things, he said to them, our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to to awaken him. Verse 12: The disciples said to him, Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover. Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep. Then Jesus told them plainly, Lazarus has died. And for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him But let us go to him. Verse 16: So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, let us all go, that we may die with him. Okay, so that's the scene here, right? So let's unpack it. So we're introduced to verse 1, Lazarus. It starts off that says he's a certain man, and now a certain man, right? And He was ill. His name is Lazarus. He's from a place called Bethany. All right. Now, it's described Bethany was the village of two other characters in our story, Mary and her sister Martha. So we're talking about a family here of Lazarus, Mary, and Martha. All right. Now, this is the first mention of this family in John, and we see here that John related the story of Mary anointing of Jesus in chapter 12, verses 1 through 8. But this reference may indicate that the original readers were already familiar with the event. All right, that's from my notes here. So verse 2 It says, it was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. So the sisters sent to him saying, Lord, he whom you love is ill. So the sisters are concerned about their brother. They went, they know Jesus. Jesus has stayed with them before. They're friends. Jesus loves this family. He loves Lazarus. And the sisters sent to him with this message, "Lord, he whom you love is ill, your best friend Lazarus." Verse 4, but when Jesus heard it, he said, "This illness does not lead to death." Okay. So Jesus' concept of death is different than their concept of death or our concept of death, because he's saying, he's talking about the second death, or shall we say, it does not lead to his ultimate death, okay? And he says, furthermore, it is for the glory of God so that the Son of God may be glorified through it. So Jesus is saying that to, to the messengers, to them, that Lazarus is sick, okay, but it's not going to lead to his death. And the reason why he's ill, it is for the glory of God. Why? So that the Son of God may be glorified through it. Now we already know he calls himself the Son of God. So he's saying that through this illness of Lazarus, what we're going to see here, that the Son of God will be glorified through it, through this situation, through his illness. So verse 5 picks up, now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So it's making that point there. So why is that important? Because he loved them. It's just like if someone came to you and said, oh, your mom, your dad, your brother or sister, your son or daughter, right? Someone very close to you, someone that you love very much was ill. What would you do? Would you— and they said, you know, they're at the point of death, maybe. And that's the context here, right? And what would you do? You probably would drop everything you had and go see them, right? So he makes it a point that he loves them. So there's context there. He cares about this family. Verse 6: So when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed 2 days longer in the place where he was. So he didn't drop everything that he had to go help, to go heal him. He purposely stayed 2 days longer so that Lazarus, as we'll see here, ultimately die. In verse 7, it continues, then after this he said to the disciples, 'Let us go to Judea again.' And if you've been tracking with me in the previous couple of chapters, Judea is the area where there is a fervor there where if anyone sees Jesus, let them know because they're trying to arrest him and kill him. So verse 8, the disciples said to him, 'Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you,' right? Just in the previous chapter 10, we saw there. And are you going there again? So they're like, why? And verse 9, Jesus answers them, are there not 12 hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble because he sees the light of this world. But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles because the light is not in him. Okay, I will borrow from my study notes here just to add some context and flavor. During the light of the sun, most people did their work safely. When darkness came, they stopped. The proverbial saying, however, had a deeper meaning. As long as the Son performed his Father's will, parenthesis, example, during the daylight period of his ministry when he is able to work, he was safe. The time would soon come, which is depicted as nighttime, when by God's design his earthly work would end and he would stumble, quote unquote, in death. Jesus was stressing that as long as he was on earth doing God's will, even at this late time in his ministry, he would safely complete God's purposes. And we heard him saying that once before about this concept: while it's day, there's work to do, right? So whenever— so in this here, when he's talking about, are there not 12 hours in the day, he's illustrating the fact that yes, The daylight, and he being the light, is here on earth doing ministry. While I'm here doing ministry, while I'm here, we're here to do work. And he's not concerned about what— how people are trying to take him out, because he already knows how he's going to die and what day it's going to be. Remember, he's hit himself a couple of times. He's untouchable. He allows himself to go through the process that we know of going through the cross. He times it perfectly. And so while he is here, he is the light. He's working in the day. The day is this. He's talking about we're in the day because I'm here. Now verse 11 picks up. After saying these things, he said to them, our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him. So remember, this is all happening 2 days later. He stayed 2 extra days. So now he's saying, our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him. Now put yourself in their shoes. He's talking like this. Yeah, okay, why do we need to go to Judea where they're seeking to kill you so you can wake up your friend? And it says in verse 12, the disciples said to him, quote, "Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover." Right? Because before, it says, he says to them, "Let us go to Judea." Got it. And I'm just trying to see here where he learned that Lazarus is sick. So as far as we're— as far as we know in the text, we know the message was delivered to Jesus from Martha and her sister, right? A messenger came on their behalf telling them that Lazarus was ill. This is in verse 6. Or shall I back up to verse 4? But when Jesus heard it, he said, this illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so the Son of God may be glorified in him. So it's assumed that his disciples are there. They heard this message. They may not have. What do we know? Well, we know that he stayed 2 days longer, verse 6, and then after the 2 days he said to his disciples, "Let us go to Judea again." And he goes on to say that Lazarus is sleeping in verse 11, and I need to go awaken him. So the disciples said, "Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover." In verse 13, now Jesus had spoken of his death. So he's using the word sleep, but he's talking about Lazarus' death. And he says, now Jesus has spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest and sleep. Then it says in verse 14, then Jesus told them plainly, Lazarus has died. Okay, and for your sake, he says in verse 15, I am glad that I was not there so that you may believe. Which is the purpose of why he stayed the extra 2 days to allow Lazarus to die. Not that he didn't care about Lazarus. Remember, he loved Lazarus like a brother. He loved Mary and Martha. He loved that family. He purposely chose to wait 2 more days so that Lazarus will die. And Now he's saying in verse 15, it's for your sake, disciples. It was for your sake that I let that happen so that you may believe. He knows that what he's about to do is going to make them believe in him. They already are believing, but we see here that there's levels of belief where they have to go through even after the cross, for them to fully understand and appreciate who he says he is. So he says it's for your sake that he has died, and I'm glad I wasn't there to help him because I needed him to die so that I can do this thing. It's what he's intending to do. Basically, it's what he's saying without saying it. So verse 16: So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, 'Let us all go, that we may die with him.' Which is interesting because we see the enthusiasm of Thomas, which is very interesting because Thomas was the one that doubted in the end, right? That Jesus had to come back and say, 'Hey, touch my side and my hands.' 'Give me something to eat.' Remember the upper room that was locked later in the story after the cross? So here we have Thomas saying in expectation and excitement, 'Well, let us all go that we may die with him,' because he's really just— because Lazarus died, this must be an event that is going to allow them to die with him because Thomas is basically saying, I want to receive what Lazarus is going to receive. I want to receive this belief. So he says, let's all go that we may die with him. Okay. Now I will borrow from my notes on that. Thomas's words reflect loyal devotion and at the same time pessimism over the fact that they would probably all die. His fears were not unrealistic in the face of bitter hostility toward Jesus, and had not the Lord protected them in the garden in chapter 18, verses 1 through 11, they may also have been arrested and executed. Okay, so point taken. So he knows that if they go to Judea, they're going to die. And so he could have been saying it facetiously. So now we move into verse 17. The story picks up. We'll read a few verses. We'll unpack it. Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb 4 days. Bethany was near Jerusalem, about 2 miles off. And many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you. Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." Martha said to him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day." Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, shall he live." And everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?' She said to him, 'Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God who is coming into the world.' So let's unpack that, that section. So now we see Martha coming on into the story. So we pick it up in verse 17. It says, now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb. So that's where Lazarus is, and he's been in there for 4 days, right? And that's a long time to be dead. Unlike the other 2 that we mentioned earlier who Jesus raised, who died, but shortly thereafter he resurrected, like within the day or two, within a day. Lazarus has been there 4 days. So it goes on to say, verse 18, the location of Bethany, it's near Jerusalem, is about 2 miles off. And many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. So now there's a big crowd that's come to the house of Mary and Martha to console them, right? And in regards to consoling, back then when someone— when they're mourning, they always made a big to-do, and many times they would hire people to mourn for the dead. And so it was very common that the mourners would show up and they would just cry, many times crocodile tears per se, making a lot of noise, being loud, wailing. That was almost a custom. So we see here in 19 that many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. It also could establish the fact that they were popular because there were many people that came. People knew this family. Verse 22: But even now I know— now this is— I'm sorry, I skipped. So we pick it up in verse 20. So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him. So she leaves the scene of all the mourners. She goes, she meets Jesus, and it says, but Mary remains seated in the house. So the two sisters— Mary's in the house, Martha goes out and meets Jesus down the street, basically. Martha said to Jesus, quote, Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. So Martha knows Jesus has the power to heal, and she's saying, Lord, if you had been here, our brother wouldn't have died. I sent you the message 2 days ago, now he's dead. If you had been here, he would not have died. But she goes on to say, but even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you. She's confessing to him that even in that moment, even though her brother has been in the tomb for 4 days, that he has access to God, that if he was to ask God, that God will give you. It's almost like she's trying to hint to Jesus saying, but I know you can, if you can, Lord, maybe you should, Lord, think of us, Lord. I know that Whatever you ask from God, God will give you. Almost like, consider that if you haven't already. So Jesus says to her this poignant statement that challenges her understanding of death. Okay, he says, verse 23, Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again. Your brother will rise again." Now, up until this point, no one has ever witnessed a person that's been dead 4 days rise again. So she's not even thinking remotely close that He's going to do what He's about to do. Literally raise him from the dead. She's not even connecting those dots. So she says to him in verse 24, Martha said to him, I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day. So she knows that. She knows that part of Scripture. She knows what he says before. She understands what the resurrection on the last day is. Because Jesus said that before. So she understands that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day. But when is that? That's a long time. No one knows when that actual day is. And she's right for thinking that, because that is future tense, way, way long time. Even right now, here we are 2,000 years later, That event still hasn't happened. There is going to be a resurrection in the last day. So she says, well, I know he'll rise again in the last day. So Jesus then says to her in the very next verse, in 25, Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life. Okay, she says, remember, she said I know he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day. She mentioned this resurrection. She mentioned that. He's taking what she said and he is making a further point to this word, this concept of resurrection. So he says to her, verse 25, I am the resurrection and the life. And then he He adds to that, "Whoever believes in Me, though he die, yet shall he live." Okay? "Whoever believes in Me, though he die, yet shall he live." So He's saying clearly that even if you die according to your standard, to our normal death, that even when that happens, He will live. You will live. That is one reason why we don't fear death, because we're really not dead. He's just clearly saying here that if you believe in me, that even though you die, you will actually live. You actually still be alive. He's making a point here that whoever believes in Jesus doesn't, doesn't die in reality, in the grand scheme of things. And then he goes on to say in verse 26, and, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this? So he ends it with a question. All right, so there's two things, two big hooks he just said here. Let me review. He says, "Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live." So if you die, die, you're still going to live. He then says, "And everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die," which means if you are alive and you believe in him, you will never die. Even, um, he's, he's, he's, he's saying that you'll have eternal life. Not necessarily that you will never die in the flesh, but you just period won't die. So whether you, um, believe in me, the point is you believe in me, right? Let me borrow from my notes here to add some some context there. So verses 25 and 26, this is the fifth in a series of great "I am" statements of Jesus. So he says here, "I am the resurrection and the life," remember? And it says with this statement, Jesus moved Martha from an abstract belief in the resurrection that will take place on the last day to a personalized trust in him who alone can raise the dead. No resurrection or eternal life exists outside of the Son of God. Time, which is represented here as the last day, is no barrier to the one who has the power of resurrection and life, for he can give life at any time. Okay, so verse 27, her response was, she said to him, yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God who is coming into the world. So he said, he's talking about resurrection and life, he says to her, do you believe this? Do you believe that I am the resurrection and the life? Do you believe that Though you die, you still live. She says not only yes, but she says, yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God who is coming into the world. Great. Now it goes on to start— we're going to the next section in verse 28. It continues, when she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying in private, The teacher is here and is calling for you. And I want us to pay attention to the two responses of the two sisters here. I want us to actually pay attention to everybody's responses moving forward in this chapter. Everyone's responses, because everyone here is looking at this from their angle, from their lens, and forming their own opinion about what they are hearing and what they're seeing, and we should do so too. We already know what the disciples feel like before he arrived on the scene. We have Thomas and his statement. 'Let us all go, that we may die with Him.' We have the disciples who are a little concerned because they're going back to Judea, where they know they're seeking to kill Jesus. So they're on edge that they're there. We have all of these mourners there, there just to support the family, grievers and whatnot. And we have Martha, one of the sisters, going out She sees Jesus, knows he's coming down the road. She meets him halfway and they have this dialogue. She makes the confession, "I believe you are the Christ, the Son of God who is coming into the world." So now she goes and she tells her sister, "The teacher is here and he's calling for you." All right, we'll pick it up in verse 29. And when she heard it, this is Mary now, who was sitting in the house, and when she heard it, she rose quickly and went to him. Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha had met him. 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. Tracking? So 32, now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, quote, Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. Which is exactly what Martha, her sister, had just said in verse 21. Martha said to Jesus in verse 21, by way of reminder, Martha said, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." Both sisters said the exact same words to Jesus. That's their belief, that if Jesus was there, their brother would not have died. Now let's see how Jesus interacts with Mary now, as opposed with Martha. When Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who had come with her also weeping— that's the scene— he was deeply moved. He was deeply moved in his spirit. Verse 33: He was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. Verse 33. All right, let's paint the picture here. Mary leaves the house. The mourners were all there. They see her get up and go. They think she's going to the tomb. They follow. You got this crowd coming to Jesus. He's outside the village, Mary leading the way, the mourners following her. She gets there, she, she weeping, crying. And when we use the word weep, you know, this is like she was deeply moved in her spirit, not just superficially crying. She was deeply mourning the loss of her brother. And when Jesus saw that, he was deeply moved. He was deeply moved when he saw that. And this should give us an idea, an indication of Jesus' heart for people, Jesus' heart for this family specifically. But it's not just them, it was all of the people. He was deeply moved. So I'll read it again. It says in verse 33, when Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit, in his own spirit, and greatly troubled. Greatly troubled. Now we'll unpack that in a second. Why was he greatly troubled? And this should also just show us that he has a heart, right? He's human. He's also God, the Son of God. And the fact that he's seeing this scene, he's not ignorant to it. He's not unsympathetic to it. You know, it troubles him. Why? Why does the trouble— why would he be troubled? Why does he care? But he does. Verse 34: And he said, 'Where have you laid him?' They said to him, 'Lord, come and see.' Verse 35, the shortest verse in the Bible. If you don't know it already, now you know. It says in verse 35, Jesus wept. Jesus wept. And it goes on to say in verse 36, so the Jews said, see how he loved him. But some of them said, could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying? So do you see what's going on through the crowd and the conversations? They're looking at Jesus. They're looking at his reaction. He's deeply moved in the spirit. He's greatly troubled. So I'm sure that has a look, right? Then we see he weeps. He wept. It says Jesus wept. He's crying. He's moved. He's feeling for them. He's feeling for them all. He can't contain himself, and he cries. He weeps. It says Jesus wept. And when they're seeing him, they know him. They know what he has done in the past. They know about the man with the blind man that opened the blind man, that, that whole thing. They know about those. They know about that. They, they're keeping track. That was a massive miracle, if you remember, where a man born blind, he made see, right? And they're saying, you know, could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying? And they're also saying, see how he loved him. They're almost like saying, well, He loved him, but why did he allow this to happen? They're confused. He could have— Lazarus was sick. He wasn't like dead yet. Like, we've seen worse. We've seen a man with no horn blind. You know, this is something he could have easily done based on what we've seen so far. So they're confused. They see him weeping, and they say, "See how much he loved him." But Jesus' emotions doesn't just stop there. We'll see in the next verse, in verse 38, it says, "Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb." Deeply moved again. He came to the tomb. Now it goes on to say it was a cave and a stone lay against it. Jesus said, take away the stone. Now I want us to really start paying attention to everyone's reactions here. As far as everyone is concerned, up until this point, Lazarus is a foregone conclusion. He's dead. It's 4 days. He's in the tomb. Now they're just going through the mourning process. They see Jesus crying. It's almost like, man, he wouldn't be crying if he just simply saved the guy. But it's too late. He missed the opportunity. So Jesus shocks everyone here. He goes to the tomb. And maybe they're thinking he's just there to also mourn. But he says, "Take away the stone." I'm sure everyone's like, "What do you mean, take away the stone?" And we see Martha's reaction. Remember, Martha was the first sister to meet Jesus outside the village. It was Martha who Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live. And everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?" It was Martha who said, "Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God." That's Martha. And remember, all we know when we talk about her other sister Mary, when Mary came out, Mary didn't have that whole confession that Martha had. Mary just simply said, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." That's all we know of Mary. Mary's just mourning, weeping. Jesus never said to her everything that he said to Mary that he said to Martha. So now we're talking about Martha again, the one that confessed, yes, Lord, I know, I believe you are the Christ, the Son of God who is coming into the world. So Jesus goes to the tomb, he says, roll away the stone. And it says in verse 39, Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, 'Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead 4 days.' Where is her confession now? Where is her belief now? Did she understand what Jesus had said to her? She did say, 'Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God who is coming into the world.' That's all she knows. She doesn't know what he actually said. Remember verse 23? Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." And that's all she remembers him saying. But she's thinking it's future tense. It's the last day resurrection. So she's still thinking that. She says, "Oh, I agree. I believe you are the Son of Man, the Son of God coming into the world. I believe you will resurrect him on the last day. But now we're in the moment, and now you're like, "Wait, what are you doing?" Martha says, verse 39, "Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead 4 days." And that's facts. If you've been dead 4 days, there is an odor. Jesus says in verse 40, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?" —saying this to Martha. So they took away the stone, and Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 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." And then it goes on to say, when he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, Lazarus, come out! Verse 44. Now, before we go to verse 44, you're in the crowd here. What's your reaction? Think about it. You're, you're in the crowd there. You're seeing Jesus. You're watching his every move. You know what he's about. What are you feeling right now? You're seeing this. You're seeing Martha say what she said. You're agreeing, yeah, there is probably an odor. And you're anticipating. You're watching. Jesus then goes on and the stone gets rolled away. Verse 41, so they took away the stone and we're watching Jesus' mannerisms. What's his mannerism? It says here, he lifted up his eyes. He lifted up his eyes to heaven, upwards. He lifted up his eyes and he verbally loudly said this, Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I thank you that you have heard me. The Father is in this. Remember, it's always in it. He goes on to say, 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. This is what Jesus is saying out loud in his prayer to God the Father. He's saying all this so that they that are around there can believe that you sent me, that Father, you sent me. I'm making this prayer loud. You already know, you hear me, but I'm only saying this for their sakes so that they know that you sent me. That's really important that Jesus wants them to understand and for us to understand, that God sent him. God the Father sent him. And it says that after that prayer, verse 43, when he had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice. Now remember, you're in the scene. It's a loud voice. It's a shout. It's called crying out with a loud voice. He makes a command to a cave that has a dead man for 4 days in there. And He says to this cave, to this dead man, whose name is Lazarus, who is His best friend on earth, as far as we know, He loved the family. He says a command, "Lazarus, come out." What do you think everyone is feeling right now? How do you feel right now if you were there? Amazing. Scared, maybe. This man has just spoken to a dead man to come out. It says in verse 44, the man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. And then Jesus said to them, unbind him and let him go. So I'm sure they're all looking stunned Right? This guy's bound up, you know, he's in his mourning, you know, wrapped up and everything. He can't unwrap himself. And they're probably just stunned, shocked, scared. Do I touch this guy? What is this? So Jesus had to tell them, unbind him, let him go. Now commentators say— I'll say it. It could be true, but it's really just a non-omer. They say how personal Jesus is with Lazarus that he had to be specific in using his name, because if he just simply said, "Come out," that all of the dead will follow, right? That he had to call out Lazarus' name so that only Lazarus could hear, and that's how Lazarus came. And of course, that could be true. Other questions are, well, where was Lazarus when he was dead? That's a whole nother topic, right? He obviously is not in his shell. He's not in his body. He's in a location, right? And that location is what the Bible calls in Hebrew Sheol, in Greek called Hades, in English called Hell. But not the fiery brimstone hell that you might think of. That's Gehenna. There's differentiation. So Sheol and Hades is called the abyss. It's called the land of the dead. It's a form for Catholics, they might think of it as kind of like a purgatory, though we don't really believe that you can be rescued out of purgatory, but it is the place you go until judgment. So Lazarus is there like everyone else who has died before him. But now the Son of God, according to Revelation, who has the keys to Hades, who can let anyone go in or out— this is Revelation. Has shown up in the person, in the flesh, and has made a command to Hades, the gatekeepers of Hades, or whoever constrains the spirits in that realm. He said, 'Come out, you're released.' And death and Hades could not hold Lazarus there any longer because the Son of God has shown up and given a directive that even Hades and the spirit realm, everything obeys him. And that is why Lazarus was released from Hades or Sheol, and his life returned to him because the one that gives life is there and can give life. And he brought back Lazarus. Now, this Lazarus unfortunately is going to get murdered later down the road. Because everyone is believing in Jesus because of this. Let's continue the story. Verse 45. One sec. Verse 45. Many of the Jews therefore who had come with Mary and had seen what he did believed in him. But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. It's almost like they're tattletales, if you will. But I bet you the reason why they're going to the Pharisees is because the Pharisees represent the Law of Moses. The Pharisees are their religious leaders. These people more or less are simple-minded. They need to confirm with their rabbis and their religious people that, "Hey, look what's going on here." Of course, everyone is anticipating and hoping in the Messiah to come, and that's why there's great debate in Jerusalem about Jesus. Is he or is he not the Messiah? So they went back to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. So now the Pharisees know. So verse 47, so the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the council and said, what are we to do? Do you think that they would be like, amen, the Messiah is here, finally, we've been waiting all these years? They got together with an emergency meeting and they said, "What are we to do? For this man performs many signs." Verse 47. They're acknowledging the reality of things. This man is performing many signs, and now he's raised a man with many witnesses from the dead who's been dead 4 days. They don't know what to do. Verse 48. Why are they concerned? It says here, "If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation." So their concern is that he's causing too much attention, and everyone is going to believe in him. They don't want that. They want the status quo, and they're concerned that he's causing all of this commotion, that all the people believe in him, that all the people are going to follow him, and that might actually put them, uh, as Israel might— the Romans might get it confused, and the Romans might think that this guy is trying to raise an army to resist Rome. So it's twofold. It's one is they don't want to lose their place and their standing in the community in Israel because they're, they're heads of state per se. Another is that they're worried that it's going to attract the Romans, and the Romans are going to go ahead and take away not only their nation but their place, because the Romans allowed them to self-govern to a point. The Romans allowed them to live their lives the way they know The Romans are just an occupying force. So the Romans allowed them to do their religion, but they had to pay taxes and they had to adhere to Roman law. But for the most part, they were allowed to be what they've always been and honor their own customs. Now they're worried the Romans are going to take all that away. So they get this emergency meeting together. And now we're introduced to another guy named Caiaphas in verse 49. It says, "But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, 'You know nothing at all, nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.'" Verse 51. He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation. Verse 51, let me read that back. He, he did not say this of his own accord, right? He actually in reality prophesied through the Spirit that Jesus would die for the nation. Verse 52: And not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. Right, so remember we were talking about the Good Shepherd, and Jesus says, um, I have other— I have other flock that I have to bring together, and so that they could all have one shepherd. Jesus says in that story, he says, you know, that I am the good shepherd, and not only do I have my sheep here, but I must gather my other sheep in another fold so that all of the sheep can come together and they can all have one shepherd. We're seeing here that this event, this crucifixion that will happen, the cross as we know it, is the instrument that will bring all the nations that would believe in Jesus together under Jesus. So the gospel, which is the gospel, the cross— so that is the instrument. This is why God did it this way, so that all of us one day through time will see him as the Savior and as the Good Shepherd. So it says here, almost like a footnote, verse 22: And not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. So the children of God are scattered abroad, right? We're all children of God. Those real— the real children of God were just scattered And until the moment we believe in Christ, then we're brought into the fold under one shepherd. So the cross is the instrument for that. Verse 53: So from that day on, they made plans to put him to death. Right, so from that day on, they made plans to put him to death. So I will read my Bible notes on 50. 50 was where it said, "Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish." In this context, it says, "He only meant that Jesus should be executed in order to spare their own positions and nation from Roman reprisals. But Caiaphas unwittingly used sacrificial substitutionary language and prophesied the death of Christ for sinners. And in regards to him prophesying, Caiaphas did not realize the implications of what he spoke. While he uttered blasphemy against Christ, God parodied his statement into such— and into truth— and parodied his statement into truth. Cross-reference Psalm 76:10. The responsibility for the wicked meaning of his words belonged to Caiaphas, but God's providence directed the choice of words so as to express the heart of God's glorious plan of salvation. Reference Acts 4:27-28. He actually was used by God as a prophet because he was the high priest, and originally the high priest was the means of God's will being revealed. Okay, so that's why Caiaphas is in the story, because he's the high priest. He represents Israel. So they had this emergency meeting because of Lazarus raising. They're concerned, like, this— what are we to do? Everyone's going to believe. What are we to do? Caiaphas comes. He says, hey, we need to kill him. But he was really prophesying, saying that those who would believe in this sacrificial death will live. So they come to this conclusion that he has to die. If we don't kill him, then everyone's going to believe in him. So verse 54, it says, Jesus therefore no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there to the region near the wilderness, to a town called Ephraim, and there he stayed with the disciples. Okay, now Ephraim probably refers— I'm borrowing from my notes here— Ephraim or Ephraim probably refers to the Old Testament city of Ephron, which was in 2 Chronicles 13:19. Its modern village name is Et-Tayebeh, and it is located 4 miles northeast of Bethel and about 12 miles from Jerusalem. The location was far enough away for temporary safety until the time of Passover. Which is referenced in John 11:55, which is what we're talking about next. So it goes on to say, um, so he— so, so Jesus goes, he's no longer walking because of this. Now he knows they're out to get him, they actively are out to kill him. So it says here, 54, he no longer is walking openly among the Jews, which he was doing before, but now he went 12 miles away north of Jerusalem to a town called Ephraim to get a little bit, you know, distance. 55 says, now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and many went up from the country to Jerusalem before the Passover to purify themselves. They were looking for Jesus and saying to one another as they stood in the temple, 'What do you think, that he will not come to the feast at all?' It's kind of similar to the Feast of Booths we saw before. 57. Now the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that if anyone knew where he was, he should let them know so that they might arrest him. And that's the end of our chapter. So we end up there that Because of this massive miracle, Lazarus is now alive again. He's back home. Jesus is now a target because of this, because many people are believing in him. Jesus has to go away now because of it. He drew a lot of attention to himself. He goes away, and now the Passover of the Jews is at hand, and many went up from the country to Jerusalem. So it is very busy in there. They're all talking about him. They're wondering if he's going to come to the feast at all because they— because the Pharisees had made an edict, had told everybody, hey, if you see Jesus, let us know so that we can arrest him. And that's where we end there. Now tomorrow, Lord willing, we'll get into the next chapter, chapter 12. We're going to see, uh, Mary, uh, that sister anointing Jesus. We know, kind of know that story, how she's going to anoint him with her perfume and, and that all, that whole story. So we'll see that exchange. We'll see the plot to kill Lazarus. I mentioned that earlier, the plot to kill Lazarus. Lazarus was raised from the dead, but now there's plot to kill him. So before he died from natural sickness, raised again, but now the Pharisees, the Jews, are going to try to take him out. And they do. We're going to look at that. We're going to look at the triumphal entry, and we're going to also see some Greeks that came to the scene, and they want to, um, they want to talk to Jesus. And then finally, tomorrow we're going to talk about, uh, the unbelief. We're going to examine what unbelief is. We're going to see the unbelief of the people. That's in the next chapter as well. All right, so that's where we'll just pin it for today. Thanks for joining me. Good to see you. I see you, Stephen. I hope you're doing well. I pray for you all the time, by the way, brother. Let's pray. Father, we thank you for this day, and we thank you for this word. This word of Jesus, chapter 11, we see your miracle power of you raising Lazarus from the dead. And we understand now that you are the resurrection and the life, that whoever would believe in you, though he lives, will never die. That is the promise. We're not afraid of the natural death per se. In fact, Scripture will show us that we will always be alive. And not only that, we will be resurrected again with a literal body on that last day. So there's so much upside to eternity that we are just not even conceiving right now because we are so distracted with life. And our issues. But you are the life, and we are happy that by knowing that we believe in you, who you say you are, that, um, that we will always live forever. There is no death for us. So praise God for that. We pray all these things in the name of your Son Jesus. Amen. All right guys, you have a great day. We'll see you next time. If you want to catch us on YouTube, it'll be there subcaptioned as well. Talk to you later. Bye.
