Sunday, September 13, 2020
John 11:17-37
“A Heartbroken Hero”
Service Orientation: Jesus’ resurrection is the guarantee that death is dead. In Christ, there is no ultimate death for those who live by believing in him.
Memory Verse for the Week: “And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.” Romans 8:11
Background Information:
- The family at Bethany must have been well known in Jerusalem, with connections within the Jewish hierarchy, since many “Jews” came to comfort Martha and Mary over the loss of Lazarus. A procession composed of relatives, friends, and sometimes hired mourners accompanied a body to the grave; and mourning usually lasted for several days afterward. (Frank E. Gæbelein, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Vol. 9, 118)
- (v. 33) The Greek word for “deeply moved” can mean “intensely agitated.” Jesus may have been agitated by the excessive sorrow of the mourners, by Martha and Mary’s limited faith, or by the general unbelief. Even more so, Jesus was angry at the power of death, man’s ultimate enemy (1 Corinthians 15:26). (Bruce B. Barton, Life Application Bible Commentary: John, 232)
- (v. 35) Jesus wept – Out of sympathy with those who were in tears all around him, as well as from a deep sense of the misery sin had brought upon human nature. (John Wesley, Wesley’s Notes on the Bible, 170)
- A later Jewish text that cites an authority from the early third century a.d. says the mourners should continue to come to the tomb for three days because the dead person continues to be present. Mourning is at its height on the third day presumably because it is the last time the dead person will be present there. “Bar Kappara taught: Until three days [after death] the soul keeps on returning to the grave, thinking that it will go back [into the body]; but when it sees that the facial features have become disfigured, it departs and abandons it [the body]” (Genesis Rabbab 100:7, cf. Leviticus Rabbah 18:1; Ecclesiastes Rabbah 12:6). Thus, the reference to the fourth day may be quite significant for setting the scene for another dramatic miracle. (Rodney A. Whitacre, The IVP New Testament Commentary Series: John, 283-284)
- By waiting four days before raising Lazarus, a much greater number witnessed his resurrection, and thus the miracle of Christ was more decisively authenticated, for it would be given greater publicity. The Hand which controls all things so shaped events that it was impossible for the Sanhedrin to discredit this last great “sign” of Israel’s Messiah. (Arthur W. Pink, Exposition of the Gospel of John, 590)
The question to be answered is…
If Jesus loved Lazarus so much, why wait to act? And what does Jesus’ response and actions reveal?
Answer…
Jesus’ timing was intentional in light of the bigger picture; the present resurrection needed, and a future resurrection hoped for. And the Source of our resurrection hope offers it as one uniquely able to sympathize AND empathize with our human experience.
The word of the day is… hope
How is a bigger picture of hope presented in this text?
- By pointing to the reality of a present resurrection life in Christ. (v.25)
(John 3:3, 16; 5:24; 10:10; Rom. 6:1-2, 4, 11, 23; 8:5; 2 Cor. 5:17; Gal. 6:8; 1 Pet. 2:24)
One who clings to Him, is united with Him in faith, is living eternally now, as well as at the end. He will pass through an incident called physical death, but he cannot die eternally because He has put His trust in the One who is Life. So Godet says, “Jesus means therefore: In me the dead lives, and the living does not die.” (Roger L. Fredrikson, The Communicator’s Commentary: John, 196)
Jesus’ power to overcome death confirmed his power to give eternal life to those still living. People are dead spiritually without Christ. But to those who trust him, Jesus gives eternal life now along with the power to live in obedience to him. (Bruce B. Barton, Life Application Bible Commentary: John, 233)
- By anticipating the reality of a future resurrection hope that awaits those in Christ. (v.26)
(Is. 26:19; John 6:40; 11:25; Rom. 8:11; 1 Cor. 2:9-10; 6:14; 1 Pet. 1:3; 1 Thes. 4:14; Phil. 3:20-21)
The one who believes in Christ has eternal life that transcends physical death. If he is living and believing, he will never die but will make an instant transition from the old life to the new life. (Frank E. Gæbelein, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Vol. 9, 118)
The life that comes through believing in Jesus is not interrupted by physical death. (Rodney A. Whitacre, The IVP New Testament Commentary Series: John, 286)
- By presenting our Savior as one uniquely able to resonate with our suffering. (vv. 33, 35, 36)
(Ps. 147:3; Mat. 5:4; John 16:33; Rom. 8:34; Phil. 3:10; Heb. 4:15; 1 Pet. 5:7; Rev. 21:4)
‘Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and today, and forever.’ He ‘wept.’ How we see the reality of His human nature! Yes; it was a perfect human heart. He wept for the sorrow and desolation which sin has brought into the world; and He entered into it as no other could. (Arthur W. Pink, Exposition of the Gospel of John, 607)
Conclusion… What hope does Jesus offer in light of this?
A. In Christ, you have a resurrection reality to look forward to. (Rom. 8:18; 1 Cor. 15:12-20; Phil. 3:20-21; Heb. 11:1)
Today. This day. In the stink of it. The throes of it, Jesus makes a miracle out of it. When others nail you to the cross of your past, He swings open the door to your future. Paradise. Jesus treats your shame-filled days with grace. (Max Lucado, Great Day Every Day, 17)
Hope sees a crown in reserve, mansions in readiness, and Jesus Himself preparing a place for us, and by the rapturous sight she sustains the soul under the sorrows of the hour. (C.H. Spurgeon, “The Holy Spirit’s Intercession” sermon, 1880)
B. In Christ, you have a resurrection reality to live into.
(John 3:16; 10:10; Rom. 6:4; 8:11; 1 Pet. 1:23)
Christians have therefore already been changed by Jesus’ resurrection. Jesus really is alive today. Because of this Christians are also alive in a whole new way. The same power that raised Christ from the dead is living in every true Christian. (Adrian Warnock, Raised With Christ, 14)
Faith involves certain beliefs. Faith involves an attitude of hope and confidence. But at its core, faith is trusting a person. (John Ortberg, Faith and Doubt, 51)
C. In Christ, you have a Savior who is with you through each painful period in life. (Ps. 147:3; 2 Cor. 4:17; Phil. 3:10; Heb. 4:15; 1 Pet. 5:7)
We have a great God and Savior who loves us, who delays and stays away, who allows us to go through ultimate extremity, and then he comes and enters into our sorrow. He enters the sorrow that he could have prevented in such a way that he gasps, his whole body shudders, and he begins to weep. That is the perspective Christ wants us to have. If you are hurting, he wants you to know that he weeps with you. (R. Kent Hughes, Preaching the Word: John, 262)
Worship Point…
Passion in worship is fueled by living into the reality of the resurrected life Jesus offers.
The end we ought to propose to ourselves is to become, in this life, the most perfect worshippers of God we can possibly be, as we hope to be through all eternity. (Brother Lawrence, The Practice of the Presence of God, 17th century)
Gospel Application…
Good news! Death is dead for those in Christ! In Jesus there is not only forgiveness, but life in his name, and the promise of a future glory for those in Him.
Christ does not approach the sepulcher as an idle spectator, but as a champion who prepares for a contest; and therefore we need not wonder that he again groans; for the violent tyranny of death, which he had to conquer, is placed before his eyes. (John Calvin, Commentary on John: Vol. 1, 360)
Nothing is more healthful than to be emptied of self-sufficiency. The sooner we reach this place the better. (Arthur W. Pink, Gospel of John, 580)
Life begins at the moment a person accepts the Saviour. Whosoever lives and believes in Jesus will never die because Jesus has already died for him. That is, he will never die a penal death for his sins. He will never be separated from God. (J. Vernon McGee, Thru The Bible Commentary Series, John, 198)
Spiritual Challenge Questions…
Reflect on these questions in your time with the Lord this week, or discuss with a Christian family member or life group.
- How can a relationship with Jesus give hope in the midst of pain and suffering? How has Jesus given you hope and strength in the midst of a trial, pain, or struggle?
- What might be some practical implications of living “by believing in” Jesus? (v.26)
- How does the hope of a future resurrection serve to encourage your faith-journey as a Christian? How can it encourage others?
- Does the fact that Jesus suffered serve to encourage you in times of pain or suffering? If so, how? How can our Suffering Servant (Is. 53) offer hope to those in pain?
Quotes to note…
His knowledge is not like ours, which has three tenses: present, past, and future. God’s knowledge has no change or variation. (Augustine, City of God)
It is not future events but the Person of the Lord, ever present with us, that we need most to be occupied with. Strength, blessing, comfort, are imparted just so far as we are taken up with Christ Himself. (Arthur W. Pink, Exposition of the Gospel of John, 594)
Perhaps Jesus was weeping for Lazarus, as well as with the sisters, because He knew He was calling His friend from heaven and back into a wicked world where he would one day have to die again. Jesus had come down from heaven; He knew what Lazarus was leaving behind. (Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary: New Testament, 270)
Perspective makes all the difference. We are earthbound creatures, but if we could somehow look down upon the traffic jams in our lives, we would react much differently. (R. Kent Hughes, Preaching the Word: John, 255)
Jesus himself is the resurrection and he is the life. Only through a relationship with him can we experience this resurrection and this life. Only one kind of life—the life of God (Ephesians 4:18) — is truly life. Only it can overcome death. Jesus is this life. (Bruce B. Barton, Life Application Bible Commentary: John, 231)
The central thing in John 11 is Christ made known as the resurrection and the life, and everything in it only serves to bring out by way of contrast the blessedness of this revelation. Resurrection can be displayed only where death has come in, and what is so much emphasized here is the desolation which death brings and man’s helplessness in the presence of it. (Arthur W. Pink, Exposition of the Gospel of John, 578)
It is important to note that Jesus did not deny what Martha said about the future resurrection. The resurrection of the human body is a cardinal doctrine in the orthodox Jewish faith. But in His great “I am” statement, our Lord completely transformed the doctrine of the resurrection and, in so doing, brought great comfort to Martha’s heart. (Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary: New Testament, 269)
Many of these mourners, no doubt, knew nothing of the inner life of these holy women. Their faith, their hope, their love to Christ, their discipleship, were things of which they were wholly ignorant. But they felt for them in their heavy bereavement, and kindly came to offer what comfort they could. By so doing they reaped a rich and unexpected reward. They beheld the greatest miracle that Jesus ever wrought. They were eye-witnesses when Lazarus came forth from the tomb. To many of them, we may well believe, that day was a spiritual birth. The raising of Lazarus led to a resurrection in their souls. How small sometimes are the hinges on which eternal life appears to depend! If these people had not sympathized they might never have been saved. (J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on John Vol.2, 195)
FURTHER QUOTES & RESEARCH:
21-22 The words Martha addressed to Jesus express both a repressed reproach and a persistent faith. She was disappointed that Jesus had not responded to her first news of Lazarus’s illness, but that did not lead her to break her relationship with him. Despite her remorse, she was confident that God would grant Jesus’ desire in this matter. (Frank E. Gæbelein, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Vol. 9, 118)
23-26 Martha interpreted Jesus’ promise (v.23) that her brother would rise again in terms of the expectation of a general resurrection. She may have taken his words as a conventional expression of comfort; he intended them to describe what he would do. Martha’s reply indicates that she shared the Pharisaic belief in an ultimate resurrection for the just (Acts 23:7). (Frank E. Gæbelein, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Vol. 9, 118)
33-35 The response of Jesus to this calamity illustrates his human and divine natures. Up to this point he had been perfectly calm, assuring Martha that her brother would rise and asserting that he was the resurrection and the life. He was completely in command of the situation and challenged Martha’s faith. Butwhen Mary appeared, crushed with sorrow and accompanied by the waiting mourners, Jesus was moved with deep emotion. His feeling is expressed by three words: “deeply moved,” “troubled” (v.33), and “wept” (v.35). The first of these (enebrimesato) means literally “to snort like a horse” and generally connotes anger. It could not have indicated displeasure with the sisters whom he was trying to comfort and for whom he felt the strongest compassion. Perhaps it expressed his resen’tment against the ravages of death that had entered the human world because of sin.
‘The second word, “troubled” (etaraxen), expresses agitation, confusion, or disorganization. Here it implies agitation rather than complete confusion. Jesus was not apathetic or unnerved by the prevailing mood of sorrow. Lazarus had been a beloved friend, and Jesus shared in the common feeling of grief over his death. His human feelings were normal and are revealed by the crisis of the moment. Overcome by emotion, he gave way to weeping. Williams’s translation reads: “Jesus burst into tears.” His grief was spontaneous. (Frank E. Gæbelein, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Vol. 9, 119)
36-37 Jesus’ true humanity was emphasized by the response of the people at Lazarus’s tomb. Some were impressed by Jesus’ open show of emotion and took it as an evident token of his love for Lazarus. Others, perhaps not so lovingly, wondered why Jesus had not prevented Lazarus’s death by one of his miracles. The reference to the healing of the blind man shows that it must have created a sensation in Jerusalem since it was remembered several months after it had occurred. (Frank E. Gæbelein, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Vol. 9, 119)
Yes, the natural man, the world over, is spiritually dead. He is alive worldwards, selfwards, sinwards, but dead Godwards. It is not that there is a spark of life within which by careful cultivation or religious exercises may be fanned into a flame; he is completely devoid of Divine life. (Arthur W. Pink, Exposition of the Gospel of John, 579)
Of what use is a “remedy” to one who is dead? (Arthur W. Pink, Exposition of the Gospel of John, 579)
Of what use is it to reason and argue with a corpse? and yet that is precisely what the sinner is from the standpoint of God. (Arthur W. Pink, Exposition of the Gospel of John, 579)
the spiritual death of the natural man is plainly manifested by the corruptions of his heart and life. (Arthur W. Pink, Exposition of the Gospel of John, 580)
The quicker we are made to realize our own helplessness, the more likely are we to seek help from God. The sooner we recognize that “the flesh profiteth nothing” (John 6:63), the readier shall we be to cry unto God for His all-sufficient grace. It is not until we cease to depend upon ourselves that we begin to depend upon God. (Arthur W. Pink, Exposition of the Gospel of John, 581)
While no doubt they looked upon Christ as a miracle-worker, it is clear they had no apprehension of the glory of His person—”this man” shows that. (Arthur W. Pink, Exposition of the Gospel of John, 590)
God not only has a good reason for each of His delays, but generally a manifold reason. Many various ends are accomplished by each of His actions. (Arthur W. Pink, Exposition of the Gospel of John, 590)
There was a strange mingling of the natural and the spiritual, of faith and unbelief in this statement of Martha’s. She had confidence in Christ, yet she limited His power. She believed that her brother had not died, no matter how low he were, had Christ only been present; yet the thought never seems to have entered her mind that He was able to raise Lazarus now that he was dead. (Arthur W. Pink, Exposition of the Gospel of John, 591)
In New Testament Greek there are two words for “ask.” The first, “aiteo,” signifies a familiar asking. The second, “eroteo,” means a supplicatory petitioning. The one is suited to express the favor asked of the Creator by the creature, the other for a son’s asking of the Father. The former is never used of Christ with the Father except here on the lips of Martha! It was a dragging down of Christ to the level of the prophets. It was the inevitable outcome of having sat so little at His feet listening to His words. (Arthur W. Pink, Exposition of the Gospel of John, 592)
It is easier to believe things which are in the far off (which occasion us no exercise of heart!) than it is to appropriate now that which ministers comfort and strength for the present trial. (Arthur W. Pink, Exposition of the Gospel of John, 593-594)
Infinitely better is it for us to be occupied with the Giver than His gifts. (Arthur W. Pink, Exposition of the Gospel of John, 595)
The sequel (John 11:39) clearly shows that Martha had not really “believed” what Christ here said to her—a most searching warning for us. Much of what we thought we held is found to have made no impression upon us when the hour of testing comes. (Arthur W. Pink, Exposition of the Gospel of John, 597)
The central design of John’s Gospel is to present Christ to us as the Eternal Word become flesh, the Lord of glory in the likeness of men. Two things are made prominent throughout: His Divine dignity and His human perfections. (Arthur W. Pink, Exposition of the Gospel of John, 599)
He [Jesus] never hides Himself from a seeking soul. (Arthur W. Pink, Exposition of the Gospel of John, 603)
The Jews who had journeyed from Jerusalem to Bethany had felt for Martha and Mary in their heavy bereavement, and came to offer what comfort they could. By so doing they reaped a rich and unexpected reward. They beheld the greatest miracle which Christ ever wrought, and as the result many believed on Him (John 11:45). “We need not doubt that these things were written for our learning. To show sympathy and kindness to the sorrowful is good for our souls. To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, to weep with them that weep, to try and bear one another’s burdens and lighten one another’s cares,—all of this will make no atonement for sin and will not take us to Heaven. Yet it is healthy employment for our hearts, and employment which we ought not to despise. Few persons are aware that one secret of being miserable is to live only for ourselves, and one secret of being happy is to try to make others happy. In an age of peculiar selfishness and self-indulgence it would be well that we took this to heart” (Bishop Ryle). (Arthur W. Pink, Exposition of the Gospel of John, 603)
“When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled” (John 11:33). The Greek word here for “groaned” is expressive of deep feeling, sometimes of sorrow, more often of indignation. In this instance the Holy Spirit has recorded the cause of Christ’s groaning—it was the sight of Mary and her comforters weeping. He was here in the midst of a groaning creation, which sighed and travailed over that which sin had brought in. And this He felt acutely. The original suggests that He was distressed to the extremest degree: moved to a holy indignation and sorrow at the terrific brood which sin had borne. Agitated by a righteous detestation of what evil had wrought in the world. (Arthur W. Pink, Exposition of the Gospel of John, 605)
“Jesus wept” (John 11:35). The shortest verse in the Bible, yet what volumes it contains. The Son of God weeping, and weeping on the very eve of raising the dead man! Who can fathom it? Three times in the New Testament we read of the Lord Jesus weeping: here, over Jerusalem, (Luke 19:41), and in Gethsemane (Heb. 5:7). Each time His tears were connected with the effects or consequences of sin. By the grave-side of Lazarus these tears expressed the fullness of the grief which His heart felt. They manifested the perfectness of His love and the strength of His sympathy. He was the Man of sorrows and “acquainted with grief.” Yet, here too was more than an expression of human sympathy. Here were souls upon which rested the weight of the dark shadow of death, and they were souls which He loved, and He felt it. (Arthur W. Pink, Exposition of the Gospel of John, 606)
Each experience of suffering and trial ought to increase our faith, but this kind of spiritual growth is not automatic. We must respond positively to the ministry of the Word and the Spirit of God. (Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary: New Testament, 268)
Since Mary later echoed Martha’s words of greeting (John 11:32), it is likely that the sisters often said these words to each other as they waited for Jesus to arrive. While there may have been a tinge of disappointment in the statement, there was also evidence of faith, for nobody ever died in the presence of Jesus Christ. (Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary: New Testament, 269)
Martha did not hesitate to affirm her faith. She used three different titles for Jesus: Lord, Christ (Messiah), and Son of God. (Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary: New Testament, 269)
He took it out of a book and put it into a person, Himself. “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25)! While we thank God for what the Bible teaches (and all Martha had was the Old Testament), we realize that we are saved by the Redeemer, Jesus Christ, and not by a doctrine written in a book. (Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary: New Testament, 269)
When you are sick, you want a doctor and not a medical book or a formula. When you are being sued, you want a lawyer and not a law book. Likewise, when you face your last enemy, death, you want the Savior and not a doctrine written in a book. In Jesus Christ, every doctrine is made personal (1 Cor. 1:30). When you belong to Him, you have all that you ever will need in life, death, time, or eternity! (Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary: New Testament, 269)
Our Lord’s response was to groan within and “be moved with indignation.” At what was He indignant? At the ravages of sin in the world that He had created. Death is an enemy, and Satan uses the fear of death as a terrible weapon (Heb. 2:14–18). No wonder Jesus was indignant! (Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary: New Testament, 269)
Our Lord never used His divine powers when normal human means would suffice. (Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary: New Testament, 269)
The emphasis from this point on was on the faith of the spectators, the people who had come to comfort Mary and Martha. (Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary: New Testament, 270)
His prayer now was for the sake of the unbelieving spectators, that they might know that God had sent Him. (Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary: New Testament, 270)
if Jesus had not named Lazarus when He shouted, He would have emptied the whole cemetery! (Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary: New Testament, 270)
All lost people are spiritually dead, but some are more “decayed” than others. No one can be “more dead” than another. (Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary: New Testament, 270)
If the heart will not yield to truth, then the grace of God cannot bring salvation. (Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary: New Testament, 270)
they were seeking for ways to protect their own selfish interests. (Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary: New Testament, 270)
Many and great are the mistakes into which people fall, by forming a false estimate of the Christian’s character. Many are the bitter things which people write against themselves, by expecting to find in their hearts what cannot be found on this side of heaven.186)
saints on earth are not perfect angels, but only converted sinners. They are sinners renewed, changed, sanctified, no doubt; but they are yet sinners, and will be until they die. (J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on John Vol.2, 186)
vague and indefinite views of Christ are too often the cause of all their perplexities. (J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on John Vol.2, 187)
To show sympathy and kindness to the sorrowful is good for our own souls, whether we know it or not. To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, to weep with those who weep, to try to bear one another’s burdens, and lighten one another’s cares–all this will make no atonement for sin, and will not take us to heaven. Yet it is healthy employment for our hearts, and employment which none ought to despise. (J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on John Vol.2, 196)
This weeping of Christ is deeply instructive. It shows us that it is not sinful to sorrow. Weeping and mourning are sadly trying to flesh and blood, and make us feel the weakness of our mortal nature. But they are not in themselves wrong. Even the Son of God wept. It shows us that deep feeling is not a thing of which we need be ashamed. (J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on John Vol.2, 196)
There is nothing unworthy of a child of God in tears. (J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on John Vol.2, 197)
Let us remember these things in daily life, and never be ashamed of walking in our Master’s footsteps. Let us strive to be men and women of a tender heart and a sympathizing spirit. Let us never be ashamed to weep with those who weep, and rejoice with those who rejoice. Well would it be for the Church and the world if there were more Christians of this stamp and character! The Church would be far more beautiful, and the world be far more happy. (J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on John Vol.2, 197)
The raising of Lazarus from the dead is the seventh and climactic “sign” recorded in John’s Gospel concerning Jesus’ ministry of healing. John is the only evangelist who records this miracle. (Samuel Young, Beacon Bible Expositions, 89)
From their conversation (above), it looks like Martha is still thinking of the coming general resurrection, while Jesus is trying to tell her that eternal life is begun even now in terms of a new order of life, and that this order also changes our view of death even now. (See John 17:3.) (Samuel Young, Beacon Bible Expositions, 91)
In Jesus’ request to have the stone removed at the tomb, and in His command to loose Lazarus and let him go, there is an involvement with others as though He would say, “There is no trickery or deception here. It is the power of God alone.” (Samuel Young, Beacon Bible Expositions, 93)
Our perspective makes all the difference! Do we see our problems from above or from ground level? In the story of Lazarus’ death and resurrection in John 11, both perspectives are evident. We see the ground-level perspective in Mary and Martha and the divine perspective in our Lord. This passage is good medicine for our hearts because Lazarus’ death is symbolic of the extremities we encounter in life, the difficulties that come to all of us, whether the death of a loved one, the loss of our position, or the erring of a child. Lazarus’ death symbolizes all of these things. Our Lord’s approach also shows us how our heavenly Father deals with us in the midst of the problems we face. This story teaches us about perspective. (R. Kent Hughes, Preaching the Word: John, 256)
Martha looked at the Lord and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died” (v. 21). That refrain had probably come often from Martha’s and Mary’s lips in the past few days. The wait had been agonizing as they wondered, When will the Lord get here? Martha’s words were almost a reproof to the Lord. But in verse 22 she caught herself: “But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” At first she said what she honestly thought, then she decided she had better sound a little more orthodox. Have you ever felt that way? “Where were you, Lord? You came too late. Where were you when my loved one died? Where were you when my marriage dissolved? Where were you when my parents divorced? Where were you when my father became an alcoholic? Where were you when I was cheated out of my my father became an alcoholic? Where were you when I was cheated out of my promotion? Where were you when my child went astray?” Please notice—the Lord did not reprove Martha for her words! It is not sinful to tell God how you feel. That may sound like heresy in the light of some things we have been taught, and I want to qualify it by saying that we should always be reverent toward God. He is God! We are his creatures and must ever bow to him. But that does not mean we are not allowed to express to him how we feel. (R. Kent Hughes, Preaching the Word: John, 259-260)
* (v. 33) The word translated “was deeply moved” comes from an ancient Greek word that describes a horse snorting. When taken in this text’s context, it implies that our Lord let out an involuntary gasp. The wind just went out of him. E. V. Riev translates this, “He gave way to such distress of spirit as made his body tremble.” The point is, our Lord was so caught up in both sisters’ emotion that he involuntarily gasped. He felt their sorrow with everything he had. Notice that the verse ends by saying he was “troubled.” Mary’s and Martha’s sorrows were taken to his heart. 261)
Jesus is the exegesis of God. (R. Kent Hughes, Preaching the Word: John, 262)
- But some of them went to the Pharisees – What a dreadful confirmation of that weighty truth, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rose from the dead! (John Wesley, Wesley’s Notes on the Bible, 171)
Lord,… if you had been here, my brother would not have died (11:21). This statement by Martha revealed both her deep confidence in Jesus’ healing power and her deep pain at Lazarus’s departure. She cast no blame on Jesus, but rather seemed numbed by the turn of events which had snatched her brother from her, despite their close friendship with the Healer of all diseases. (Joseph Dongell, John: A Bible Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition, 142)
So powerfully does the Father work through Jesus, so brightly does the glory of the Father shine through Jesus, so completely is the Father’s will accomplished through Jesus, that Jesus and the Father function as one. And if so perfectly they function as one, Jesus must share the very nature of the Father. It is through His full dependence upon the Father that Jesus’ majesty finds clearest expression. (Joseph Dongell, John: A Bible Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition, 145)
There is no question that Lazarus has died. Twice it is stated that his body has been in the grave four days. There was a Jewish belief that the soul of the departed hovered around the body for three days hoping to return, but when decomposition set in it would leave. Lazarus may well have been dead by the time the messengers arrived with the word that he was ill—there had been a day’s journey for them to the Jordan country, then Jesus’ staying on two days before taking the day’s journey to Bethany. By the time He arrived the body had begun to decay. (Roger L. Fredrikson, The Communicator’s Commentary: John, 195)
All of the signs were revelations of who Jesus is and what he offers. The final sign, the raising of Lazarus, points most clearly to what has been at the heart of the revelation all the way through and what was emphasized in Jesus’ keynote address (5:19-30)—that Jesus is the one who gives life. The irony, of course, is that he gives life by giving up his own life on the cross. A further irony is that by giving life to Lazarus, Jesus sets in motion his own death. The raising of Lazarus, then, is time final sign before the event that actually accomplishes what all the signs have pointed toward—the provision of life through the death of the Son of God. (Rodney A. Whitacre, The IVP New Testament Commentary Series: John, 277)
John does not say exactly when this event took place, only that it was sometime during the four months, roughly, between the Feast of Dedication and Passover. John is, however, careful to describe the place. This Bethany is a little less than two miles southeast of Jerusalem on the road to Jericho (cf. v. 18). (Rodney A. Whitacre, The IVP New Testament Commentary Series: John, 277)
Jesus’ love for Lazarus and his sisters teaches us that our faith in God’s love, even in the midst of adversity, is well grounded. Even those especially dear to God must endure such things (cf. Chrysostom In John 62.1). “The one sick, the others sad, all of them beloved: but He who loved them was both the Savior of the sick, nay more, the Raiser of the dead and the Comforter of the sad” (Augustine In John 49.7). (Rodney A. Whitacre, The IVP New Testament Commentary Series: John, 278)
Jesus’ response, Your brother will rise again (v. 23), comes across as a common consolation among those Jews who believed in the future resurrection. That is how Martha takes it (v. 24), which is another case of misunderstanding. Not that her belief in the future resurrection is wrong—indeed, it is confirmed by what takes place. But Jesus is speaking of something more profound, the very foundation upon which the future resurrection itself rests. As almost always in John’s Gospel, the key to unlocking Jesus’ cryptic sayings is Jesus’ own identity. (Rodney A. Whitacre, The IVP New Testament Commentary Series: John, 285)
The wailing of Mary and those with her provokes a strong emotional reaction in Jesus. The NIV translation, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled (v. 33), is common among English translations, but it does not do justice to the language. The word for deeply moved (embrimaomai) can be used of snorting in animals (for example, Aeschylus Seven Against Thebes 461) and in humans refers to anger (Beasley-Murray 1987:192-93). The second word, troubled (tarassö), is literally “troubled himself” (etaraxen heauton). So a better translation would be, “became angry in spirit and very agitated” (Beasley-Murray 1987:192-93). (Rodney A. Whitacre, The IVP New Testament Commentary Series: John, 288)
Others suggest Jesus is angry at death itself and the pain and sadness it causes evident in the wailing (Westcott 1908:2:96; Brown 1966:435; Michaels 1989:203). This could be a parallel with the emotion Jesus felt in the Garden of Gethsemane (Mk 14:33), “prompted by the imminence of death and the struggle with Satan” (Brown 1966:435; cf. Chrysostom In John 63.2), though there it is more like sadness. Either interpretation gets at a truth. Since the focus of this chapter is the theme of life, death is the more likely object of his anger. In a Gospel in which life is one of the primary themes, death is clearly the great enemy. Also, anger at their lack of faith would not be appropriate since they have not been faithless, though theirs is an imperfect faith. And he has no reason to expect the Jews present to frust in him, especially since they did not hear his revelation to Martha. Thus, his anger is most likely not at their imperfect faith, but at death itself and the reign of terror it exercises. (Rodney A. Whitacre, The IVP New Testament Commentary Series: John, 289)
Jesus says to her, “Martha, don’t you know that I am the resurrection and the life?” If we have Jesus, we have life. “He that believeth in me, though he were dead …” is referring to spiritual death. Though a person is spiritually dead, “yet shall he live.” Then He looks into the future and says that the one who has trusted Him shall never die. Life begins at the moment a person accepts the Saviour. Whosoever lives and believes in Jesus will never die because Jesus has already died for him. That is, he will never die a penal death for his sins. He will never be separated from God. Then Jesus asks the question: “Believest thou this?” (J. Vernon McGee, Thru The Bible Commentary Series, John, 198)
When Jesus said, “Your brother will rise again,” she attributed it to the future resurrection—”I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.(NKJV) At face value, Jesus’ statement did little to console Martha, for she already knew that Lazarus would rise again in the resurrection and live eternally with God, just as she and Mary would when they died. At this point, resurrection was only a future, abstract concept to Martha, not a possible, immediate reality in Christ. But Jesus did not mean an eventual, distant resurrection, he meant that Lazarus would rise again that very day! (Bruce B. Barton, Life Application Bible Commentary: John, 230)
God knows that “our light affliction… is but for a moment” (2 Cor 4:17) , but is He the less compassionate on that account? (J.C. Macaulay, Expository Commentary on John, 138)
21—22. Martha’s opening Lord is probably to be taken as in v. 3. Her first words to Jesus are not a rebuke, as if she were saying that Jesus ought to have been there. Rather, they are words of grief and of faith: she is confident that if Jesus had been present while her brother lay ill, Jesus would have healed him. Verse 22 has been taken by many to mean that Martha’s faith runs deeper yet: she is confident that if Jesus asks his Father to raise her brother from the dead, his prayer will be answered. That is not quite what the text says, and the unbelief reported in v. 39 stands dramatically against that interpretation. Verse 22 must be taken more generally: Martha is not only persuaded that her brother would not have died had Jesus been present, but even now, in her bereavement, she has not lost her confidence in Jesus, and still recognizes the peculiar intimacy he enjoys with his Father, an intimacy that ensures unprecedented fruitfulness to his prayers. (D. A. Carson, The Gospel According to John, 412)
