Today, we are going to read through a great story. For the most part today, I'm going to keep my hands off of it, and just let it speak for itself. [It's also a big story, and I have to fly higher to grab it in one week]. John 11:1:
(1) Now, there was a certain sick one,
Lazarus from Bethany,
from the village of Mary, and Martha her sister.
(2) Now, Mary was the one anointing the Lord with fragrant oil,
and wiping her feet with her hair,
whose brother Lazarus was sick/weak.
(3) Then, the sisters sent to(ward) him, saying,
"Lord, LOOK! The one whom you love is sick."
(4) Now, hearing-- Jesus-- he said,
"This sickness isn't to death,
but for God's glory,
in order that he would be glorified-- the son of God-- through it.
(5) Now, he loved -- Jesus-- Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
(6) Then, when he heard that he was sick, then, on the one hand , he was abiding in the place where he was two days.
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So Jesus truly loves Lazarus, and Mary, and Martha. But when the sisters send word to him that Lazarus, the one he loves, is sick, Jesus' immediate response is to do nothing. He deliberately stays an extra two days.
Throughout the gospel of John, Jesus never acts in response to human need, or asking. He always acts on his Father's timetable, doing what his Father wants.
Talbert: "He one encounters yet again the Johannine motif that Jesus' behavior is determined wholly by God's leading (5:19) and not by human pressures, especially by those closest to him like his mother (2:3-4) or brothers (7:8-9) or beloved friends (11:5)" (Reading John, 172).
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Verse 7ff:
(7) Next (on the other hand), after this, he says to his disciples,
"Let us go to Judea again."
(8) They say to him-- the disciples--
"Rabbi, a moment ago they were seeking you, to stone-- the Judeans--
and again you are going up there?"
(9) He answered-- Jesus--
"Twelve hours, aren't there in a day?
If anyone walks in the day, he doesn't stumble,
because the light of this world, he sees.
(10) Now, if anyone walks in the darkness, he stumbles,
because the light isn't in him.
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Jesus going to Judea again is something that, viewed from a lower, earthly level of understanding, doesn't make sense. The disciples know that Judeans are a people who want Jesus dead. They know that Judea is a place of danger. So why would Jesus go back again, so soon?
Jesus' answer, is that nothing bad will happen to him so long as he walks in the day-- in the light. He won't stumble; there's nothing to worry about.
Who is the light? What is the light? I think the light here is the Father. As long as Jesus is focused on the light of this world, and has the light inside of him, he is okay.
Now, when Jesus says all of this, he does so in a way that is designed to teach his disciples. What he says, is true, is not just for him, but for us, as well. If you walk in God's light, living faithfully toward the Father, you won't stumble. God will show you what to do, and say, and where He wants you to go. All you have to do, is learn how to walk in the light.
Jerome Neyrey, John, 194:
"Jesus' 'foolish' return to hostile territory is truly 'wise'-- but according to criteria different from those of the disciples."
Picking back up again, verse 11:
(11) These things he said,
and after this, he says to them,
"Lazarus our friend has fallen asleep,
but I am going,
in order that I shall wake him up."
(12) Then, they said-- the disciples-- to him,
"Lord, if he is sleeping, he will be saved."
(13) Now, he had been speaking-- Jesus-- about his death.
Now, those ones thought that about the sleep of slumber he is speaking.
(14) Then, he then said to them-- Jesus-- in boldness/plainness,
"Lazarus died,
(15) and I rejoice for your sake,
in order that you shall believe/give allegiance,
because I wasn't there,
but let us go to(ward) him.
(16) Then, he said-- Thomas-- the one being called Didymus by his fellow disciples--
"Let us go-- also us--
in order that we may die with him."
(17) Then, coming-- Jesus,-- he found him,
four days already being in the tomb.
(18) Now, Bethany was near Jerusalem, less than two miles away.
(19) Now, many from the Judeans had come to Martha and Mary,
in order they would comfort them about the brother.
(20) Then, Martha, when she heard that Jesus is coming, went to meet him.
Now, Mary in the house was sitting.
Let's pause, just for a second. Martha and Mary right now are separated. What we are about to read, first, is Martha talking to Jesus. Then, in a minute, we will read about a separate encounter between Mary and Jesus. [Scholars call this the "Martha cycle" and the "Mary cycle."] The two separate encounters are going to sound, in many ways, almost the same. They will echo each other. But in the most important way, there is a huge difference between them. And we need to make sure we catch that.
So. Martha and Jesus, starting in verse 21:
(21) Then, she said-- Martha-- to Jesus,
"Lord, if you were here, he wouldn't have died-- my brother--
(22) and I now/at this moment know,
that whatever you ask God, he will give to you-- God."
(23) He says to her-- Jesus--
"He will rise up-- your brother."
(24) She says to him-- Martha--
"I know that he will rise up at the resurrection at the last day."
(25) He said to her-- Jesus--
"I am the resurrection and the life.
The one giving allegiance to me, even if he dies, will live,
and each one living and "giving allegiance" to me will absolutely never die (for)ever.
Do you "believe" this?"
(27) She says to him,
"Yes, Lord, I have believed/given allegiance,
that/because you are the Christ/Messiah, the son of God, the one into the world coming,"
Martha has flawless theology. She knows that Jesus is the kind of person who God always hears, when Jesus prays. Jesus can ask for anything, and God will give it. She knows that there is a resurrection of the dead on the last day. At first, there is this tension between these two things. It's almost like she has this flicker of hope/faith, that maybe it's not the end for Lazarus. Maybe, there's still something Jesus can do for him. But when Jesus responds to her faith by saying that her brother will rise up, she can't let herself hear that at face value. It's too much. And this, is not the end of the world for Martha. No one comes to Jesus understanding everything all at once. The important thing is still, that she is open-minded, and that she has come to the right person.
And so Jesus, in verse 25, helps her by revealing who is truly is. Jesus is the resurrection and the life. And what that means, concretely, is two different things. Unfortunately, this is a little tricky.
First, Jesus says this, verse 25: "The one giving allegiance to me, even if he dies, will live,"
If you give your allegiance to Jesus, even if you die, you will live. Your physical death is not the end of your story.
You will live.
Second, Jesus says this, verse 26: "and each one living and "giving allegiance" to me will absolutely never die (for)ever."
"Eternal life" in the gospel of John is not only a future thing. It's something you have, and experience, right now. It's a now-and-later thing. This eternal life-- this Spirit life-- that you have with God, will be forever unbroken. Death will not ever be a thing for you; you will always live, in unbroken fellowship with God.
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Whitacre:
"The life that comes through believing in Jesus is not interrupted by physical death. “The topic is the nature of the life that the believer has, namely one that death cannot destroy since the believer is in union with him who is the Life” (Beasley-Murray 1987:191). “By taking humanity into Himself He has revealed the permanence of man’s individuality and being. But this permanence can be found only in union with Him. Thus two main thoughts are laid down: Life (resurrection) is present, and this Life is in a Person” (Westcott 1908:2:90).
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So Jesus reveals these two truths to Martha, and then he asks, "Do you 'believe' this?"
And Martha's response, totally kills it here. Verse 27:
(27) She says to him,
"Yes, Lord, I have believed/given allegiance,
that/because you are the Christ/Messiah, the son of God, the one into the world coming,"
Martha uses a perfect tense to describe her "faith/allegiance." She has already believed/given allegiance. She knows who Jesus is; she has given her allegiance to him; she has total faith in what Jesus can do.
With this, we come to Jesus' encounter with Mary. Verse 28:
(28) and this saying, she left,
and she called Mary her sister,
furtively saying,
"The teacher is here,
and he is calling you."
(29) Now, that one, when she heard it, rose quickly,
and she was coming to(ward) him.
(30) Now, he had not yet come-- Jesus-- to the village,
but he was still in the place where she met him-- Martha.
(31) Then, the Judeans-- the ones being with her in the house and consoling her-- seeing Mary, that quickly she rose and she left--
they followed her,
thinking that she is going to the tomb,
in order that she would wail there.
(32)Then, Mary, when she came where Jesus was,
seeing him, she fell at his feet,
saying to him,
"Lord, if you were here, my brother wouldn't have died."
(33) Then Jesus, when he saw her wailing,
and the ones coming with her-- the Judeans-- wailing,
he was deeply moved/agitated/angry in spirit,
and he was troubled/upset/disturbed within himself,
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Let's pause here. We are going to read two different words for "crying" in this story. Here, in verses 31 and 33, the word is ??a??. This is a noisy type of crying. Wailing, crying out.
"25.138 ??a??; ??a??µ??, ?? m; ??a???b, ?? f: to weep or wail, with emphasis upon the noise accompanying the weeping—‘to weep, to wail, to lament, weeping, crying.’
Later, when Jesus cries, it's a different verb. da???´?. The verb Jesus does means more like, "to shed tears."
Mary, when she sees Jesus, "wails." She grieves her brother with a sense of hopelessness. She's grieving, as if this is the end of Lazarus. And why does she grieve this way? Mary is not like Martha. Mary doesn't have Martha's strong conviction that Lazarus will one day be raised from the dead. She doesn't have Martha's strong conviction that God will do anything Jesus asks of Him. She doesn't understand that death will never really be a thing for you, if you've given your allegiance to Jesus. And if you don't have those things, you will mourn the loss of loved ones very differently. You will wail, instead of weep.
Jesus, when he sees Mary "wailing," and the Judeans "wailing," gets upset. Notice, that it's the way they grieve, that bothers him. Their "wailing" makes Jesus upset. (H/T Charles Talbert).
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D.A. Carson (quoted by Charles Talbert, who I'm following):
"Others think that the anger is directed at the unbelief itself. The men and women before him were grieving like pagans, like ‘the rest of men, who have no hope’ (1 Thes. 4:13). Profound grief at such bereavement is natural enough; grief that degenerates to despair, that pours out its loss as if there were no resurrection, is an implicit denial of that resurrection."
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(34) and he said,
"Where have you laid him?"
They say to him,
"Lord, come and see."
(35) He cried/wept -- Jesus.
(36) Then, they were saying-- the Judeans--
"LOOK! How he was loving him."
(37) Now, some from them said,
"Wasn't he able-- this one-- the one opening the eyes of the blind-- to do [something],
in order that also this one wouldn't die?"
(38) Then, Jesus, again being deeply moved/agitated/angry within himself, comes to the tomb.
(39) Now, it was a cave,
and a stone was lying upon it.
(39) He says-- Jesus--
"Take away the stone."
She says to him-- the sister of the one having died -- Martha--
"Lord, already he stinks.
For four days, it is."
(40) He says to her-- Jesus--
"Didn't I say to you,
that if you believe, you will see God's glory?"
"If you believe, you will see God's glory." Hear these words. Write them on your mirrors. On your doors.
(41) Then, they took away the stone.
Now, Jesus lifted his eyes above,
and he said,
"Father, I give thanks to you,
that you heard me.
(42) Now, I have known that always, me, you hear,
but for the sake of the crowd standing around I spoke,
in order that they would believe
that you, me, you sent,"
R.H. Fuller, Interpreting the Miracles, 107 (quoted in Charles Talbert, Reading John, 176):
"Jesus lives in constant prayer and communication with his Father. When he engages in vocal prayer, he is not entering, as we do, from a state of non-praying into prayer. He is only giving overt expression to what is the ground and base of his life all along. He emerges from non-vocal to vocal prayer here in order to show that the power he needs...for the raising of Lazarus...depends on the gift of God. That is why the prayer is a thanksgiving rather than a petition."
(43) and, these things saying, with a loud voice, he shouted,
"Lazarus, come outside."
(44) He came out-- the one having died--,
having been bound of his feet and hands with strips of cloth,
and his face, with a cloth having had been wrapped.
He says to them-- Jesus--
"Loose him,
and let him go."
(45) Then, many from the Judeans-- the ones coming with Mary, and seeing what he did-- gave allegiance to him.
So. For weeks, we've thought the Judeans were hopeless. They haven't been able to "hear" Jesus. They've misunderstood everything he's said. They've rejected him. They've tried to kill him. We wondered how long Jesus would bother reaching out to such a hard-hearted people.
But now, all of that's gone. The Judeans aren't hopeless, after all. "Many" from the Judeans, seeing the sign, give their allegiance to Jesus. Their problem, then, was only that they hadn't seen a big enough sign. They hadn't seen enough of God's power. And now that they've seen Lazarus raised from the dead, who knows where the story will go from here?
Before we write anyone off as hopeless, we should find ourselves thinking about this verse. Again, maybe the problem, for "many" people, is that they haven't seen enough of God's power.
Verse 46:
(46) Now, some from them, left toward the Pharisees,
and they told them what he did-- Jesus.
So, "many" gave their allegiance to Jesus. But "some," after seeing this sign, go the wrong direction-- toward the Pharisees. And they tell the Pharisees what Jesus did.
Verse 47-48 (the imperfect verb in verse 47, "were saying," sets the stage for Caiaphas's words in verse 49):
(47) Then, they gathered together-- the chief priests, and the Pharisees, the Sanhedrin--,
and they were saying,
"What are we doing?,
because this man, many signs, he is doing.
(48) If we allow him [to go on] in this manner, all will give allegiance to him,
and they will come-- the Romans--
and they will take away from us-- both the place and the nation."
The religious leaders understand that what Jesus just did marks a potential turning point in Jesus' ministry. If Jesus can raise someone from the dead, he can do anything. There are no limits. When Lazarus was in the tomb, some of the Judeans had wondered, couldn't a man who had given sight to the blind, have healed Lazarus from his sickness? (John 11:37). They understood that Jesus had set the bar high. Blind people don't see. And everything easier than that, lower than that, they had confidence that Jesus could do-- and they weren't even his disciples (!). Now that Jesus has shown everyone that he can raise people from the dead... they understand that everything is possible. There are no limits.
And how will all of this end? The religious leaders, hearing the news, can clearly see the future. "All" are going to give allegiance to Jesus. Then, the Romans will come and "take away" everything from them-- both "the place" (=the temple; cf. John 4:20), and the nation.
Notice here how hard their hearts are. The fact that Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, through God's power, does nothing for them. It only makes them afraid, because they are focused on what they will lose. They don't care about what they could gain, if they came to Jesus.
Verse 49:
(49) Now, a certain one from them, Caiaphas, high priest being of that year, said to them,
"You don't know anything,
nor do you consider,
that it is profitable/advantageous for you,
that one man should die for the people,
and not the whole nation would be lost/perish."
(51) Now, this from himself he didn't speak,
but, being high priest of that year, he prophesied,
that Jesus was about to die for the nation,
and not for the nation only,
but in order that also the children of God-- the ones dispersed-- would be gathered into one.
One of the interesting things about prophecy, is that the person prophesying isn't always aware of what he/she is saying.
[In Mekilta, on Exodus 15:17, it says, "All prophets who have prophesied have not known what they prophesied; only Moses and Isaiah knew it" (quoted in Charles Talbert, Reading John, 177). Which would maybe play into something like Psalm 22, where possibly the psalmist wasn't really aware of what he was writing]. [Also, Talbert points to passages from Josephus where he assumes that the high priest prophesying is something that happened more than once. It's the kind of thing that one would half-expect].
Here, the high priest accidentally prophesies. It's better that one man die, so that the entire nation wouldn't be lost/perish (John 10:28). And God agreed, obviously. It's better that his son die, than that the entire nation perish.
Caiphus accidentally gives voice to God's heart, and God's plan. He accidentally views things from God's perspective.
So the religious leaders were right, sort of. There is a rich irony here, that I'm not sure how to unpack. Who is the enemy? Who should be feared? The religious leaders think there are two threats to themselves-- Jesus, and the Romans. Jesus "takes away" people from the thieves, and robbers, and hired workers. He takes people from them to join his flock (John 12:11). And unlike John the Baptist, they aren't okay with this. The last thing they will do, is point away from themselves, and toward Jesus, and rejoice when Jesus becomes greater.
And the Romans? The Romans will take away "this place"-- the temple-- and the nation from them.
So what the religious leaders are looking at, is the loss of everything. If they don't put a stop to this, there will be nothing left for them. No sheep. No temple. No nation. But what they don't realize, is who the true enemies of the people are. The real enemies are sin, sickness, death, and Satan. [And, maybe, they've made themselves the true enemies, by aligning themselves against God's plan, only to accidentally give it fulfillment? "Thieves and robbers." Not sure??] And Jesus is going to die, so that as God's lamb, he will defeat humanity's true enemies and give people life.
So Caiphus, understanding this only in part, through a twisted perspective, prophesies that Jesus' coming death, is a good thing. It's better that one man die, so that the whole nation will live. And then, in verse 51, AJ (author of John) helps us by adding his own voice. AJ says, Caiphus wasn't just talking about Jerusalem, and Judea. The death Jesus is about to die, was for the whole world, to unite all of God's people into one flock, Jew and Gentile.
Verse 53-54:
(53) Then, from that day, they resolved,
that they would kill him.
(54) Then, Jesus no longer openly/boldly/plainly was walking around among the Judeans,
but he left from there to/for the region near the wilderness, to/for Ephraim, a city being called,
and there he abided with the disciples.
So this decision marks the end of Jesus' public ministry. The battle lines are set; Jesus is going to die. But it's not quite yet Jesus' hour. He leaves Judea, and goes to the wilderness, and there, he does what? He abides with his disciples.
Let me leave you today, with three simple thoughts:
(1) The Father loves you. When God sent Jesus to die for you, in your place, He focused on what was best for you. God wanted your sins to be forgiven. He wanted you to become part of his family-- part of his flock. He wanted to free you from all your enemies, and give you eternal life with him. God...loves...you. Jesus Christ is proof of God's love for you.
(2) Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead, is a sign that Jesus will raise us from the dead. Death is not the end. We will live forever, because we have given our allegiance to Jesus. When our loved ones die, we weep. But we are not a people who wail, because we understand that Jesus is the resurrection and the life.
(3) Anything is possible with Jesus. "If you believe, you will see God's glory."
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John 11 in English Bibles goes on for a few more verses, but verse 55 marks a new section-- AJ begins by talking about another feast, as he typically introduces other sections. That, and AJ likes to end sections by talking about Jesus abiding with his disciples.
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Translation:
(1) Now, there was a certain sick one,
Lazarus from Bethany,
from the village of Mary, and Martha her siste r.
(2) Now, Mary was the one anointing the Lord with fragrant oil,
and wiping her feet with her hair,
whose brother Lazarus was sick.
(3) Then, the sisters sent to(ward) him, saying,
"Lord, LOOK! The one whom you love is sick."
(4) Now, hearing-- Jesus-- he said,
"This sickness isn't to death,
but for God's glory,
in order that he would be glorified-- the son of God-- through it.
(5) Now, he loved -- Jesus-- Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
(6) Then, when he heard that he was sick, then, on the one hand , he was abiding in the place where he was two days.
(7) Next (on the other hand), after this, he says to his disciples,
"Let us go to Judea again."
(8) They say to him-- the disciples--
"Rabbi, a moment ago they were seeking you, to stone-- the Judeans--
and again you are going up there?"
(9) He answered-- Jesus--
"Twelve hours, aren't there in a day?
If anyone walks in the day, he doesn't stumble,
because the light of this world, he sees.
(10) Now, if anyone walks in the darkness, he stumbles,
because the light isn't in him.
(11) These things he said,
and after this, he says to them,
"Lazarus our friend has fallen asleep,
but I am going,
in order that I shall wake him up."
(12) Then, they said-- the disciples-- to him,
"Lord, if he is sleeping, he will be saved."
(13) Now, he had been speaking-- Jesus-- about his death.
Now, those ones thought that about the sleep of slumber he is speaking.
(14) Then, he then said to them-- Jesus-- in boldness/plainness,
"Lazarus died,
(15) and I rejoice for your sake,
in order that you shall believe/give allegiance,
because I wasn't there,
but let us go to(ward) him.
(16) Then, he said-- Thomas-- the one being called Didymus by his fellow disciples--
"Let us go-- also us--
in order that we may die with him."
(17) Then, coming-- Jesus,-- he found him,
four days already being in the tomb.
(18) Now, Bethany was near Jerusalem, less than two miles away.
(19) Now, many from the Judeans had come to Martha and Mary,
in order they would comfort them about the brother.
(20) Then, Martha, when she heard that Jesus is coming, went to meet him.
Now, Mary in the house was sitting.
(21) Then, she said-- Martha-- to Jesus,
"Lord, if you were here, he wouldn't have died-- my brother--
(22) and I now/at this moment know,
that whatever you ask God, he will give to you-- God."
(23) He says to her-- Jesus--
"He will rise up-- your brother."
(24) She says to him-- Martha--
"I know that he will rise up at the resurrection at the last day."
(25) He said to her-- Jesus--
"I am the resurrection and the life.
The one giving allegiance to me, even if he dies, will live,
and each one living and "giving allegiance" to me will absolutely never die forever.
Do you "believe" this?"
(27) She says to him,
"Yes, Lord, I have believed/given allegiance,
that/because you are the Christ/Messiah, the son of God, the one into the world coming,"
(28) and this saying, she left,
and she called Mary her sister,
furtively saying,
"The teacher is here,
and he is calling you."
(29) Now, that one, when she heard it, rose quickly,
and she was coming to(ward) him.
(30) Now, he had not yet come-- Jesus-- to the village,
but he was still in the place where she met him-- Martha.
(31) Then, the Judeans-- the ones being with her in the house and consoling her-- seeing Mary, that quickly she rose and she left--
they followed her,
thinking that she is going to the tomb,
in order that she would wail there.
(32)Then, Mary, when she came where Jesus was,
seeing him, she fell at his feet,
saying to him,
"Lord, if you were here, my brother wouldn't have died."
(33) Then Jesus, when he saw her wailing,
and the ones coming with her-- the Judeans-- wailing,
he was deeply moved/agitated/angry in spirit,
and he was troubled/upset/disturbed within himself,
(34) and he said,
"Where have you laid him?"
They say to him,
"Lord, come and see."
(35) He cried/wept -- Jesus.
(36) Then, they were saying-- the Judeans--
"LOOK! How he was loving him."
(37) Now, some from them said,
"Wasn't he able-- this one-- the one opening the eyes of the blind-- to do [something],
in order that also this one wouldn't die?"
(38) Then, Jesus, again being deeply moved/agitated/angry within himself, comes to the tomb.
(39) Now, it was a cave,
and a stone was lying upon it.
(39) He says-- Jesus--
"Take away the stone."
She says to him-- the sister of the one having died -- Martha--
"Lord, already he stinks.
For four days, it is."
(40) He says to her-- Jesus--
"Didn't I say to you,
that if you believe, you will see God's glory?"
(41) Then, they took away the stone.
Now, Jesus lifted his eyes above,
and he said,
"Father, I give thanks to you,
that you heard me.
(42) Now, I have known that always, me, you hear,
but for the sake of the crowd standing around I spoke,
in order that they would believe
that you, me, you sent,"
(43) and, these things saying, with a loud voice, he shouted,
"Lazarus, come outside."
(44) He came out-- the one having died--,
having been bound of his feet and hands with strips of cloth,
and his face, with a cloth having had been wrapped.
He says to them-- Jesus--
"Loose him,
and let him go."
(45) Then, many from the Judeans-- the ones coming with Mary, and seeing what he did-- gave allegiance to him.
(46) Now, some from them, left toward the Pharisees,
and they told them what he did-- Jesus.
(47) Then, they gathered together-- the chief priests, and the Pharisees, the Sanhedrin,
and they were saying,
"What are we doing?,
because this man, many signs, he is doing.
(48) If we allow him [to go on] this manner, all will give allegiance to him,
and they will come-- the Romans--
and they will take away from us-- both the place and the nation."
(49) Now, a certain one from them, Caiaphas, high priest being of that year, said to them,
"You don't know anything,
nor do you consider,
that it is profitable/advantageous for you,
that one man should die for the people,
and not the whole nation would be lost/perish."
(51) Now, this from himself he didn't speak,
but, being high priest of that year, he prophesied,
that Jesus was about to die for the nation,
and not for the nation only,
but in order that also the children of God-- the ones dispersed-- would be gathered into one.
(53) Then, from that day, they resolved,
that they would kill him.
(54) Then, Jesus no longer openly/boldly/plainly was walking around among the Judeans,
but he left from there to/for the region near the wilderness, to/for Ephraim, a city being called,
and there he abided with the disciples.
