HE WHOM THOU LOVEST IS SICK.
John 11:1-16.
JOHN 11:1. “Now a certain man was sick.” This is the first mention of Lazarus of Bethany in the Gospels, and he is identified alongside his sisters, Mary and Martha.
JOHN 11:2. Mary is identified in anticipation of the incident in the following chapter (cf. John 12:3). This Mary was probably already well-known to John’s original readers, as the “Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair.”
JOHN 11:3. The sisters’ straightforward message to Jesus was, “Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick.”
First, they called Him “Lord,” recognising His authority over all things.
Second, they bade Him to “behold” the sudden affliction of His friend.
Then they laid their case before Him, plain and simple: “he whom thou lovest is sick.” No petition, just a quiet assurance indicating that they know that Jesus will know what is best to do.
JOHN 11:4. Jesus’ response to the message was for all to hear, not just the messenger. The ultimate end of THIS sickness will not be death, “but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.”
The use of the word “that” does not mean that the sickness was CAUSED in order that the Son of God might be glorified, but rather that the CONSEQUENCE of the sickness was to be that the Son of God might be glorified.
Jesus was not suggesting that Lazarus would not really die, but pointing to the reality that at the end of the transaction, Lazarus would be alive nevertheless!
JOHN 11:5-6. The family of Lazarus, Martha and Mary of Bethany were especially loved by Jesus. Yet the sovereign Lord, for wise reasons of His own, did not rush to the bedside of His sick friend. “He abode two days where He was.”
JOHN 11:7-8. When it became humanly impossible for anybody to do anything for Lazarus, the Lord announced His intention to go to him now. The disciples may have doubted the wisdom of this because of the close proximity of Bethany to Jerusalem (cf. John 11:18). After all, had not the Jews there lately sought to stone Him?
JOHN 11:9-10. The proverb that Jesus uses by way of answer to the concerns of His disciples amounts to what we have been seeing throughout the Gospel. The Lord’s time was not yet. He would not be slain until His work was done.
For now, nothing would happen to Him – and if they were walking in Jesus, “the light of this world,” they would be safe too. However, those who walk in darkness will stumble because there is no light in them.
JOHN 11:11. “Our friend Lazarus sleepeth.” This is a gentle metaphorical way of saying that he is dead. Such an expression is not used of animals, but of humans, because of the hope of the resurrection. Death is not annihilation. We read in the Old Testament that so-and-so ‘slept with his fathers’ (e.g. 2 Kings 14:22, and many more).
What a beautiful thing to be called a friend of Jesus. And what a friend WE have IN Jesus! But Jesus says more: He says “our” friend Lazarus, indicating the friendship and fellowship of ALL true believers.
Still speaking metaphorically, Jesus said, “I go that I may awaken him out of sleep.” This was a statement of intention that He was going to raise Lazarus from the dead. Jesus was going to Bethany, whether His disciples would come with Him or not: that was why Jesus said, “I” go.
JOHN 11:12-14. The disciples seem to have missed the point, thinking rather of the healing properties of natural sleep. If Lazarus is sleeping, they thought, then he is getting better. But Jesus spoke of Lazarus’ death. So Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead.”
JOHN 11:15. Knowing in His spirit that Lazarus was now dead, Jesus explained His delay in terms of the benefit which would accrue to His disciples from what was about to happen.
JOHN 11:16. Thomas for one demonstrated a commitment to the Lord which professed to be willing to face death with Him if need be.
