With Dale Ratzlaff
John 11:1-16
Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. It was the Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. So the sisters sent word to Him, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.” But when Jesus heard this, He said, “This sickness is not to end in death, but for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when He heard that he was sick, He then stayed two 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 twelve 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.” This He said, and after that He said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I go, so that I may awaken him out of sleep.” The disciples then said to Him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that He was speaking of literal sleep. So Jesus then said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, and I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may believe; but let us go to him.” Therefore Thomas, who is called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, so that we may die with Him.”
In this lesson, coupled with the next two, we come to the most astounding miracle that Jesus performed in His earthly ministry—the resurrection of Lazarus who had been dead four days. John gives us many details and presents these in outline form:
- Introduction to the people involved
- The sickness of Lazarus
- The message to Jesus about Lazarus being sick
- The delay of Jesus
- The death of Lazarus
- The return of Jesus to the territory of His enemies
- The miracle of raising Lazarus
- The plotting of Jesus’ death
The people involved in this account are Martha, Mary, and their brother Lazarus. Many believe that Martha was the oldest, then Mary, and Lazarus was the youngest. They lived in Bethany, which we learn from verse 18 was about two miles from Jerusalem.
It was the Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.
This statement is an out of time insertion which is explained in the next chapter of John’s Gospel:
Mary then took a pound of very costly perfume of pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume (Jn. 12:3).
This event gives us insight into the close relationship Jesus had with Martha, Mary, and Lazarus and also explains the simple message the sisters sent to Jesus:
Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.
This short message leaves out much of what we would expect. There is no mention of how sick Lazarus was. We assume the sisters would not have sent the message unless they were fearful that Lazarus might die. There is no request. There is no argument telling Jesus what a good brother Lazarus had been and why Jesus should come and heal him. There is just a statement of fact leaving the outcome entirely up to Jesus.
We can learn much from this story. Lazarus and the sisters must have had lots of thoughts going through their minds. They knew of other healings Jesus had performed. They knew Jesus loved and cared for them, yet here they were alone, praying to Jehovah with Lazarus deathly sick, and Jesus was somewhere else.
Perhaps we have felt that way at times. We intellectually know that God loves us and we love Him, yet often we find ourselves feeling alone, believing that Jesus must be somewhere else. Just as Mary and Martha did not know the outcome, we often cannot see how the will of God directs our circumstances; we do not know the outcome that will bring glory to God.
After the note of the sisters had been delivered, Jesus gave a short statement for the messenger to take back to the family.
This sickness is not to end in death, but for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it.
Mary and Martha must have read these words many times trying to understand their full meaning. They could have concluded that Jesus was saying that Lazarus was not going to die of this sickness. However, by the time the messenger returned, Lazarus was dead. A careful reading of this verse does not say that Lazarus will not die. Instead, the sickness of Lazarus will be (1) for the glory of God (2) so that the Son of God may be glorified by it. “Be glorified” is not God seeking to be praised; rather, this event is designed to reveal the glory of God through Jesus Christ. This will be another powerful “sign” for people to believe in Jesus Christ, and by believing, have life in His name.
Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when He heard that he was sick, He then stayed two days longer in the place where He was.
We might question why Jesus stayed in the place where he received the message for two more days. And, that is precisely what Martha and Mary later wondered. However, the key to understanding this is the parenthetical statement just before.
Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
His lingering after hearing the news about Lazarus shows that He knew what was going to happen and sets up the circumstances so that it will. It will show the most love for Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, and prove that the resurrection of Lazarus was more than resuscitation. Jesus is planning to resurrect Lazarus after he had been dead four days—more on this in a later lesson.
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?”
We begin to see the love and care the disciples had for Jesus. Their first thought was not about their safety, but that of Jesus. Fresh in their minds are the events recorded in John eight and nine when Jews picked up stones to throw at him. They knew the danger of returning where the Jews were ready and waiting for the chance to put Jesus to death. In answer to the disciples’ question, Jesus says,
Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.
The twelve hours represent Jewish time. The hours of daylight are the hours when men can work. This statement of Jesus is similar to the statement he made in connection to the healing of the man born blind:
Jesus answered, “It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him. We must work the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day; night is coming when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world” (Jn. 9:3-5).
Jesus is communicating to the disciples that His work is not yet over. As long as He has another day to do the “works of God,” He must do them. Jesus refers to works as “walks.” That is the present “work” assigned to them by God. They are to walk back toward Bethany, just two miles from Jerusalem where the Jews wanted to kill Jesus. His statement is general in that it applies to “anyone.” If “anyone” walks in the day, he does not stumble. Today, God has given each of us twelve hours, meaning a day to serve God, and if we are about His work with our eyes on Christ who is the light of the world, we will not stumble. By “night” Jesus refers to those who walk outside the will of God, “because the light is not in him.” If we are engaged in doing God’s will, and He calls us to enter into difficult, even dangerous circumstances, we are to follow, just as Jesus and the disciples were to walk back into danger.
This He said, and after that He said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I go, so that I may awaken him out of sleep.” The disciples then said to Him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that He was speaking of literal sleep.
In this statement, we see the omniscience of Jesus. The messenger from the sisters said only that Lazarus was sick. Now Jesus states that “our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep.” “Sleep,” as in death, is a euphemism that allows us to see death in a softer light. It also gives hope, as a person who sleeps is expected to awake.
Jesus calls Lazarus, “Our friend.” To be a friend of Christ is to be a friend of His friends! This is the reason behind the often-used words of Scripture which calls other Christians “brothers.” John, in His epistle to the church, uses this theme to define true Christians.
The one who loves his brother abides in the Light and there is no cause for stumbling in him. But the one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes (1 Jn. 2:10-11).
The disciples then said to Him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that He was speaking of literal sleep. So Jesus then said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, and I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may believe; but let us go to him.”
The disciples probably wondered why Jesus said, “I am glad that I was not there.” The reason is clear to us who can look ahead to the rest of the story. If Jesus had been present when Lazarus was sick, it is assumed by these words of Jesus that he would have healed Lazarus. By allowing Lazarus to die, even though it brought emotional pain, uncertainty, and unanswered questions, in the end, it brought great joy to the whole family, friends and even the broader community. Here we see an example of God’s omniscience, love, and sovereignty working all things together for good.
Therefore Thomas, who is called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, so that we may die with Him.”
Thomas is called “Didymus”—the twin. This short statement by Thomas has been interpreted in several ways. First, because Thomas doubts the witness of the other disciples who saw Jesus after the resurrection recorded in John 20, he is often called “Doubting Thomas.” In harmony with this mindset, some see the statement “Let us also go, so that we may die with Him” as a pessimistic forecast of doom if they go back near Jerusalem. Some see “die with him” as meaning dying with Lazarus, others, with Christ (R.C.H. Linski, Commentary of the New Testament, John, p. 794).
Second, others see Thomas’ words a reflection of raw devotion and courage. Even if he did not know exactly what was ahead, he determined to go with Christ come what may, even death, and urged his fellow disciples to follow accordingly (D.A. Carson, the Gospel According to John, p. 410).
Application
- To know that God loves us gives us the right to present to him our needs and the assurance that He will make the right decision regarding them.
- When facing difficulties and wonder as to why God does not seem to bring the deliverance we want and need, we can remember this account and realize that God by His omniscience and foreknowledge knows what is best.
- God’s timing is often unknown to us. We must rest by placing our anxiety on Him, knowing that He works all things together for good.
Prayer
Father, thank you that you are omniscient and know all things. Thank you that I can rest assured in your love that you will answer my prayers in a way that will bring about the best result, better than I ever expected.
In Jesus name.
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