John 11

Chap. XI. Ver. 1—19. The sickness and death of Lazarus. —“Sickness (says Bishop Hall) is the common preface to death: no mortal nature is exempted from this complaint; even Lazarus, whom Jesus loved, is sick……. It was a stirring message that Mary sent to Jesus: ‘Lord, he whom thou lovest is sick:’ as if she would imply that his part was no less deep in Lazarus than hers. Neither doth she say, ‘He that loves thee is sick;’ but ‘He whom thou lovest:’ not pleading the merits of Lazarus’ affection to Christ, but the mercy and favour of Christ to him. “Jesus well heard the first groan of his dear Lazarus; every short breath that he drew, every sigh that he gave, was upon account; yet this Lord of life lets his Lazarus sicken, and languish, and die…….

““What a happy family was this! I find none upon earth so much honoured! ‘Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus.’…. But, O, Saviour, how doth this agree? Thou lovedst this family, yet, hearing of their distress, thou heldest off two days more from them. Canst thou love those thou regardest not? Canst thou regard them from whom thou willingly absentest thyself in their necessity? Behold, thy love, as it is above ours, so it is oft against ours. Even out of very affection art thou not seldom absent. None of thine, but have sometimes cried, How long, Lord?” A few other particulars may be here observed: 1. Our Lord says, “This sickness is not unto death,” when he well knew that Lazarus was dying; but the meaning evidently is, that it should not terminate in death, but “in the glory of God,”

by his resurrection from the grave. 2. Jesus, we may remark, delayed his visit to Bethany till after Lazarus was dead and buried, and his body (in that climate particularly) must in the natural course of events, have begun to decay, and the smell become so offensive as to satisfy every one of the certainty of its dissolution. 3. The gentle manner in which our Lord informs his disciples of the decease of Lazarus: first he says, “Our friend Lazarus sleepeth, but I go that I may awake him.” Believers sleep in death; but, in the resurrection, they awake in the Saviour’s likeness. Shortly afterwards he explains himself: “Lazarus is dead;” but he adds immediately, “I am glad for your sakes, that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe.”

4. We have an affectionate proof of the attachment of the apostles to their Lord and Master. No sooner does he speak of going back to Judea, than Thomas, one of the most affectionate, proposes to his fellow-disciples to go with him; and anticipating the Jews would do him some mischief, he says, with a mixture of love and desperation, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” Ver. 20—40. Jesus converses with the sisters of Lazarus.—The news that Jesus was coming, soon spread itself in the neighbourhood, and Martha immediately set out to meet him, and left Mary weeping in the house. Immediately as she sees Jesus, she laments that he had not come sooner, saying, “Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died: but even now”—What!

after he had been dead four days, and the corpse had become offensive to the smell? Yes, even now, “I know that whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee.” Jesus here, as it were, put words into her mouth; “Thy brother shall rise again:” as if he had said, “Ask then the life of thy brother:” but she understands him of a distant resurrection at the end of the world: “I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” Jesus now announces himself as “the resurrection and the life;” and encourages her to believe, that even yet her brother might be restored to her through his almighty power. And he goes farther— “He that believeth on me, though he were [spiritually] dead yet shall he [spiritually] live: and he that [thus] liveth, and believeth in me, shall never die”—that is, shall not die for ever; shall not suffer the pain of a second, an everlasting death.

“‘Believest thou this?’ said he: she replies, “Yea, Lord, I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world:” and having thus said, she instantly runs to tell her sister Mary secretly, what doubtless was the fact—“The Master is come, and calleth for thee;” and Mary as suddenly and privately leaves her company—those who had come to mourn with her—and they very naturally conclude that she was gone to her brother’s grave, as the custom was, “to weep there.” She went not, however, to “seek the living among the dead;” but she flies to her adored Lord—she casts herself at his feet, overwhelms him with her tears, and repeats the same gentle complaint as her sister—“Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.”

Jesus inquires now for the tomb of Lazarus, and as they lead him thither—“Jesus wept.” We attempt no comment on these interesting words: those inclined to do so, might observe that these tears were—Tears of affection to Lazarus—of sympathy to his sisters—and of compassion to the Jews. The remark of the Jews was certainly very natural: “Behold, (said they,) how he loved him!” And some of them who had witnessed his late miracle on the man born blind, said, “Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died?” but none of them seem to have anticipated the miracle now about to be performed. The Lord Jesus, “groaning in himself, cometh to the grave”—doubtless still weeping over his beloved Lazarus.

He then orders the stone to be removed from the mouth of the cave in which he had been buried, as was the Jewish custom. Martha objects to this, perhaps thinking it dangerous, as she observed the body must be so far putrified as to emit an unpleasant, and perhaps infectious smell; but our Lord rebukes this attempt to disannul his order: “Said I not unto thee, if thou wouldest believe thou shouldest see the glory of God?” Alas! how much of the glory of God do we lose the sight of through our unbelief! Ver. 41—57. The resurrection of Lazarus, and its effect upon the Jews.—The stone at the cave’s mouth being removed by some of the bystanders, Jesus, after a short but inaudible address to his heavenly Father, that the people might know in whose name he acted, and with whose sanction he acted, “He cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth!” He came forth from the tomb where his body had been laid; but being, of course, entangled and encumbered with his grave-clothes, the Lord commanded, “Loose him, and let him go”—that is, set him at liberty.

In this sentence we remark, 1. Its extraordinary nature: it was the restoration of life to the dead. 2. The decisive evidence of this fact: the body had lain in the tomb four days. 3. The manner in which it was wrought, by a word speaking; but not till after a solemn address to the Deity. 4. The witnesses: not only the sisters themselves, but also the Jews who came to condole and to mourn with them; some of all, it appears, had also witnessed the cure of the man born blind. We are now to consider the effects of this miracle. 1. On the witnesses of the miracle, many of whom believed on him. 2. On others, who did not believe, who went immediately and informed the Scribes and Pharisees. 3. The debate among his enemies: “What do we?”

say they, for this man doeth many miracles, and if we let him alone all men will believe on him. 4. The alarm excited: “If all men believe on him, the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation:” that is, supposing the nation to own him as Messiah, the jealousy of the Romans would be excited, and they would put an end to the Jewish polity. Pilate, however, appears to have had no suspicion of this nature, when he heard Jesus declare, that his kingdom was not of this world. (See (John 18:36).) On the other hand, the rejection of Jesus really brought on the destruction both of their temple and city. 5. The advice and prediction of Caiaphas, the High Priest, that it were better to sacrifice one man, however innocent, than to risk the safety of the nation.

As a maxim of political expediency this may be admitted, and has been often acted upon: but there are many things approved and acted upon in human governments, which will not bear the scrutiny of the great Supreme, who judges all actions either just or unjust, without any regard to political considerations. This iniquitous advice, however, was approved by the great majority, and from that day they determined on his death. His time, however, was not yet come; Jesus therefore retreated to an obscure town, at some considerable distance from the metropolis, for a time; and the people debated among themselves whether he would be likely to attend the approaching Passover, in which case the Pharisees had strictly charged them, that if any one saw him, he should give them notice, that he might be apprehended.

But the chief difficulty in this chapter regards the prophecy of Caiaphas. “This he (Caiaphas) spake not of himself,” that is, he did not understand his own prediction, which—through the overruling providence of God, was accomplished in a manner far beyond his meaning or comprehension. Yes; blessed be His name! Jesus did die for the nation—even for his murderers—and for all the children of God (whom the Father had given into his hands) that were scattered abroad throughout the world.

Notes on the verses

Chap. XI. Ver. 1. A certain man.—Doddridge, “There was one Lazarus.” —The raising of Lazarus from the dead, being a work of Christ beyond measure great, the most stupendous of all he had hitherto performed, and beyond all others calculated to evince his divine majesty, was therefore purposely recorded by the Evangelist John; while it was omitted by the other Evangelists, probably, as Grotius supposes, because they wrote their histories during the life of Lazarus; and they did not mention him for fear of exciting the malice of the Jews against him; as we find from (John 12:10), that they sought to put him to death, that our Lord might not have such a monument of ‘his power and goodness remaining in the land.

—Bagster. Ver. 2. It was that Mary which anointed the Lord.—Doddridge, “who (afterwards) anointed;” as mentioned in the next chapter, ver. 3.—[This is said by prædepsis, or anticipation, and may be rendered “she who (some time afterwards) anointed,” &c. By rendering thus, we avoid the error of supposing that Mary the sister of Lazarus was the same as Mary Magdalene, and her who is termed a sinner.]—Bagster. Ver. 4. Not unto death.—Campbell, “Will not prove fatal.” Ver. 7. Let us go into Judea.—From the country east of Jordan, whither he had retired some time before, when the Jews sought to stone him; ch. x. 39, 40. Ver. 8. Are there not twelve hours in the day?—The Jews divided the space from sunrise to sunset, were the days longer or shorter, into twelve parts; so that the hours of their day were all the year the same in number, though much shorter in winter than in summer. Ver.

10. No light in him.—Campbell, “In it;” i.e. in the night. Ver. 16. Thomas—in Hebrew, as Didymus in Greek, signifies a twin. Ver. 18. About fifteen furlongs—i.e. nearly two miles. Ver. 19. And many of the Jews.—Their usual time of mourning (as well would be many coming and going, as fearing) lasted seven days during which, as it was passover time, there Ver. 20. Mary sat still—Campbell, “Mary remained.” The word “still” is better omitted, as equivocal, and not in the original. Ver. 26. Shall never die.—See note on (John 7:51). Ver. 33. Groaned in the spirit—Or in spirit; i.e. ane Ver. 39. He hath been dead four days.—Ver. 17, it is said, “he had lain four days in the grave.” The Jews generally buried their dead on the same day on which they died.

Ver. 41. I thank thee that thou hast heard me.—It does not appear that our Lord uttered any prayer audibly; but God “heareth the desire of the humble.” Ver. 42. I said it.—Doddridge, “I speak [thus:]—i.e. I thank thee, that the people may know that I act upon thee.” Bound hand and foot.—“Swathed about with rollers,” or bandages, long strips of linen, a few inches in breadth, brought round the sheet of linen in which the corpse was involved, and by which the spices were kept in contact with the flesh.—Bagster. The Jewish sepulchres were generally caves or rooms hewn out of rocks. And as the Jews did not make use of coffins, they placed their dead separately in niches or little cells cut into the sides of these caves or rooms.

(Maundrell’s Travels.) This form of the Jewish sepulchre suggests an easy solution of a very important difficulty in the history of Lazarus’s resurrection. It is said, that when Jesus called upon Lazarus to come forth, he came out bound hand and foot. But deists, talking of this miracle, commonly ask with a sneer, how he could come out of a grave who was bound in that manner? The answer, however, is obvious. The Evangelist does not mean that Lazarus walked out of the sepulchre, but that laying on his back, he raised himself into a sitting posture, then putting his legs over the edge of his niche or cell, slid down, and stood upright upon the floor; all which he might easily do, notwithstanding his arms were close bound to his body, and his legs were tied straight together by means of the shroud and rollers with which he was swathed.

Accordingly, when he was come forth, it is said, that Jesus ordered them to loose him and let him go; a circumstance plainly importing, that the historian knew that Lazarus could not walk till he was unbound.—Macknight’s Harmony. Ver. 48. And take away both our place and nation.—“The meaning is that then the Romans would no longer protect them in their religion and laws; but send an army to destroy them, as rebels and enemies.”—Lardner, who refers to Josephus’ Antiq. Ver. 49. High priest that same year.—Lardner, “that year;” i.e. at that time. Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea ten years, and Caiaphas was put into the priesthood by Valerius Gracchus, Pilate’s predecessor, and continued in it till after Pilate’s removal.—Lard.

Cred., Ver. 54. A city called Ephraim.—Ephraim appears to be the same city which is called Ephrain, (2 Chronicles 13:19), and Ephron, (Joshua 15:9), which was situated eight miles north of Jerusalem, near Bethel, and apparently between that city and Jericho. Accordingly, we find that a desert, or wilderness, extended from Jericho to Bethel, ((Joshua 16:1),) called the wilderness of Beth-aven, ((Joshua 18:12),) in which Joshua and the Israelites slew the inhabitants of Ai. (Joshua 8:24).—Bagster. Ver. 55. Purify themselves—By some preparatory services, before they ate the Passover.