John 11

1. Lazarus. “Lazarus” is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Eleazar, “God hath helped.” Bethany is now called El-Azeriyeh; from El-Azir the Arabic form of Lazarus.

Bethany. See notes on Matt. xxi. 17; Luke x. 38. Bethany is here called “the village of Martha and Mary,” to distinguish it from the Bethany beyond Jordan (see i. 28, and note), alluded to, though not named, in x. 40.

2. It was that Mary, etc. The allusion to this action as being well known when the evangelist wrote his Gospel is a striking illustration of the fulfilment of Matt. xxvi. 13: see notes on xii. 3-7; Mark xiv. 3-9.

4 not unto death. Death is not to be its ultimate result.

for the glory of God, etc. The Father is glorified when the Son is glorified; and the Son was glorified by the miracle to which this event gave occasion; by His own death, which was hastened by the miracle (see xii. 23; xiii. 31; xvii. 1); and doubtless also by the spiritual benefit which resulted to Lazarus and to many others.

5. Now Jesus loved Martha, etc. It was this which led the sisters to send to Him, and to give to their message in ver. 3 its peculiar form.

6. He abode two days, etc. Giving time for the burial of Lazarus, and the delay which succeeded; so that the miracle of his resurrection would more strikingly “glorify the Son.” Cp. note on ver. 15.

9. Jesus answered, etc. Cp. ix. 4. Our Lord’s reply is in effect as follows: I can be in no danger whilst my appointed day of labour lasts: I walk in the light of duty, and of my Father’s appointment; and am therefore safe. And so it will be with every one who walks by that light, or rather, has it within him (see Matt. vi. 23).

twelve hours. See note on Matt. xx. 3.

11. Our friend. How kindly does Jesus associate His disciples with Himself in His friendships! (Beepet).

sleepeth. “Has fallen asleep.”

12. Then said His disciples, etc. Some of them should have remembered a similar expression on a former occasion (Matt. ix. 24).

he shall do well. That is, “he will recover,” as R.V.

15 for your sakes. “His absence was useful to them, because His power would have been less clearly seen, if He had at once given help to Lazarus. Therefore, that the disciples might acknowledge the resurrection of Lazarus to be a truly Divine work, it must be delayed, that it might be at the farthest remove from human remedy” (Calvin).

16. Didymus. See note on Matt. x. 3.

with Him. With Jesus. This shows at once the strength of Thomas’s fears, and the greater power of his love to his Master.

17 four days. Lazarus probably died and was buried on the day on which his sisters sent their messenger. The messenger’s journey would occupy one day; after that, Jesus waited two days (6); and arrived at Bethany probably on the evening of the fourth day. By this time corruption would naturally have commenced, causing the sisters to give up all hope of restoration (see note, ver. 39; and cp. Luke xxiv. 21). Jesus now came as the Lord of life and death: see Rev. i. 18.

19 and many of the Jews came, etc. Rather, as R.V., “had come to Martha and Mary.” This concourse of visitors made the miracle more extensively known.

20 but Mary sat still in the house. Some think that Mary did not know of our Lord’s approach. Others suppose that she did know, but they regard the difference in the conduct of the two sisters as being characteristic of the prompt activity of the one sister and the quiet reflectiveness of the other: see note on Luke x. 38.

21 if Thou hadst been here. This first expression of both the sisters (see ver. 32), when they saw Jesus, shows what had been their hope in sending to Him (3), and their leading thought ever since.

22. But I know, that even now, etc. Having, perhaps, some hope of the speedy resurrection of her brother, but hardly venturing to name it.

23-27. Jesus had referred her for comfort to the doctrine of the resurrection as held by the Jews (23). She acknowledged its truth, but in such a way as to hint that it gave her no adequate consolation (24). He now directs her to Himself, as the Author not only of the resurrection of the body, but also of that higher life (see vi. 50) beyond the reach of death, in the present possession of which every believer on earth is associated with those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. What this meant Martha may not have understood; but whatever it might mean she believed to be true, for she believed that He who said it was “the Christ,” “the Son of God,” “He who (according to ancient promise) was to come” (27). Martha’s is a noble confession.

33 groaned. The word translated “groaned” signifies “was moved with indignation.” It may here mean that our Lord was indignant against sin as the cause of all this sorrow. President Reynolds (Pulpit Commentary) follows Augustine, Erasmus, Luthardt, Hengstenberg and Moulton, in thinking that death itself occasioned His indignation.

was troubled. In the original, “troubled Himself”; as master of His own emotions.

35. Jesus wept. “The evangelist appears to me to express the cause of this emotion, when he says that Jesus saw Mary and the others weeping. Yet I cannot doubt that He had regard to something deeper; namely, to the universal misery of the human race” (Calvin). Here, as elsewhere, the human is wonderfully combined with the Divine: see Matt. viii. 24-37.

38 lay upon it. Or, “lay against it” (R.V.). The cave was probably horizontal; with an opening on the face of the rock, and with recesses in the sides, in which the bodies were laid. The possession of such a tomb by the family indicates that they were not of the poorer class.

39. Take ye away the stone. Why did our Lord say, “Where have ye laid him?” and, “Take ye away the stone”; and, “Loose him”? Why did He not at once raise Lazarus? Because He designed to make those to whom He gave these commands to be so many witnesses, by the eye and touch, to the reality of the miracle (Chrysostom).

four days. All the marks of corruption usually appear in that country within four days. The thought of this probably again overpowered Martha’s faith. Her remark does not prove that the fact was so, but only that such was her impression.

40 if thou wouldest believe. Rather, as R.V., “If thou believedst.”

41 hast heard me. More literally, “didst hear me.” In all our Lord’s work He appears to have been sustained by communion with His Father. “By thanking God for a work not yet seen He gave a crucial test of His fellowship with God” (Westcott).

43. He cried with a loud voice, etc. Speaking to the dead as He would to the living: cp. v. 25, 28; Rom. iv. 17.

44 he that was dead came forth. Two notable references to the raising of Lazarus occur in our English poetry. Tennyson speaks of the silence of the narrative as to where Lazarus was while his body lay in the tomb:

“Behold a man raised up by Christ! The rest remaineth unreveal’d; He told it not; or something seal’d The lips of that Evangelist.”

(In Memoriam, canto xxxi.)

And Browning, in his Epistle of Karshish, the Arab Physician, speaks of Lazarus:

“And oft the man’s soul springs into his face

As if he saw again and heard again

His sage that bade him ‘Rise,’ and he did rise.”

a napkin. The “napkin” or “kerchief” was used probably to encircle the face and tie up the chin.

46. But some of them went their ways to the Pharisees. Evidently with a malicious intention.

47 a council. That is, a meeting of the Sanhedrin.

What do we? That is, What measures are we taking to check Him?

48 and the Romans shall come, etc. They feared, or professed to fear, lest the people should make Him king, and so bring ruin upon both the “land and people.” But the course they pursued involved them in guilt which brought them these very calamities.

49. Calaphas. See note, Matt. xxvi. 3.

that [same] year. The year of Christ’s death; that notable and solemn year. There is no intimation that the office was an annual one.

51. And this spake he not of himself. God, who sometimes uses the wicked to accomplish His purposes, caused the Aaronic priesthood, just when it was about to be abolished, to speak prophetically, though unconsciously, by its unworthy representative, of the great Sin-offering then about to be presented for the sin of the world.

53. Then from that day forth they took counsel, etc. It was now agreed that Jesus should be given up to the Roman governor, to be put to death; and both parties in the council were on the watch for the best mode of doing this.

54. Ephraim. Some identify this with Ophrah of Benjamin and with the modern Taiyibeh, on a mountain about fourteen miles north-west of Jerusalem: perhaps the same as “Ephraim” (2 Chron. xiii. 19).

Between vers. 54 and 55 are to be placed the series of narratives and parables in Luke xiii. 22-xix. 28.

55 to purify themselves. That is, to purify themselves from any ceremonial defilement; so that they might be able to keep the Passover (2 Chron. xxx. 17).

56. That he will not come to the feast? The reason of the doubt is given in ver. 57.