John 11 - NIV Application Bible

11:1–5 When he was in Jerusalem, Jesus used Bethany as his base. Here in this small Judean community lived a family extremely dear to Jesus. Mary, Martha, and Lazarus may have become something like an extended family for Jesus.

When Jesus hears the report about Lazarus’s illness, his response parallels his comments about the man born blind (9:1–5). The tragedy of this man’s illness is not by God’s design, but God will use it for an opportunity to glorify his Son.

11:6–7 Jesus does not respond immediately and come to Bethany. He waits two days. Jesus’ delay is not the cause of Lazarus’s death. When Jesus arrives in Bethany, Lazarus has been dead for four days, so Lazarus likely died right after the departure of the messengers. When the sisters meet Jesus, Lazarus is already buried. Jesus’ delay serves not to promote the death but to heighten the significance of his own miraculous work. His aim is to reveal the glory of God’s work in him and thereby to promote the faith of his followers.

11:8–16 The decision finally to go up to Judea must have been frightening to Jesus’ disciples. During the previous autumn celebration at the Festival of Tabernacles, the authorities tried to arrest him, and the rumor was that they wanted to kill him. The threat is not simply to Jesus but to his disciples as well (v. 16). Being a disciple will pose dangers, even martyrdom, for anyone who follows Jesus.

11:17 There was a well-known Jewish belief that the soul of a dead person remained in the vicinity of the body for three days. Once decomposition set in, the soul departed. John wants us to know clearly that Lazarus is truly dead. The miracle of Jesus cannot be interpreted as a resuscitation.

11:18–19 Lazarus’s death was not a private period of mourning for his family. Formal mourning lasted for seven days, and it commenced immediately on the day of burial, which took place on the same day as death. The extent and passion of mourning that occurs reflects how honored and esteemed Lazarus was in the village. Friends and family from far off came to join the scene. In this public atmosphere, Jesus’ presence in Bethany would certainly become known to his enemies in Jerusalem.

11:20–37 The story follows the two sisters as each makes contact with Jesus. First Martha, then Mary, talks with Jesus; this is followed by the miracle itself. The sorrowful complaints of both women (vv. 21,32) are virtually the same.

11:22 Despite what Martha says in v. 22, she likely does not expect Jesus to raise Lazarus from death, since in v. 39 she objects when Jesus wants to roll open the tomb. Instead, she is expressing faith. Martha’s words can be paraphrased: “If you had been here, you could have healed Lazarus. Nevertheless, I still believe in you, that God works through you mightily.”

11:23–27 But Jesus pushes Martha to a second, deeper level of discussion. His correction leads to one of the most famous and significant “I am” sayings in John’s Gospel. Jesus says that he is resurrection and life (v. 25). Eternal life and rescue from death are not merely gifts obtained by appeal to God; they are aspects of a life associated with Jesus. If Jesus is life, then those who believe in him will enjoy the confidence and power over death that he does.

11:26 Jesus’ question to Martha, “Do you believe this?” is asking if her faith can embrace a belief in Jesus’ lordship over death itself. Lazarus’s resurrection becomes a proof of Jesus’ statement.

11:27 Martha says yes; undoubtedly the implications of this yes are beyond her comprehension. If he has this sort of authority, he must also be “the Messiah, the Son of God.”

11:28–33a Mary (like her sister) explains in dismay their sorrow over Jesus’ absence while Lazarus was alive, and then is overcome with grief. The term “weeping” in the Greek describes loud wailing and crying, echoed by the people standing around Mary (v. 33a).

11:33b–37 When Jesus sees and hears their wailing, he is powerfully moved. The Greek verb describes outrage, fury, or anger. This is seen in John’s explanation: Jesus was “troubled.” Jesus is angry at death itself and at the devastation it brings.

Jesus’ tears should be connected to the anger he is feeling so deeply. The public chaos surrounding him, the loud wailing and crying, and the scene of a cemetery and its devastating reminders—all the result of sin and death—together produce outrage in the Son of God as he works to reverse such damage.

11:38–39 As Jesus steps to the tomb itself, he is “once more deeply moved” (v. 38). The verb used here is the same one as in v. 33. The Lord of life is now directly confronting his opponent, death, symbolized in the cave-tomb before him.

Martha’s response in v. 39 is critical for John’s report of the scene. It reminds us that Lazarus is truly dead. Jesus does not simply resuscitate his friend. Lazarus must be “awakened” from death.

11:41–42 Jesus’ prayer is interesting on several counts. First, it implies that Jesus had prayed already for Lazarus and that he is now coming to this great miracle fully prepared for what will take place. Second, Jesus prays publicly and does so “looking up” (v. 41). This was a common posture for Jewish prayer. Jesus is aware that his prayer is also for the benefit of these bystanders. Finally, Jesus addresses God as “Father” (not “our” father) and shows his personal intimacy with him.

11:43–44 The story drama peaks when Jesus calls for Lazarus to come out. This is not a whisper or a firm request; it is a shout of raw authority. When Lazarus emerges from the tomb, he is bound in grave wrappings—strips of fabric wrapped around his limbs and filled with burial spices. Jewish burial practices likewise tied the jaw closed and covered the face with a linen cloth.

Lazarus’s coming from the grave is an amazing spectacle witnessed by a growing crowd of people, many of whom carry news of this miracle back to Jerusalem. Lazarus stands before Jesus wrapped tightly. Jesus loves Lazarus, and it is not hard to imagine him being the first to embrace his friend. Jesus remains in command and orders that someone unbind him.

11:45–46 Many of the Jews in Bethany who witnessed the events of that day “believed in him” (v. 45). John’s sharp contrast with the “others,” who go directly to the Pharisees, suggests they do not believe (v. 46).

11:47–48 The Sanhedrin’s deliberations are noteworthy. They exhibit a paralyzing concern that if a messiah is embraced by the city, the Roman armies will suppress it. The Romans had shown their intolerance in the past (viewing it as a political challenge), and Jerusalem’s leadership knows the seriousness of the threat now.

11:49–50 John summarizes the view of Caiaphas, the ruling high priest. For Caiaphas, political expediency is the key: If there must be a sacrifice, better to lose one man than the entire nation. The high council begins planning how they can kill Jesus.

These voices say more than even they expected. John knows this and tips us off to look beneath the surface: Jesus will indeed die for the salvation of the nation. An unwitting prophecy here points to the cross.

11:51–53 John knows that the death of Christ will perform a work that is far more profound than anyone imagines. It is not simply for the city of Jerusalem but for the “scattered children of God” (v. 52). John is no doubt referring to Gentiles, who likewise need to come into the family of God.

11:54–57 Jesus cannot risk being a public figure in the same manner any longer. He knows the hour of his glorification and will not permit anyone or anything to interrupt his mission. With characteristic geographical precision, John says that Jesus moves to the village of Ephraim (v. 54). Here Jesus is safe from the Sanhedrin, but he is also close enough to attend the upcoming Passover in Jerusalem.

From Jesus’ point of view, his public ministry among his own people is completed. No longer will he provide any miraculous signs for them. He will now spend concentrated private time with those families (e.g., Martha, Mary, Lazarus), friends, and followers who know, trust, and believe in him. Jesus will indeed return to the public square once more during the Passover feast following his Triumphal Entry, but only to give an impassioned plea for belief (12:44). After this, the next time he appears in public, he will be a prisoner.

✜ 11:1–57 Every age struggles with the finality of the grave and the incomprehensibility of death. In some respects, we also live in an age that does its best to deny death. Today this process has been sanitized, taken over by professional hospitals, hospices, and morticians. All of this is cultural, springing from the heartfelt wish to make death less visceral, but it masks a profound anxiety that even the most well-conceived funeral service cannot disguise. Perhaps this is why, in the work of the church, funeral services become such potent opportunities for ministry.

There were many standing among the mourners of Bethany that day who had been friends with Lazarus. They knew he was dead; they had participated in his burial. But when he stepped from the grave, they refused to believe in Jesus. This is proof that signs alone cannot provoke faith.

This understanding of the limited success of the miracle is at the root of John’s link between sign and explanation (or miracle and discourse). A sheer experience of the power of God is insufficient to persuade the human heart. Therefore, in the activity of believers in the church, words must accompany deeds. The raising of Lazarus thus provides us with theological revelation. It points us elsewhere, reminding us that Jesus’ own work is greater even than this. Jesus is not demonstrating that death has a limited grip over humanity: for the moment, it does not. But his own death and resurrection affect the reality of death permanently for those who believe in him.