John 11 - NIV First Century Study Bible

11:1–44 Lazarus. The entire narrative foreshadows the death and resurrection of Jesus and is the culmination of John’s signs (see note on Jn 2:11). The same story appears in the Synoptic Gospels in a couple of ancient documents, but those appear to have been intentionally rearranged by scribes because of the conspicuous absence of such a powerful story in Matthew, Mark and Luke. It’s possible there is some connection between the parable of Lazarus (see Lk 16:19–31) and the historical figure in John’s Gospel.

11:11 Our friend Lazarus. The Greek is philos, which also means “beloved,” an expression also used for the disciple Jesus “loved” (20:2).

11:17 Four days. In Jewish tradition, the tomb was typically closed permanently on the fourth day—after three days of mourning. According to rabbinic tradition, a three-day period assured the person was actually dead. (See comments in Arnold, Backgrounds Commentary, 2:109.)

11:33–35 Deeply moved . . . Jesus wept. The Greek word translated “deeply moved” (embrimaomai) is sometimes used for “anger.” And “wept” can also mean “burst into tears.” (Brown, John I–XII, 29:111.) These verses reveal that Jesus experienced the full range of emotions associated with grief.

11:45–57 The plot. In the Synoptic Gospels, the clearing of the temple was the primary motivation of the religious and political establishments’ plot against Jesus. There obviously was not a single event that motivated Jesus’ opponents.

11:50 One man die for the people. The apocryphal book of 2 Maccabees expresses a similar idea as it relates to martyrdom. (2 Maccabees 7:37–38.) However, Caiaphas was talking about handing over an innocent man as a victim, not as a willing martyr. There was a debate in rabbinic literature as to whether handing over a single person for the sake of the whole community was permissible. (See discussion in Arnold, Backgrounds Commentary, 2:117.) It seems unlikely that religious Jews, particularly Pharisees, would have supported Caiaphas’s idea in the case of Jesus (compare Ac 5:33–39).

11:55 Many went up from the country . . . for their ceremonial cleansing. This is an authentic window into first-century Judaism. It was so important to remain ceremonially pure that there were actually two Passover celebrations; the second was for those who were impure at the time of the first celebration (see note on Nu 9:6–11). (Mishnah Pesahim 9:1.) The number of people in Jerusalem during pilgrim festivals was likely 100,000 people. Josephus, however, gave the extraordinary number of 2.5 million. (Josephus, Wars, 6.9.3; see discussion in Arnold, Backgrounds Commentary, 2:118.)