John 11 - NKJV Study Bible

11:1 Bethany, a small village on the southeast slope of the Mount of Olives, was located about two miles from Jerusalem (v. 18).

11:2 Mary who anointed: The anointing had not yet taken place (12:1–3). When John wrote, the anointing was well known, so he used the event to distinguish this Mary from other women with the same name.

11:4 Not unto death means not having death as its final result. may be glorified: By raising Lazarus from the dead, Jesus would demonstrate His deity in an undeniable way.

11:6–8 stayed two more days: God’s purpose was to glorify His Son (v. 4) and to cause the disciples to grow (v. 15). Had Jesus immediately rushed to Lazarus’s bedside and healed him, Lazarus would not have died and Jesus would not have been able to manifest His glory by raising Lazarus. God’s timing to accomplish His purpose is perfect. The disciples were skeptical. In their minds, for Jesus to go back to Judea would mean death.

11:15 Jesus was not glad that Lazarus was dead. He was glad for the opportunity the disciples would soon have to see an amazing miracle. The disciples had already believed (2:11), but each new trial offered an opportunity for their faith to grow.

11:16 the Twin: In Thomas, the twins of belief and unbelief contended with each other for mastery. He seems to have combined devotion to Jesus with a tendency to see the dark side of things. Jesus said, “Let us go,” that the disciples might believe (v. 15). Thomas said, Let us also go, that we may die. While the Lord saw their development in faith, Thomas saw their deaths. Yet in his loyalty, he followed anyway.

11:25–27 Christ is the resurrection for those who believe and are physically dead. He is the life for those who believe and have not yet died. When Jesus asked Martha if she believed, she responded with words similar to the ones John used to describe the purpose of his book (20:31). In order to have eternal life, a person must place his or her faith in Jesus, who is the Christ, the Son of God, who came into the world to bring eternal life to those who believe.

11:32 if You had been here: Mary said the same thing to the Lord as Martha had (v. 21). No doubt they had expressed this thought to one another often in the previous few days.

11:33 Groaned means to be deeply moved. Troubled means to be stirred up, disturbed. Jesus was moved by the mourning of Mary and indignant at the hypocritical lamentations of His enemies.

11:35 Wept simply means “shed tears.” Jesus did not weep aloud in hopeless grief like the others (v. 33). He knew what He was about to do, but His compassion for their pain moved Him to tears.

11:37 Some people misinterpreted Jesus’ tears as powerlessness. They complained that He had healed others, but now was incapable.

11:38 a cave: Having a private burial place indicates that the family was wealthy.

11:43 cried: This loud cry was either the result of strong emotion or in order that the multitude might hear. Lazarus: Augustine once said that if Jesus had not designated Lazarus by name, all the graves would have been emptied at His command (5:28). Raising Lazarus from the dead is the seventh sign of Jesus’ messiahship, the greatest miracle of all, giving life back to the dead.

11:48 Place refers either to Jerusalem or to the temple. The real concern of the Jewish leaders is seen here. They were not as upset at Jesus’ supposed blasphemy as they were about losing their positions of authority.

11:49–52 In the opinion of Caiaphas, Jesus should die rather than plunge the nation into destruction. John adds that by virtue of his office, Caiaphas pronounced a message of God unconsciously: one man should die for the people. Caiaphas was a prophet in spite of himself. John also saw in Caiaphas’s words a prophecy that Jesus should die not only for Israel but for the Gentiles as well.

11:53 Humanly speaking, the resurrection of Lazarus was a major factor that led to the plot by the Jewish religious leaders to kill Christ. At this point the council decided informally, if not formally, to put Jesus to death. John marks the growth of the hostility step by step (5:16; 7:1,32,45; 8:59; 9:22; 10:39). It is ironic that these men believed they could put to death permanently One who could raise the dead.

11:54 no longer walked openly: Jesus withdrew from public life for a while. He met privately with His disciples. Wilderness usually refers to the desert of Judea which extended to Jericho.