John 11 - NKJV Woman's Study Bible

11:11–14 Lazarus from Bethany, along with his sisters Mary and Martha, was a personal friend of Jesus (see chart, Women and Their Families in the New Testament). Jesus told the disciples that Lazarus was asleep, using the term “sleep” as a euphemism for death (see Mt 9:24; Ac 7:60; 1Co 15:6; 1Th 4:13).

11:17 Death and burial usually took place on the same day in Jesus’ time, due to the hot climate. The body was carefully but hurriedly wrapped in strips of cloth with expensive spices and ointments. Jesus probably began his journey to Bethany the day of, or the day after, Lazarus’s death and burial. The journey took two to three days. When Jesus arrived in Bethany, Lazarus would have been in the tomb four days, which John carefully noted. Jewish tradition taught that the deceased person’s soul hovered over the body for three days after death in hopes of reunion. However untrue, this superstition was widely believed. The fact that Lazarus had been dead for four days instead of three left little doubt in Jewish minds that Lazarus’s restoration to life by Jesus was, in fact, an unmistakable miracle.

11:33 Jesus was

deeply moved in spirit and troubled when he saw Mary and the others grieving and weeping (see chart, The Emotions of Jesus). The verb translated “deeply moved” may mean “deeply disturbed.” “Deeply moved” (Gk., tarassō) has the connotation of being agitated or disturbed. Jesus could have been perplexed and grieved for several reasons:

• his heart was filled with indignation against sin, the cause of suffering and death.

• A large number of strangers had traveled from the Passover Festival in Jerusalem to wail at Lazarus’s funeral, and he might have been angered by their hypocrisy. Often funeral wailing was only an artificial display of emotion.

• Tears might have come to Jesus because he entered so deeply into the agony of others.

• Jesus could have foreseen his own approaching crucifixion and grieved in advance for those who would mourn his death.

11:35 John gave insight into the deep compassion of Jesus (see chart, The Emotions of Jesus). Even though Jesus knew he could restore Lazarus to physical life, he wept with sorrow and sympathy. Here, the word “wept” did not refer to the wailing that customarily accompanied funerals in that day. Funeral wailing ordinarily meant uninhibited loud crying, even screaming or shrieking. This open display of emotion was often done by people who did not know or care about the dead person. The more dramatic the wailing, the greater tribute the Jews believed they paid to the deceased. In Jesus’ case, the word “wept” simply means “shedding tears” (see Ps 56, Tears). Obviously, Jesus suffered a deep agony of spirit and was genuinely moved by Lazarus’s death. Jesus’ tears provided remarkable insight into his true humanity.

11:48 Jesus’ raising of Lazarus from the dead caused many of the Jews to believe in him. Jewish authorities felt they could no longer allow Jesus to work miracles and convert the Jews. The Sadducees and Pharisees quickly called a meeting of the Sanhedrin (the Jewish supreme court) to discuss the problem (see chart, Jewish Sects). The Jewish nation held a privileged status within the Roman Empire, and the Sanhedrin feared that Jesus would gain a large following, cause a civil uproar and anger the governing Roman Empire. If that happened, these religious leaders would lose their positions and political power. The high priest Caiaphas suggested that Jesus should be killed (v. 50).