John 11
Summary for John 11:1-57: 11:1-57 a The raising of Lazarus foreshadows Jesus’ own coming death and resurrection. Even the description of Lazarus’ grave (11:38 b, 44 c) prefigures Jesus’ grave (20:1 d, 7 e). Shortly after this event, Jesus was anointed for burial (12:3 f) and the hour of his glorification began (12:23 g). 11:1 h In Hebrew, Lazarus is a shortened form of Eleazar (“God helps”). Among Jews in the first century, it was the fourth-most-common name for a man (see also Luke 16:19-31 i).• Bethany was a small village east of Jerusalem just over the Mount of Olives (John 11:18 j) and was where Jesus often stayed when he was in Jerusalem. Jesus would have traveled through Bethany on the way to Jerusalem because most Jews coming from Galilee used a route going south to Jericho, then west to Jerusalem.
• Mary and Martha were sisters (Luke 10:38-42 k). Martha was probably older; she was the host in Luke’s story and here represented the family. Mary later anointed Jesus with perfume (John 12:1-8 l).
11:3 m The two sisters had a dilemma. They knew Jesus’ power as a healer, but they also realized that his return to Judea would entail personal risk (11:8 n).
11:4 o Jesus’ response paralleled his words about the man born blind (9:1-5 p). Jesus already knew that Lazarus was dead (11:14 q); he was talking about Lazarus’ resurrection (11:43 r), which would bring glory to God.
11:6 s The trip from where Jesus was staying (see 10:40 t) to Bethany would have taken only one day, but Jesus followed his own sense of timing (2:4 u; 7:5-9 v) and would not be compelled by others.
11:8 w The disciples were rightly worried about the risk (see 7:25 x; 8:37 y, 44 z, 59 aa; 10:31 ab, 39 ac).
11:16 ad Thomas: See also 14:5 ae; 20:24 af; 21:2 ag; Mark 3:18 ah.
• Let’s go, too—and die: Thomas knew that previous visits to Judea had been dangerous (John 5:18 ai; 10:31 aj, 39 ak). Traveling to Jerusalem now would probably mean death for Jesus (cp. 11:49-50 al).
11:17 am People were buried on the same day as their death. John noted that Lazarus had been in his grave for four days, so the miracle could not be construed as resuscitation.
11:19 an Life in New Testament times was lived publicly. Lazarus’s large extended family, as well as the villagers, had arrived for a seven-day mourning period. To console the sisters in their loss, there was great wailing and crying (see 11:33 ao and corresponding study note).
11:21 ap Lord, if only you had been here: Mary later repeated Martha’s words (11:32 aq), because both sisters knew Jesus’ reputation as a healer. They concluded that Jesus would have healed Lazarus, but they did not imagine that Jesus would restore him from death.
11:22 ar whatever you ask: Martha thought that Jesus could still intervene in some way. Despite this, she objected when Jesus wanted to open the tomb (11:39 as); she wasn’t thinking that Jesus would raise her brother from the dead.
11:24 at when everyone else rises, at the last day: Martha misunderstood (cp. 11:11-13 au), thinking that Jesus was referring to the general resurrection of the dead at the end of time.
11:25 av Jesus helped Martha to believe in him not simply as a healer, but as one who vanquishes death.
• I am the resurrection and the life: Victory over death is an aspect of living in association with Jesus. Although his followers are still mortal, they will enjoy eternal life after death. Regarding Jesus’ I am statements, see the study note on 6:35.
Summary for John 11:26-27: 11:26-27 aw Do you believe this? Jesus was not asking if Martha believed he could bring Lazarus from the grave. Rather, did she believe that life itself is linked to Jesus?
• “Yes, Lord”: Even though the full implications were beyond her comprehension, she acknowledged that Jesus was indeed the Messiah. Yet she was surprised at the power he held.
Summary for John 11:28-32: 11:28-32 ax Mary now joined the scene on the edge of the village, repeating her sister’s plaintive cry. She fell at Jesus’ feet, not in worship but in desperate grief.
11:33 ay The loud weeping and wailing typified public displays of grief in this culture (Mark 5:38 az), as did beating one’s chest (Luke 18:13 ba).
• The Greek word translated deep anger expresses human outrage, fury, and anger. Jesus was furious, not at Martha or Mary, but at the futility of this scene and the people’s unbelief in light of the reality of the resurrection.
11:39 bb Lazarus was buried in a tomb cut from the rocky hillside; such tombs were common. The tomb was closed and opened for further burials with a rolling stone that covered the entrance. A central door led to a cave room where burial benches were carved in stone along the inner wall. Horizontal burial chambers were cut along the top edge of the benches.
Summary for John 11:45-46: 11:45-46 bc As news of the miracle spread rapidly into the city of Jerusalem (12:9 bd, 17 be), public opinion was again divided (6:66-69 bf; 7:43 bg; 9:16 bh; 10:19 bi; 11:37 bj). Jesus’ reputation as a healer and as one who could raise the dead was known in Galilee (see Matt 9:24-26 bk; 10:8 bl; 11:5 bm). Now he had brought this power to Judea.
11:48 bn The council’s deliberations unveiled their fears that everyone would believe in him. If people believed that the Messiah had come, the political implications would be threatening. The Romans viewed Jewish messiahs with suspicion, and the movement surrounding Jesus might inspire them to invade and destroy Jerusalem and its Temple.
11:49 bo Caiaphas was the ruler of the high council from AD 18–36. He worked for ten years alongside Pontius Pilate, governor of Judea (AD 26–36; see 18:29 bp), keeping the peace with Rome.
Summary for John 11:50-51: 11:50-51 bq it’s better ... that one man should die: Caiaphas’s words were ironic. He meant that it was better for a revolutionary to die than to have the Romans crush the entire Jewish nation. But Caiaphas was correct in a way that he could not perceive. The salvation that Judaism needed had little to do with Rome; it would come through the cross of Christ. John notes that Caiaphas’s inspiration was not his own but came from God.
11:52 br Christ’s death was not for Israel only, but for all, including people of other cultures scattered around the world (10:16 bs; 12:32 bt).
Summary for John 11:53-54: 11:53-54 bu When the Jewish leaders began to plot Jesus’ death, Jesus made a judicious political move in response (11:54 bv).
• Ephraim was a village about twelve miles north of Jerusalem, where Jesus was safe from the Sanhedrin but close enough to walk to the upcoming Passover festival (11:55 bw).
Summary for John 11:55-57: 11:55-57 bx As crowds arrived in Jerusalem on pilgrimage for Passover (see 2:13 by), the city was buzzing with talk about Jesus and his miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead. People wondered if Jesus would be obedient to the law and come to the city to celebrate or play it safe in the countryside. The priests and Pharisees knew that Jesus was faithful to the law and would attend the festival, so they tried to make the city a trap for him.
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