The sickness and death of Lazarus of Bethany (11:1–16)

18.    The seventh sign—the raising of Lazarus (11:1–57)

The 'revealing of his glory' (1:14) through the 'signs' (2:11) now reaches its final stage with the greatest 'sign', the raising of Lazarus [John, Page 157] from the dead, an action which will lead inexorably on to the all-surpassing 'sign' of the death and resurrection of Jesus himself. It is helpful to sub-divide the chapter as follows.

a.    The sickness and death of Lazarus of Bethany (1–16)
b.    The meetings with Martha and Mary and Jesus' grief (17–37)
c.    The raising of Lazarus from the dead (38–44)
d.    The Sanhedrin's decision to have Jesus killed (45–57)

a.    The sickness and death of Lazarus of Bethany (11:1–16)

    [11:1] Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. [2] It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. [3] So the sisters sent to him, saying, "Lord, he whom you love is ill." [4] But when Jesus heard it he said, "This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it."
    [5] Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. [6] So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. [7] Then after this he said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again." [8] The disciples said to him, "Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?" [9] Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. [10] But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him." [11] After saying these things, he said to them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him." [12] The disciples said to him, "Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover." [13] Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep. [14] Then Jesus told them plainly, "Lazarus has died, [15] and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him." [16] So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with him."
(John 11:1-16 ESV)

Jesus has withdrawn from Jerusalem prior to his return to the city for the final Passover, as was noted in 10:40. His preparation for that supremely demanding crisis is interrupted by an urgent request for help. This comes from a family especially close to him, living at Bethany, a few miles south east of Jerusalem. The family consists of two sisters, Martha and Mary, and their brother, Lazarus. John identifies Mary as the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair (2). This anticipates what we learn about her in the next chapter (12:1–8), and the description is no doubt to distinguish her from other Marys in the gospel (cf. 19:25–26; 20:1). It may also indicate that John's first-century readers are already familiar with the incident and have some knowledge of the Christian story.
    It is usually presumed that Lazarus and his sisters were resident in the same household, though in fact the text does not state that. If Lazarus was a man of mature years, as by all accounts he appears to have been, then he would almost certainly have been married and living in his own home, though within the village. This may explain the comment in 12:2 where, at the dinner given in Jesus' honour by the sisters, Lazarus is explicitly identified among the guests, an unnecessary detail if the dinner was being served in his own home. The unity of the family is patent, however, so when their brother falls seriously ill the sisters send to Jesus for help. Their message is somewhat oblique—Lord, the one you love is sick (3). It may be that they were informed of his recent encounter with the authorities in Jerusalem, and recognized that to bring him again to the vicinity of the city would be dangerous. Certainly Thomas is in no doubt about the folly of such a journey in these circumstances (16). The wording may be a conscious compromise. Perhaps they are also aware of Jesus having healed on a previous occasion by means of a word, without his physical presence being necessary (4:43–54). The title given to Jesus, Lord, probably renders the Aramaic for 'rabbi' (cf. 28; 20:16). As D. A. Carson observes, [John, Page 158] the message 'hints at friendships and relationships that are barely explored in the Gospels, and suggests that some at least felt peculiarly loved by him'.131
    Jesus responds to the message by making two comments on the illness of Lazarus, and by deliberately choosing to stay where he was two more days (6). His first comment is that the sickness will not prove fatal in the long run (4). Some see this as a recognition that Lazarus was not in fact dead at this point and that Jesus hoped he could still be cured. This appears to conflict, however, with the evident control of events which Jesus exercises at every point in this incident. It is therefore better to interpret this initial reaction as setting the scene for what follows. Lazarus, a beloved and valued friend, has succumbed to the power of sickness, the emissary of the 'god of this world'. But the power of sickness, this manifestation of the fall, will not have the final say. The final outcome (Jesus' second comment), will be life, not death, therein manifesting the glory of the Son, the dethroning of the god of this world,132 and the further glory of the Father through him (4).
    Jesus' attitude to sickness here is parallel to 9:3: the sickness provides a platform so that the 'work of God might be displayed in his life'. What is true here at the level of physical illness can be extended to all the trials we face as Christian disciples. Our natural response is to rebel against them as alien intruders, which must be expelled from our lives as quickly and painlessly as possible by every means available, including God's miraculous intervention. With hindsight, however, another perspective is possible. We can offer our trials to God for him either to remove or retain as he pleases, thereby bringing glory to his name and deepening our faith, and possibly that of others too.
    Joni Eareckson Tada, a paraplegic sufferer, authentically expresses this second alternative. 'I do not care if I am confined to this wheelchair provided from it I can bring glory to God.'133 The same conviction is expressed more generally by Hudson Taylor. 'Trials afford God a platform for his working in our lives. Without them I would never know how kind, how powerful, how gracious he is.' While we may feel daunted by the heights of devotion reflected in these quotations, we can all make a beginning in our present pains by offering them consciously to God for his using. From such small seeds a new maturity can blossom.
    According to verse 6, Jesus, receiving the news of Lazarus' condition, [John, Page 159] deliberately remained where he was for two further days before making any response. This is in no way a contradiction of his love for the family (5).134 Why the two days' delay? Our answer will necessarily touch the issue of Jesus' precise whereabouts. The traditional location is in Transjordan, which would set him within a day or so's journey from Bethany. By this view Lazarus died almost as soon as the messenger set off for Jesus. His delay in that case has two possible explanations. Either he is unwilling to allow his movements to be determined merely by his natural desire to hurry to Bethany as soon as possible. (He is at the command of the Father and must wait for the Father's timing for a move back to the proximity of Jerusalem.) Or Jesus waited to ensure that by the time he arrived at Bethany Lazarus would have been dead four days (cf.17). The reason for this timing will be indicated below (cf. comment on 17).
    If, however, Jesus had withdrawn all the way to Batenea, which was a good four days' journey to the north east, the reconstruction in that case has Jesus receiving the message about Lazarus at a time when Lazarus is still alive. The statement in verse 4, This sickness will not end in death, then belongs to the point where Lazarus is still hanging on to life. Two days later, Jesus, perceiving by supernatural means that Lazarus has died, proceeds on his journey of four days to reach Bethany and raise him again.
    A location at further remove from Jerusalem fits the need for Jesus to escape the city entirely at this point. Let us go back to Judea (7) appears to imply a significant change of location. The synoptics, however, appear to locate John's early ministry in some proximation to Jerusalem (cf. Mt. 3:1–5). The Batenea location would also necessitate Jesus modifying his plans in view of the unforeseen deterioration in Lazarus' condition. It also leaves somewhat unexplained the evangelist's drawing attention to the two-day delay. In all this we necessarily deal in suppositions. The essential issue appears to be that Jesus does not respond immediately to the sisters' plea, with the result that by the time he arrives at Bethany Lazarus has been dead for four days.
    The delays of God are clearly part of the biblical record. One may ask at the most basic level why the effects of the fall were not addressed more immediately, or more particularly why so many centuries preceded the coming of the Redeemer. We can likewise ask why the Lord delays his return, with all its concomitant blessings. True, Peter addresses that in terms of God's patient grace [John, Page 160] which gives sinners further opportunity to repent (2 Pet. 3:9). But even limited contact with the pain and anguish of so many human lives world-wide makes the question inescapable. Many find the question of delays raised for them personally as they pray through long years for some particular need, perhaps some personal disability they seek freedom from, or a loved one for whose salvation they yearn. Others struggle with some promise of God which remains unfulfilled after weary years of waiting.
    This story teaches us two things about God's delays. The first is that they are inevitable. Since we are mere finite creatures, we are necessarily largely unaware of the circumstances which surround the events taking place in our lives and those of others, as well as the consequences which result from them. Only God is omniscient. Further, since our desires are not fully renewed, even if we were aware of all the implications, there is no guarantee that we would choose only what was for the highest good for ourselves and others. Our imperfect desires also make us want immediate answers, and render us unprepared for the patient ripening of God's plans. His delays, however, do not contradict his love (cf. 5). He loves us as fully and as truly when he remains in Transjordan (or Batenea), ministering to others' needs, as when he journeys to Bethany to minister to ours. The second point about God's delays is that they are not final. He will come, in his own time and way. No doubt that will frequently be later than we would have chosen. From his divine perspective, however, it will be the right time. God is the best of time-keepers. He created time; he is never late for his appointments.
    The delay concluded, Jesus gives the order to go to Bethany (15). The disciples are well aware of the danger there and remind him of it (8). In response Jesus warns against over-estimating the danger. Just as there is daylight as well as darkness, and journeys are always possible if the right hour is chosen, so while the darkness of opposition is looming there is still time to 'do the work of him who sent me' (9:4). Further, since he is the light of this world, the disciples, if they keep close to him, will have light to walk by also.
    Jesus announces that Lazarus has died, first metaphorically (11) and than directly (14). 'Sleep', while used of death in the Old Testament, as, for example, 'Amaziah rested [slept] with his fathers' (2 Ki. 14:22), was not a common way of referring to it, which perhaps explains the disciples' failure to grasp the import. The use of this metaphor by Jesus, both here and in the raising of Jairus' daughter, (Mk. 5:39) set the trend for later Christian usage (cf. Acts 7:60; 1 Thes. 4:13). As a metaphor for death it need not imply the end of all consciousness following the moment of death. [John, Page 161] In Scripture, sleep is regularly a very 'active' experience.135 Primarily, 'sleep' implies the truth of the recovery of consciousness after death.

When I go down to the grave, I can say like so many others that I have finished my day's work; but I cannot say that I have finished my life. Another day's work will begin the next morning. The tomb is not a blind alley—it is a thoroughfare. It closes with the twilight to open with the dawn.
Victor Hugo

Jesus reiterates that this death of Lazarus is a 'good death' about which he is personally glad, so that you may believe (15). The pain and anguish of the family are still of less worth than the nourishing of the faith of both the family and the attendant disciples. Once again the cruciality of faith is stressed.
    Let us go to him (15). Him, we note, is a person, not a corpse. As spokesperson, Thomas reflects a whole-heartedness which will find later expression (cf. 20:28). He also unwittingly lays out the terms of following Jesus: Let us also go,… that we may die with him. The invitation to follow Jesus is precisely that. 'If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me' (Mk. 8:34). 'When Jesus calls a man to follow him he bids him come and die.'136 The disciples, however, have still to learn this lesson in experience. A fiery crucible awaits them before they too will walk the way of the cross.


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Regards,
Ryan Chia

Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Mission exists because worship doesn't. Worship is ultimate, not missions, because God is ultimate, not man.

From John Piper, Let The Nations Be Glad