John 11:1-45
11:1 Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister
Martha.
11:2 Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her
hair; her brother Lazarus was ill.
11:3 So the sisters sent a message to Jesus, "Lord, he whom you love is ill."
11:4 But when Jesus heard it, he said, "This illness does not lead to death;
rather it is for God's glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it."
11:5 Accordingly, though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus,
11:6 after having heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place
where he was.
11:7 Then after this he said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again."
11:8 The disciples said to him, "Rabbi, the Jews were just now trying to stone
you, and are you going there again?"
11:9 Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Those who walk
during the day do not stumble, because they see the light of this world.
11:10 But those who walk at night stumble, because the light is not in them."
11:11 After saying this, he told them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but
I am going there to awaken him."
11:12 The disciples said to him, "Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will be all
right."
11:13 Jesus, however, had been speaking about his death, but they thought that he was
referring merely to sleep.
11:14 Then Jesus told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead.
11:15 For your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go
to him."
11:16 Thomas, who was called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also
go, that we may die with him."
11:17 When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days.
11:18 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, some two miles away,
11:19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them about their
brother.
11:20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary stayed
at home.
11:21 Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have
died.
11:22 But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him."
11:23 Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."
11:24 Martha said to him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on
the last day."
11:25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in
me, even though they die, will live,
11:26 and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe
this?"
11:27 She said to him, "Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of
God, the one coming into the world."
11:28 When she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary, and told her
privately, "The Teacher is here and is calling for you."
11:29 And when she heard it, she got up quickly and went to him.
11:30 Now Jesus had not yet come to the village, but was still at the place where
Martha had met him.
11:31 The Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary get up quickly
and go out. They followed her because they thought that she was going to the tomb to weep
there.
11:32 When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to
him, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died."
11:33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was
greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved.
11:34 He said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to him, "Lord, come
and see."
11:35 Jesus began to weep.
11:36 So the Jews said, "See how he loved him!"
11:37 But some of them said, "Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man
have kept this man from dying?"
11:38 Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone
was lying against it.
11:39 Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of the dead man,
said to him, "Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four
days."
11:40 Jesus said to her, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see
the glory of God?"
11:41 So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, "Father, I
thank you for having heard me.
11:42 I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd
standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me."
11:43 When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!"
11:44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his
face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Unbind him, and let him go."
11:45 Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus did,
believed in him.
Ok what is going on between Martha and Jesus, they speak to each other as do only those
on the most familiar of basis. Does this remind you of the recent holiwood mini series of
Jesus with Jeromy Sistow? How do people feel about it and its implying that Jesus and Mary
felt a romantic attraction? Is this a total taboo or does it make Jesus seem very real and
human to people?
Isn't Martha's statement outstanding? It is like she has anticipated Jesus.
Lazarus come out! is the cenral piece of this whole story and it only makes sense in
light of Jesus power to give life. What is the best way to retell the story so those who
have heard it over and over will be struck by the power of it "again as if for the
first time"? I plan to read the passage in parts and to have some real energy in the
reading itself! Any good ideas on the preaching part of it? old priest in Iowa
This story does not simply say there is life after death. It says a soul can re enter a
body even one that has been dead and decaying.
11:42 I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd
standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me Is not this the same thing that
happen to the blind man. Was not he blind so that the works of our Lord might made plain
to those who will believe, that Jesus is sent by the farther. Isn't that why he tarried
instead of coming soomer. And doesn't it seem that he always tarry so we might know that
it is the work of the Lord? So many times I have waited till the last minute and then the
Lord gives me the answer, or meets the need.
Pastor Roger in WV.
Does this say that sometimes we are so dead to God that our life stinks, but no matter
how stinky we are Jesus can and will give us new life? just a random thought Nancy-Wi
What puzzles me about the Lazarus story is whether we are meant to take it
literally at all. Its a story of resuscitation, not resurrection. Its not like
the Resurrection of Jesus, where he was clearly transformed. Are we then to
preach resuscitation?
Given that the story doesn't appear in the synoptic gospels, is it more likely that
what it really is is a meditation on "I am the resurrection and the life", so
that we ought to read it figuratively as 'Jesus has won the victory over the power of
death'?
PB - England
I don't have the information in front of me, but I believe the fact that Lazarus was
dead for 4 days is significant in Hebrew culture...after four days the spirit was
officially out of the body??? Does this sound familiar to anyone?
Missouri Dave
Verse 44 is - and has been - speaking to me for some time; i.e. the note that once
Lazarus was out of the tomb, Jesus called on the mourners and those present to
"unbind him." I want my preaching to be an emphasis on the resurrection, and not
too heavy on "works," but maybe there's something here that calls us to
cooperate with the activity of God, to fully effect the miracles God gives us.
Janice in Ks
To PB in England - I wonder which scriptures we should take figuratively and which
scriptures we can trust as valid and true? I'll take them all as true and take my
chances... Let the Jesus Seminar folks waste their time on voting on which stories
happened. I'll let the stories increase my faith in a God of miracles.
I think one point to remember is that God answers prayers in ways we might not choose.
Jesus could have come earlier to heal Lazarus. I think that is what Martha wanted in vs.
21. But Jesus had something even greater in mind. He was stronger than even death itself.
Think of the faith Mary and Martha must have had after seeing Lazarus rise from the dead.
Often we pray for things and we have our own outcome in mind. But God is bigger than
our minds can comprehend. He often answers prayer in bigger and better ways. Mary and
Martha wanted a healing - Jesus gave them an even bigger miracle - he raised someone from
the dead.
Pastor John in CT
I believe this is a resurrection story! It clearly shows the life giving power of
Jesus. The significance is that Jesus waited 3 days before traveling. You have to be dead
for 3 days to really be dead. Thus Jesus rose on the 3rd day. Often it is 3 days before we
bury someone, even today. Lazarus' body had already begun to decompose. Jesus did not give
Lazarus mouth to mouth, he gave his dead body life. PH in OH
Lazarus is dying and Jesus waits 2 days before going to see him. Why? to reveal God's
power over death. To perform a sign so that people - in this case people who
"knew" Jesus - would Believe. They (and we) however, are dense. (Actually, in CT
we congregationalists are pretty dense. In the South the Baptists are more dense than
Congregationalists. In the Midwest maybe Methodists are densest. I guess the Catholics are
pretty dense everywhere....just kidding... dense & dense...). Anyway, when Jesus
"weeps", I believe the Greek word is more like a moan of frustration, or a snort
as a horse would make - so my seminary prof said years ago. It is not the word for crying
or tears as used elsewhere. Besides, Jesus waited 2 days - its no surprise to him that
Lazarus died. Jesus is frustrated with the unbelief of the disciples, the women, the
bystanders. This is a very mysterious event, beyond rational explanation. It does not say
that Lazarus walked out - he came out fully wrapped - maybe he "floated" out,
then he was unbound. We can't say for sure. The idea is that this event, once again, like
Nicodemus, the woman at the well, and the man born blind, reveals who Jesus is and that
when you see that, you "see" God. Anyway, thes are early observations. Jim in
CT.
The Greek for "wept" (or "began to weep") is "edakrusen"
from the verb "dakruo" which means "to shed tears" -- it is derived
from "dakru", a neuter noun meaning "tear"....
I don't think the "moan in frustration" or "snort like a horse"
interpretation is correct....
Blessings, Eric in KS
Hi! DPS friends.... Well....it's that favorite time of the week, ISN'T IT?!!! By that I
mean, that time of week when we begin to plan the menu for Sunday. On to Lazarus. Lazarus
is kind of like some Churches I've known....The Lord loves them dearly, grieves over their
death...but can ALSO...CALL THEM BACK TO LIFE!!! What is there within the Church that is
dead, or within us that needs to be called back to life" Hope? Our first love...Jesus
Christ? Preacher in Ks.
If Jesus can give life to someone that is good and dead (four days dead), if God can
raise up a valley of dry bones, just think what God can do when we turn to Him in prayer.
Jesus was glad Lazarus died with out Him there (vs.15). Jesus was glad because He had
in mind a greater miracle than healing. Jesus had in mind a miracle that would give
testimony to the miracle of the resurrection. Jesus didn’t enjoy seeing His friend
die. The scripture says when they invited Jesus to see where they had laid Lazarus, He
began to weep (John 11:35). But Jesus realized something greater than a healing was to
happen. Mary and Martha and many others had in mind how Jesus should answer their prayers
but Jesus had even greater plans in mind.
Isn't that how our prayer life often is? We pray, thinking God can answer in this way
or that way. But God gives us an answer we never even thought about. They prayed for
healing - Jesus gave them a sign that pointed beyond His humanity to His divinity and in
the end, raised a dead man to life.
Pastor John in CT
Preacher in KS: COOL! Tongue in cheek! I was always taught to pick my battles, and I
don't think capitalization should be one of them!! Especially picking on a 1st year
seminary student!! I used what was said in last weeks discussion, yesterday. That when we
call unchurched people sinners, we push them away. Jesus call us and we are to help
others, never push them away, especially with petty stuff.
I have really gotten into the lectionary this Lenten season. I have seen a brighter,
even more beautiful Jesus. The One who was tempted and and did not succumb--for us; the
One who taught a learned man by night so we can be reborn; the One who waited by a well to
teach a woman about true life so we may drink of the living water; the One who was there
for the blind man AND the Pharisees. And, Praise God he is always there for me!
I learn so much from this sight! This week I am already on the path of Jesus bringing
to life to our dirty-rotten-stinking souls!
I want to share with you, because I receive so much from you, two things. Yesterday as
I read that very long passage, to keep my congregation awake :-), (not really), whenever I
read the word "blind" I had them say, "NO", when I anything having to
do with sight or eyes, I had them say, "YES". Please try this with someone, I
think you will be surprised at the message that is given!
The second thing is I want to share a miracle!! Friday I went to the hospital to be
with a 70ish lady who was having tests for pain in her leg. The pain came on suddenly
Wednesday as she got out of her car to come to Bible Study. She was taken to the ER and
admitted to the hospital, VICU! To make a long story short, the tests showed that there
was no blood flow to her leg, the arteries were hard and brittle, no repair could be done.
Her heart and lungs could not stand the length of an operation to do a bypass. The only
chance she had for survival was to amputate the leg at the groin. The leg was dead. No
pulse, no heat, no color. A shock for all of us!!!! Her huge family is Christian. We all
ran outside and turned on our cellphones and started calling people to get prayer circles
going, there was no doubt in any of us Who would be in charge! They took her into surgery
about 10 pm. to remove her leg. She came out of the operating room, WITH a leg that pink,
had a pulse and was warm!! The Dr. does not know what happened!! Mary woke up Saturday and
said, "Praise God!! I am alive!! And I am going to live!!" Business as usual for
us?? No, never again!
When we serve a God this great--don't get hung up on the petty stuff! TheCharge
If Jesus had left immediately upon hearing that Lazarus was ill, Lazarus would have
been dead before he got there anyway, as the trip had to have taken at least a day.
Lazarus is ill. One day for messengers to find Jesus. Two days for Jesus to remain in
that place (Jesus states Lazarus has already died, could have appened the day the
messengers left). One day for Jesus to travel to the home of Lazarus. Added together
equals four days.
If Jesus would have left immediately, Lazarus would still have been already dead for
two days by the time he arrived.
It is painful to watch someone die, I might be doing it right now... our dog. Eight
years old and his liver is failing. It was easier to let go of my father last summer, as
his brain disease (Picks)had taken the best of him from us long ago. It was horrible for
Mary and Martha to watch Lazarus die. And Jesus couldn't be there before Lazarus died,
which was horrible for him, too, I believe, even though he was about to demonstrate the
power of God.
This will be a difficult gospel for me to preach this week, unless, of course, a
miracle happens. I never thought an animal would become so important in our home.
Michelle
"When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to
him, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died."
I think many have a tendency to think like Mary in the face of crisis. Some assume it's
the absence of Christ's presence that allows for bad things (though we know from the text
that Jesus is aware of the situations and the family is on his mind) How many times have
we thought "Lord, if only you were here!"
But ba timing still doesn't hamper the saving power of Christ, he is beyond the bounds
of time and all things are possible though beyound comprehension!
Pr.del in Ia
ps. I find the excessive use of caps distracting too...just my humble preference.
Michelle - I'm sorry to hear about your dog. I've been in that position of handling the
death of a pet (we always seem to have at least 4 of them at any given time and, over the
years, have had to say good-bye to many! I even preached a sermon about the death of one -
a cat that I had nursed by hand with an eye-dropper when he was an abandoned 2-wk old
kitten: I still miss him terribly even ten years after his passing.
Michelle wrote: "If Jesus would have left immediately, Lazarus would still have
been already dead for two days by the time he arrived."
It dawned on me as I read this that Jesus didn't really even need to go to Lazarus --
wasn't it the centurion's servant that he cured at long distance in Mark 8? He simply said
to the centurion, "Go, it will be done." Why couldn't he have done that here?
If I weren't dealing a very controlling and manipulative parishioner right now, I
probably wouldn't be sensitive to the negative implications of this story -- but I find
the picture of Jesus painted here to be quite unappealing! Here's his friend ill and dying
whom he could relieve with just a word. Instead, he lets the guy die and lets his sisters
mourn for 2 or 3 or 4 days before doing anything and then what he does is a great big
splashy, flashy show of his own power. The only redeeming element is that one verse
"Jesus wept." Perhaps he is weeping for himself, mourning his need to manipulate
his friends just to make a point to "the Jews"....
Feeling a bit put out with God this morning!
Blessings, Eric in KS
Michelle.... I am so sorry to hear about the loss of your Dad and now your dog. Animals
are such a blessing to us. I believe that God gives them to us for a purpose. When I was
alone...after twenty-five years of marriage....all I had left of the family was my Bassett
Hound, named "Angel". She is getting old now, and I realize that someday I will
have to give her up. But I try to remember how she blesses my life each day. My heart and
prayers go out to you. God will give you strength for these difficult times. Preacher in
Ks.
I'm thinking of the other Lazarus story where Father Abraham tells the rich man. If
they don't believe the prophets neither will they believe if one is raised from the dead.
I believe the long wait and calling forth was more for the desciples benefit than any
other. They see this and still do not get it. Time after time he tells them the son of man
must die but will rise from the grave on the third day. Even after this experience they
still don't get it. Then after pentecost every where they go they preach the same message
Jesus and the ressurrection. That is the one thing that sets us apart from every other
religion. We have a risen savior. Early ramblings.
Harold in Alabama
PB in England,
You asked whether we are to preach resuscitation. I believe this text speaks both to
resuscitation and resurrection. "I know that he will rise again on the last
day," signifies that resurrection was not the issue for Martha, but it is an issue
for Jesus. "I am the Resurrection AND the life..." both life here and life
hereafter? I would say that the point is that God has power over all of life, now and
after our earthly death.
Michelle
PB in England, Aren't all the gospels looking backwards? Aren't they all after the fact
of the resurrection? As I understand the gospels, they are the inspired writings which
existed orally for a period of time with the intent of reflecting upon the life of Jesus
and telling who Jesus is. Even the birth accounts are reflections of a resurrected
Jesus--one with God, are they not? lp in CO
Okay, now for something substantial from me here. I see this as a story of grace.
Someone on this site, and I apologize for not remembering who it is, said that perhaps it
is a story of Jesus bringing us back to life no matter how "stinky." I agree. I
do not believe that we have to wait until our physical death to experience resurrection on
some level. I think our death/resurrection will be the grand finale. Our entire life is a
series of deaths and resurrections--mine is, anyway. If we can begin to get in touch with
the Spirit of Jesus who is alive in each of us and can begin to remember and make note of
the many times that "deaths" have turned to "resurrections" either in
our own lives or in those of others, then we can begin to live here and now as
resurrection people.
Michelle, I am so sorry about your dog. I do know that pain. We had to put a golden
retriever down about five or six years ago and I still have a place in my heart for her. I
look at retrievers with a whole different affection. lp in CO
You can almost sense Jesus' building frustration and the "dense-ness" of his
followers. He plainly says Lazarus is dead and they are to go there and Jesus will wake
him (vss 11, 14). But the disciples don't understand. Jesus tries to tell Martha that he
will raise Lazarus, but Martha misunderstands. Its almost as if Jesus has to use "all
capitals" to get his point across - I AM the resurrection and the life - right here,
right now, before you. If you believe you will see God's glory (by the way, you'll also
see it at the crucifixion and resurrection - Jesus moment of glorification). You Greek
scholars, is the word used for weeping in vs 33 the same as in vs 35? I don't have my
Strong's concordance handy.... Perhaps our own attitudes adn feelings about death
determine how we react to this story. Some of us are actively grieving loss, some of us
may be afraid of death and rail that Jesus is being manupulative - playing with something
painful. Some of us may think. like Martha and Amry, that Jesus can only help is he
"gets here intime" . But for God - and Jesus - the fact that Lazarus has died is
not really a barrier. Jesus sums up his mission - believe in me and never die - or turned
around, believe in me and have true life. Also, believe in me and know/ see/ perceive
GOd's glory. In 11:42 he declares that he has done this so that the witnesses would
believe that this is God working thru him. Again, John is very different from the other
gospels. There are few, if any simple lessons like "don't hide your light under a
basket", or "turn the other cheek". Instead there's a series of close
encounters with the Holy One, the Son of Man, the lamb of God, the Light of the World, the
Bread of Life, the Light of the World, the Son of God, the Messiah, the true Vine, the
Good Shepherd, the Word (Logos). And the message repeats and builds upon itself - belive
in this One, who is of God. So when we read about death here, we may be missing John's
point if we become stuck in our own view and feelings about dying, loss, friendship. As
always with Christ, some will belive (as in vs 45) and some will not. At times I am able
to believe strongly and at times I am not. FOrtunately, Jesus does not forsake even a
weakling like me. A couple other notes on the passage - you can't put geography into it -
John jumps all over with location. The passage mentions two miles - an easy walk - not a
day's walk at all! But they may or may not have been that near. Also, the question
remaise, if Jesus had nothing to fear feel anxious about over Lazarus' death, because he
knew what was to be done, then he did not "weep" out of sadness. I think that
observation by the crowd is there to show that they don't get it . THey realize Jesus is
"special" - a rabbi, teacher, prophet, but they don't get that he is revealing
GOD and is one with GOD. The author John, and we the readers looking back, however, DO get
it - or at least we are meant to. Jim in CT
First -- Eric, thanks for your honesty! It's refreshing to hear another annoyed with
God ... and preaching in the midst of it. :-). Michelle, our family's prayers will be with
you. My husband and I have not been able to have any children (so far), but we do have 2
dogs who allow us to live with them in the parsonage and who reign (mostly) benevolently.
In thinking about this this week... I've looked at the "unbind him" aspect of
needing help from on-lookers, at Jesus' "I am" proclamation about Resurrection
and Life... But today I'm stuck with -- Death before Life. How often do we talk about life
after death... and the eternal, etc. etc. But I think maybe this story has something to
say to us about the necessity of Dying before Living -- dying to self before living to
God; dying to sin before living in freedom; dying to the natural/earthly needs and world
before living in eternity. I try to emphasize throughout the Lenten Season that we use
this period to have God "create in us clean hearts"... and that oftentimes
involves pruning and cutting away old, fruitless shoots, as well as some of our
"favorite" sins. I wonder where this will go?? What does this say to my grieving
widows? to my folks dying with cancer? to those who have lost family members to the
underworld of addiction, but continue to pray for new life? What does this say to this
drained, annoyed with God preacher who feels like most days are just "trying to get
through the Season"? Sorry if this is too long --- thanks for continuing to be a
vital part of my Christian community! Shalom --RevAmy
