"Even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You... Yes, Lord; I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God, even He who comes into the world" (John 11:22,27).

Lord, by this time there will be a stench, for he has been dead four days" (John 11:39).

It's hard to believe that the same person who said the former words would a few moments later say the latter. Martha eloquently expresses her faith in Jesus. She confessed that God will grant Jesus anything. She believed that He was the Son of God. Yet, when Jesus asked for the tombstone of Lazarus to be removed, she was the first to express doubt and with a reason, namely, that his body would have started to decay.

Martha reminds me of Peter, who experienced a similar hypocrisy. First, he eloquently confessed that Jesus was the Son of God; then moments later, he rebuked Jesus (cf. Matthew 16:16,22).

Friends, do we make bold and confident pronouncements about our faith and then live as if we never made them? Do we exhibit the same kind of hypocrisy, perhaps thoughtlessly and unintentionally, that Martha and Peter exhibited?

Do we confess that God is in control yet worry about things as though He's not? Do we recite, "Seek first God's kingdom and righteousness" (Matthew 6:33)yet hardly give any time to study His Word and to pray? 

Let us all evaluate our confession of faith in Christ, our Savior and Lord. Let us humble ourselves, acknowledge our hypocrisy, and seek God's mercy and grace to help us to truly live what we believe!

Could not this man, who opened the eyes of the blind man, have kept this man also from dying?” (John 11:37)

The Jews who witnessed the death of Lazarus were also aware of the miracles of Christ. So, it was not unusual for them to surmise that Jesus could have kept Lazarus from dying. Martha also said as much (John 11:21). Even Mary said as much (John 11:32). What is more, Jesus purposefully stayed away longer after receiving news of Lazarus's sickness (John 11:6), and He knew when Lazarus died (John 11:11-14).

While the Jews rightly understood that Jesus could have kept Lazarus from dying, they did not recognize the extent of Jesus' power. He was not simply a healer. And He was more than the eschatological hope of the Jews (John 11:24). Jesus was the "I am" of deity. He was "the resurrection and the life" (John 11:25). He was the Life-giving Creator. He could bring to life even what was dead. He could bring something out of nothing, composition of organs, bones and flesh out of what was decomposed and rotting.

As we read the account, faith was not absent, for the Jews believed that Jesus could have healed Lazarus. Faith was not absent, but their faith was inadequate. By raising Lazarus from the dead, Jesus demonstrated that He was not simply a a great healer. He was Lord. 

Friends, I sometimes wonder whether we exercise an inadequate faith. We believe that God can save us from eternal damnation, but do we have a hard time trusting Him to heal us immediately and completely from an injury? The God, who made the universe, should not have a hard time giving us the best possible job, should He? We have timid and reserved prayers, as if we need to give God an out if things don't work out as well or as quickly as they ought. Should we pray flaccid prayers simply so that we can say that God "answered" our prayers? 

Dear friends, God does not need our help. Let us ask great things from our great God, or else let us not ask for anything at all, simply accepting our lot and praising Him for it. Let us believe great things of our God and not simply things that will get us by or make ends meet. By praying and believing in lesser things, are we not diminishing His worth in our eyes and before others? And let us not simply drone on with repititious, formulaic prayers. If God is not answering our prayers, it is unlikely because our requests are too hard for Him.

Jesus wept (John 11:35). He did not weep because Lazarus had died, for He knew that He would raise him up in just a few moments. Jesus wept because of the inadequate faith of Mary, Martha, and the mourning Jews.

I wonder if He weeps over our inadequate faith today? Jesus prophesied about His coming: "When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?" (Luke 18:8). Is Jesus Lord or is He not?! If He is Lord, then why do we pray and believe as though He were not?

But though He had performed so many signs before them, yet they were not believing in Him. This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet which he spoke: “Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” For this reason they could not believe, for Isaiah said again, “He has blinded their eyes and He hardened their heart, so that they would not see with their eyes and perceive with their heart, and be converted and I heal them” (John 12:37-40).

Many Jews saw numerous miracles done by Jesus, but they still would not believe in Him. John writes that this was in fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah, that the people would not believe because God had blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts. God kept them from seeing the significance of the miraculous signs. As a result, as John records, "They could not believe."

Even if we were to say that the people initiated unbelief, as some say of Pharaoh before God hardened his heart, why did God keep them in unbelief. If He would have opened their minds, as He did for His disciples, they would have understood that Jesus was truly the Messiah, and they would not have handed Him over to the Romans to be crucified. But if He was not crucified, then how would we be saved? 

It seems to me that if the Jewish leaders truly understood who Jesus was, they would not have had Him crucified. Even if they only had wicked intentions, they would have seen the folly of it, for, as the great Gamaliel would later point out, they would have found themselves fighting against God. No, the Scriptures suggest that they did not understand, and in fact, they could not understand, for they were not enabled to understand by God.

Some might argue, then, how can they be assigned guilt for what they did not understand. Paul provides this answer:

One of you will say to me: “Then why does God still blame us? For who is able to resist his will?” But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? “Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’” Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use? (Romans 9:19-21)

Admittedly, it is not the most satisfactory answer, for he seems to be saying that God can do whatever He pleases without having to answer to man for it. But this is a hard truth, especially for people that have such a high view of themselves. That God can orchestrate unbelief as well as belief to accomplish His purposes is simply a testament to His absolute sovereignty. Praise be the Lord!

It was the Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped His feet with her hair (John 11:2).

This event of Mary's (i.e. Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus) anointing Jesus with oil and wiping His feet with her hair should not be confused with a similar event in Luke 7:36-50, where the woman is unknown (not Mary Magdalene either, as some have mistakenly presumed). Although recorded in the past tense, it is likely that the reference is to what Mary would do in the very next chapter:

Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair (John 12:3).

It was probably recorded in the past tense (grammatically, a proleptic aorist, whereby a future event is written in the past tense to highlight the certainty or perhaps significance of it, e.g. cf. Romans 8:28) because of the significance Jesus attaches to the event:

Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her (Matthew 26:13).

John was highlighting what Mary would do in such a way as to identify her in the very way Jesus would commend her to be remembered. 

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Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when He heard that he was sick, He then stayed two days longer in the place where He was (John 11:5-6).

If you read these verses too quickly, you may miss the obvious disconnect. The first verse declares Jesus' love for Martha, Mary and Lazarus. The second verse begins with the word that is most consistently translated "then" or "therefore" (or in the NASB "so), so that the former verse provides the reason or cause for what follows. But what an unexpected outcome we find in this next verse! 

Jesus does not hurry to his friends to comfort them and heal Lazarus. This is to be expected. But no, the text does not say this. It says that Jesus deliberately stayed longer in the place where He was. Why is this signficant? It suggests that because Jesus loved Martha, Mary and Lazarus He stayed away longer. By waiting, they would be witness to one of Jesus' greatest miracles, the resuscitation and complete restoration of Lazarus from the grave. Lazarus' resuscitation would demonstrate Jesus' power over death and the grave, which would be a precursor to His resurrection, fulfilling the Messianic prophecy of Psalm 16:10,

For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol;
Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.

Paul would cite this passage in declaring the death and resurrection of Jesus in first missionary journey.

So Jesus would declare to Martha,

I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die (John 11:25-26).

Friends, Jesus deliberately made Martha and Mary suffer a crisis of faith, so that they might truly appreciate who Jesus was and truly believe in Him. By allowing Lazarus to be wrapped in grave clothes and to decay in a tomb for over four days, there would be none to decry this miracle as a hoax. It was because Jesus loved His friends so much that He allowed them to participate in what was perhaps the greatest miracle of His entire three-year ministry. 

Yet, they initially suffered. 

Friends, remember how Job suffered greatly, yet he was the pinnacle of God's pride and joy in his generation. God put him on display to the whole heavenly assembly. 

Consider how Stephen, the first martyr suffered stoning at the hands of the Jews. Yet, Jesus stood to welcome him into heaven. 

Consider how much Paul suffered. Yet, his last words are not anything like dispair but a shout of victory:

For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing (2 Timothy 4:6-8).

Consider Jesus, who suffered most unjustly and most cruelly. Yet, He was exalted to the highest place:

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name (Philippians 2:9).

What's the scenario and application for us? Don't despair, friends, in your hardship or suffering or ill treatment by others. Instead, remain faithful. Allow God to test and prove and grow your faith even more than you imagined. It is because He loves us that He allows us to suffer. Remember, that even Jesus, though He was the Son of God, learned obedience through suffering (cf. Hebrews 5:8). He set us an example for us to follow:

For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart (Hebrews 12:3).

Be encouraged!

John 11

11 because on account of him (Lazarus’s resurrection) many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus.

The Triumphal Entry

12 The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem.

Wow it never stuck that the raising of Lazerus with the Triumphal entry, that makes sense!

17 The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to bear witness. 18 The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign. 19 So the Pharisees said to one another, "You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him."

48 If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation."
49 But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, "You know nothing at all. 50 Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish." 51 He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, 52 and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. 53 So from that day on they made plans to put him to death.

Wow! They were so concerned that what they had been waiting for, a king to arise and lead the people, was at hand, but because they did not believe that he could pull it off they feared the Romans would topple what they themselves had.

Interestingly, even Caiaphas knew Jesus's destiny. He knew it and was obedient to it better than even Peter. For he apparently spoke of it at least twice, once here and once earlier, and was at least passively involved in its fulfillment!

A closer look even shows that his death was not just for the nationals, but for those lost sheep, the unrevealed children of God - the gentiles! The revelation is the that 'Israel' was not just Israel! 

The Pharisee discuss what they should do with Jesus as many are beginning to believe….

(John 11:45-53)

45 Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him. 46 But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. 47 Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin.

"What are we accomplishing?" they asked. "Here is this man performing many signs. 48 If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our nation."

49 Then one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, spoke up, "You know nothing at all! 50 You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish."

51 He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, 52 and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one. 53 So from that day on they plotted to take his life.

The heart of the Pharisee's are revealed, to their shame in verse 48, as they are more concerned with remaining in power than knowing if Jesus was their messiah. Even more condemning was Caiaphas (a Jewish high priest) who suggests that they Jesus should die rather than 'a whole nation parish'. In verse 51 it says he 'prophesizes' or he interprets Gods will that Jesus would die for Jews and non Jews (the scattered) and bring them together. In other words the high priest of Israel revealed that Jesus would die for Israels and other nations transgressions (sins) and his death would bring them together as one (children of God). Caiaphas understood that Jesus was the fulfillment of prophecy and yet he chose to try to thwart Gods will by killing his Son (Jesus). The irony of course was that Gods plan was for his Son Jesus to give his life in payment for Caiaphas and all Jews (and non Jews) sins.

These passages revealed to me tonight the depth of the treachery of the heart - that our nature allows us to even deceive ourselves (despite the evidence). The Jews had all the evidence to believe in Christ but chose to protect their traditions and power. More than ever I realize how much we need Gods grace and redemptive powers to change our hearts.

Friends, in John 11:35 we have the very short and memorable words, "Jesus wept." But was this simply a sympathetic sorrow over the death of Lazarus? If so, why did he delay coming two days when he heard of Lazarus' sickness (John 11:5-6). And since Jesus knew from the beginning that He would raise Lazarus (John 11:4), and that He would do so in just moments time, would such sorrow make sense?

There are only two occasions where Jesus wept. Here in Bethany and in Luke 19:41-44. This latter passage gives us a better clue as to the reason behind Jesus' weeping in Bethany.

Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”

Jesus wept over Jerusalem, because she did not receive the light that God gave her: "In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it... He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him" (John 1:4,5,11). Now, they were blinded in their unbelief and hardened in their sinful rebellion (John 12:37-41). And a terrible judgment awaited them. Jesus wept over the city's unbelief.

Coming back to our text, we can see that Jesus' tears had a similar sentiment in Bethany. The sorrow was not a sympathetic sorrow over Lazarus' death, but rather a sorrow over the unbelief of those around Him.

We read in Luke 11:33, "when Jesus saw her (Mary) weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled." The expression, "groaned in the spirit" translates a Greek word, which means "to have indignation on, to blame, to sigh with chagrin." Jesus was indignant, chagrined with his own friends and disciples. Even these, who had followed him most closely and believed most heartily, were not completely convinced that he was the resurrection and the life. Both Martha and Mary said, "Lord, if you You had been here, my brother would not have died" (Luke 11:21,32). In other words, they believed Jesus could have kept Lazarus from dying, but they did not believe that He could raise the dead.

This sentiment was shared by those around them, who said, "Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?" (Luke 11:37). They did not comprehend that Jesus could raise Lazarus from the dead. So we find Jesus "again groaning in Himself" in Luke 11:38. The context suggests that this groaning was precipitated by the unbelief of those around Him. Like before, He was indignant, chagrined by their unbelief. This understanding is further supported by Martha's reaction to Jesus' command to remove the stone from Lazarus' tomb. She says, "Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days" (Luke 11:39). Then Jesus rebukes her unbelief: "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?"

Then, Jesus prays to God. But notice the content of His prayer. Jesus has no doubt as to what God would do, but He says, "And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me" (Luke 11:42). The raising of Lazarus was so that those standing around Him might believe. That means that they were unbelieving up to this point. That this was highlighted by Jesus in His prayer suggests that this was the main thing on His mind. Jesus wept, Jesus groaned inwardly, and Jesus was troubled not out of sympathy with those mourning over Lazarus but rather because of their unbelief. They did not believe that God sent Him.

I highlight this passage because many people, even preachers and teachers, have misunderstood why Jesus wept. They preach that Jesus wept because He had so much compassion for Lazarus and His friends, who were in mourning. From this comes a message of how Jesus empathizes with us too, because we too are His friends. He weeps with us when we have troubled finances. He weeps with us when our teenage daughter strays from home. He weeps with us when we feel neglected. He weeps with our every hurt, our every care, our every need. Sounds good, huh? There are sermons galore that sound like this. And the congregation are beside themselves in tears and clapping and crying out to such a god. Yet, this is totally unbiblical, and especially from this passage.

One of the main reasons people misunderstand is because of the words of the Jews, who said, "See how He loved him!" (John 11:35). Yet, these are the same Jews that Jesus said were unbelieving, who did not believe that He could raise Lazarus from the dead, and who did not believe that God sent Jesus. Even though their words are in the Bible, this does not mean that they are right in their interpretation of Jesus' tears. Jesus' tears were not so much tears of love for Lazarus but rather of indignation over the unbelief of His friends and the Jews around Him. Jesus' weeping was no burst of emotion over a sad event but rather a deep chagrin at the unbelief of even His friends.

Why the prevalent misunderstanding of passages like this today? With the emotionalism that is such a big part of the current neo-charismatic movement, this kind of loose interpretation of Scripture is understandable. Friends, be warned, and carefully study the Scriptures for yourselves.

In conclusion, consider the words of Jesus to the women, who wept over Him, as He was headed to the cross:

Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For indeed the days are coming in which they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, wombs that never bore, and breasts which never nursed!’ Then they will begin ‘to say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” and to the hills, “Cover us!”’ For if they do these things in the green wood, what will be done in the dry?” (Luke 23:28-31).

Jesus would soon be glorified. He tells the women not to weep for Him but for those, even themselves and their children, who would experience the judgment of God for their persistent unbelief. If they would do such atrocities when Jesus, who came to save them, was with them, how much worse for them would it be when He is gone.

Friends, don't be so moved by the music, the shouting, the dimmed lights, and all the emotional displays that many revivals, retreats, and services use to manipulate the hearts of people to believe. Such faith may very well be a counterfeit faith. It is not without reason that there are no such examples in the Scriptures. To the contrary, Jesus seemed to go out of His way to make it particularly difficult for people to believe. Why? It is likely that He wanted true believers and not those that would poison the church with their nominal and emotional faith.

Why don't the other gospel's speak of Jesus raising Lazarus?  This seems like the greatest of miracles, though they don't even mention it. 

Also, when the gospel's were being written, did the author's know each was writing their accounts?  Since each gospel is being directed toward a different audience, it's incredible the different perspectives given if each one didn't know each was writing them.  All different points of view/vantage points that all tell the same story and draw the same conclusion, that Jesus was the Messiah!  How much more proof do you need than that?!

Yujin responded... Great question. There are other accounts of Jesus raising the dead (e.g. widow's son at Nain in Luke 7:11-17; Jairus' daughter in Matthew 9:18-26; Mark 5:21-23; Luke 8:40-56) though not of Lazarus. John includes it because it is in keeping with his stated purpose, namely, to provide a basis for faith in Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing people may have eternal life (John 20:30-31). John also writes, "And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written" (John 21:25). So, the Gospel writers, led by the Holy Spirit, picked just the events that they wanted to include to bring their perspective to bear.

Christian tradition suggests that the Gospels were written at different times, though all in the first century. There is also much agreement among theologians that some of the latter Gospels used the earlier ones. Luke, in his Gospel, suggests that there were others who recorded the events of Christ's life. He may have borrowed from these resources in the writing of his Gospel. 

Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed (Luke 1:1-4).

Today, while many consider the Bible as one book, this is not really accurate. It is more like a compilation or an anthology of books. It is sixty-six books, and even more when you consider some books like the Psalms and Proverbs were compilations. These books were written over a long period of time. And some of these books bring together various records and eye-witness testimonies. Together, they constitute a cohesive and harmonious whole, the likes of which no ancient literature of any kind can begin to compare. The four-fold witness of the life of Christ points to both the importance and uniqueness of Jesus Christ, as the preeminent figure in biblical prophecy, about whom the Book of Revelation records, "the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy" (Revelation 19:10).