John 11

Introduction

The first eleven chapters of John’s gospel are known as ‘the Book of Signs’, because John records for us in those eleven chapters seven of the miraculous signs the Lord performed while he was on the earth.

Now, at the end of his gospel, John tells us that the Lord performed many more signs than these ones. However, he’s recorded these seven signs to make clear to the world that the Lord Jesus is the Christ and the Son of God. That is to say, he’s God’s Spirit-Anointed And Conquering King who was sent into the world to save us from our sin and misery. And not only is he God’s King, but he is himself God. He is the Eternal Son of God who has come in the flesh.

We’ve already come across six of the seven signs. I wonder, do you remember what they were? First, there was the time at the wedding when the Lord changed the water into wine. Second, there was the time when the Lord healed the official’s son. Third, the Lord healed the man in Jerusalem who had been lame for 38 years. Fourth, he fed the 5,000 with only five loaves of bread and two small fish. Fifth, he walked on water. And sixth, he healed the man who had been born blind. And today we come to the seventh and greatest of these signs which is the raising of Lazarus from the dead.

All of these miracles are signs which point out to us that the Lord Jesus is the Christ and the Son of God. And John has recorded these seven signs because he wants to persuade his readers that we should believe in the Lord Jesus, because whoever believes in him has life in his name. The Lord Jesus gives eternal life to everyone who believes in him.

Verses 1 to 16

And in verses 1 to 16, John sets the scene for us.

In verse 1 he tells us that Lazarus was sick. And since we’ve never heard of this man before, John tells us that he’s from Bethany and his sisters are Mary and Maratha. And because John hasn’t mentioned them before, he tells us that this Mary is the one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair. John records that story for us in the next chapter, but he assumes his readers have already heard what Mary did at that time to the Lord. And so, his readers will know which Mary and Martha and Lazarus he’s talking about.

And they sent word about their brother’s illness to the Lord Jesus, saying to him that the one he loves is sick. And in verse 5, John tells us that the Lord loved his sisters as well. So, this little family are known to the Lord and he loves them.

But when the Lord heard about the illness, he didn’t drop everything and go at once to be at Lazarus’s sick-bed. Instead he stayed where he was for another two days. Why would he delay? After all, when we hear news that someone we love is sick, we want to go and see them as soon as we can. Sometimes we’re prevented from going immediately. But when that happens, we’re frustrated, because we want to go straightaway. And so, why did the Lord choose to wait another two days before leaving? It’s not because he was indifferent to Lazarus and to Mary and Martha. John makes clear in verse 5 that he loves them. So, it’s not indifference. It’s not that he doesn’t care. There’s some other reason for his delay. But what is it? Why does he delay?

And the explanation is found in verse 4. Take a look at that verse where the Lord announced that this sickness will not end in death. Now, Lazarus does die. But what the Lord means is that this sickness will not end in death ultimately, because Lazarus’s sickness will end, not in death, but in glory for God and in glory for the Lord Jesus, who is God’s Son. By bringing Lazarus back from the dead, the Lord Jesus will bring glory to himself and to his Father in heaven. And so, in order for that to happen, he had to wait for Lazarus to die before going to see him. If he went straightaway, Lazarus would have been still alive and the Lord would have healed him. And healing him would be a great miracle. But bringing him back from the dead is an even greater miracle, isn’t it? The Lord has already shown that he’s able to heal the sick. But now he’s going to make clear that not only can he heal the sick, but he can raise the dead. And the only one who is able to bring the dead back to life is the one who gives us our life in the first place. And that’s God.

According to verse 7, when two days had passed, the Lord said to his disciples that it’s time to go to Judea. They hesitate, because the last time he was in Jerusalem, which is in Judea, the people wanted to stone him to death. Do you really want to go back there? And the Lord replied by talking about there being twelve hours of daylight before the darkness comes. He means that the time for his death has not yet come. Until that time comes, until the darkness arrives, he will not stumble. So, no one can hurt him, because the time for his death has not yet come.

And so, he’s not afraid to go back to Judea, where he will waken Lazarus from his sleep. Do you see that in verse 11? His disciples misunderstand him. They think he’s saying that Lazarus is only sleeping and they think that a rest will do him good. He’ll wake up and feel better. But the Lord isn’t talking about literal or natural sleep. It’s clear that he has supernatural knowledge of Lazarus’s condition and he knows that Lazarus has died. But since the Lord is going to bring him back to life, then it’s as if he’s only sleeping now. He’s sleeping the sleep of death, but the Lord will go and rouse him from the grave.

And the Lord wants his disciples to see him bring Lazarus back from the dead, because then they will believe. Do you see that in verse 15? If they were still unsure about him, then they will finally be convinced that he is the Christ and the Son of God.

Verses 17 to 27

In verses 17 to 27 we read that the Lord arrived in Bethany and heard that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. And when Martha heard that the Lord had arrived in the village, she went out to see him. And her words are unsurprising, aren’t they? She said to him that if he had arrived sooner, her brother would not have died. This is what we do when we’ve been bereaved. We think what the ‘if onlys’ and the ‘what ifs’: the things we should have said or done that might have made a difference.

And then the Lord said to her that her brother will rise again. And she replied that she knows he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day. So, she believed, as most Jews did, that the day will come when God will raise the dead from their graves. Many Jews believed that. But what they didn’t know, and what the Lord is about to explain to Martha, is that the reason the dead will rise again at the resurrection on the last day is because he is the resurrection and the life. He is the source of the resurrection. Or he is the cause of the resurrection. The dead will rise at the resurrection because of him. And they will rise because of him, because he is the life. As John said back in the opening verses of the gospel, God the Father made all things through him and without him nothing was made that has been made and in him was life. That is to say, he has all life in and from himself. He is the fountain and source of life. And from his fullness, he gives life to us. He gives us our life in his world and he sustains our lives day by day. And he gives us new life through the new birth, which is a life of faith and obedience. And he will give us resurrection life when he comes again so that we will live in body and soul with God in the new and better world to come, when all sorrow and sadness and disease and death and all sin will have passed away and we’ll be made perfectly holy and happy as we behold the glory of our God. And the reason we’ll be raised from the dead in body and soul to live with God for ever is because of Jesus Christ, who is the resurrection and the life.

And so, he who believes in the Lord Jesus will live even though he dies. Even though you die, and your body is buried in the ground, the day is coming when the Lord Jesus will come again in power and glory. And he’ll say the word, and your dead body will be raised from the grave and will be reunited with your soul and you will live with God for ever. Just as Christ died and was raised, so all who believe in him will be raised from the dead to live for ever. As our church’s Larger Catechism says, at death, our bodies will rest in our graves, as if in our beds, until the last day.

And whoever lives and believes in the Saviour will never die. When the Lord says in verse 26 that believers will never die, he perhaps means that, when our life in this world ends, our souls will return immediately to God who made us to await the resurrection of our bodies on the last day. And so, because of Christ, the grave is not the end of our life. It’s not the end of our life, because it’s the doorway into the presence of God, where our life will continue. Our life in this world might have come to an end, but the life of believers continues. In fact, the life of believers becomes better the moment we die, because we’re brought into heaven, which is a world of perfect love and happiness.

And so, when the Lord says that whoever lives and believes will never die, he perhaps means that our life continues beyond the grave. However, it’s possible that he means something else. Perhaps he means that believers who are alive when the Lord comes again will not die, but will be changed immediately and they will be united with Christ’s resurrected people to live with him for ever. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15, we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed. And so, it’s possible the Lord is referring to that when he says that he who lives and believes will never die.

But the overall point is clear: he is the cause of our resurrection because he is the cause of our life. He who has all life in himself gives us our life in this world and he will give us life in the new and better world to come, because when he comes again he will raise the dead and all who trusted in him will be brought into the presence of God to live for ever in perfect peace and joy.

‘Do you believe this?’, the Lord asked Martha. And we must all believe this, because the only way to receive eternal life in the presence of God is by believing in the Lord Jesus, who is both the Christ and the Son of God. He’s God’s Spirit-Anointed and Conquering King who came into the world to rescue us from the path of destruction we chose for ourselves. And he’s the Eternal Son of God who has come in the flesh to save us.

Verses 28 to 37

In verses 28 to 37 we read that Martha went away to fetch her sister, Mary. And when Mary arrived, she said almost exactly the same thing to the Saviour: ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have die.’ Perhaps the two of them had been talking about this before the Lord arrived. Perhaps they both said to one another: ‘If only he got here sooner, he could have healed our brother.’

But even though Mary said almost the exact same thing to the Lord as Martha said, the Lord’s response is very different. To Martha, he spoke about the resurrection. To Mary, he did something different. What did he do? Look at verse 33, where John says that when the Lord saw Mary weeping, and when he saw the Jews who were also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. But every Bible commentator says that that translation of John’s words is not a good translation of what John wrote about the Lord. The Greek word translated ‘deeply moved in spirit’ means angry. It means he was indignant. He was outraged. It can also refer to the snorting of horses. And the same word is used in verse 38 where it says that Lord approached the tomb and was once again deeply moved. That is to say, he was once again deeply moved to feel anger. He snorted in anger.

But what was he angry about? Well, he wasn’t angry with the sisters, as if it was wrong for them to grieve. And he’s not angry with the people, who were grieving with Mary and Martha. He’s not angry about them grieving, because we know from the Lord that it’s not wrong to grieve. How do we know from the Lord that it’s not wrong to grieve? Take a look at verse 35 where it says the Lord wept. He grieved with them.

So, he’s not angry about their grief. And he wasn’t angry with Lazarus. He’s not blaming Lazarus for his own death.

So, what’s he angry at? He’s angry at death which causes all this sorrow and pain and grief. And death is an affront to him. After all, he’s the one who has all life in himself. He has all life in and from himself and he gives us our life in this world. In the beginning, the Tree of Life held out to Adam and Eve the hope of everlasting life in the presence of God. But instead of experiencing life in its fullness, they experienced death. And so, death is the opposite of what he set before them in the beginning. Death is therefore an affront to him. It’s the opposite of what he is and what he stands for. And he’s angry about it.

And he’s so angry about it that he came to earth in the flesh to destroy death. He came to destroy death so that all who believe in him will live for ever.

And how did he destroy death? He destroyed death by dying on the cross to pay for our sins. You see, death is what we deserve for our sins. The wages of sin is death. Death, away from the presence of God, is what we all deserve for disobeying God. But Christ took the blame for us and he died in our place. He paid for our sins with his life. And because he paid for our sins with his life, death can no longer hold us. It’s power over us has been broken.

And even though we will still die, and our bodies will be laid in the ground, we know that one day we will be raised from the grave, because death doesn’t have the power to hold us now. As our church’s Larger Catechism says, we are delivered from the sting and curse of death and our death is now due to the love of God. God, who loves us with an all-surpassing love, uses death to free us from our sin and misery in this world and to bring us into fuller communion with Christ. And to be with Christ is wonderful.

The Lord Jesus was deeply moved to anger at the grave of Lazarus. He was angry because of death and because of the misery it causes us. And he was so angry at death that he came to destroy it so that we can live for ever in his presence.

Verses 38 to 44

In verses 38 to 44 we have the actual miracle. The Lord Jesus stood outside the tomb and gave orders for the stone over the entrance to be rolled away. And in a loud voice, he addressed the dead man, summoning him to come out. And wonderfully, miraculously, the dead man came out. The dead man heard the voice of the one who has all life in himself and his life returned and he was able to stand up and walk out of that tomb and resume his life.

Augustine, one of the greatest theologians of all time, said about this miracle that if we pay attention to the one who performed it, we should be delighted rather than astonished. Augustine meant that we should not be astonished by this miracle, because the Lord Jesus is the only begotten Son of God the Father and he has all life in and from himself. He is the fountain of life through whom all things were made and he gives life to all his creatures. So, it shouldn’t astonish us that the one who gives us our life was able to restore this man’s life. But it should delight us that God the Father so loved Lazarus that he sent his Son to restore Lazarus’s life in this way. That’s the delightful thing about the miracle. It makes clear God’s overflowing and abounding love to Lazarus and his sisters that he was prepared to come down from heaven in the person of his Son to raise Lazarus up from the grave and to restore him to his sisters.

But bringing Lazarus back to life is only a foretaste of what the Lord will do for all his people when he comes again. So, when I’ve preached on this passage before, I’ve said that the Lord had to call Lazarus by name otherwise all the dead in that graveyard would have come out of their graves. All the dead would have come out because the Lord has the power to raise them all. But he called Lazarus only as a sign of what he will do for all his people when he comes again.

When he comes again, all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out. Those who never believed in him will come out to be condemned and to suffer eternally for all that they have done wrong. But those who believed in the Lord Jesus, and trusted in him for salvation, will come out to enjoy everlasting life in the presence of God.

And at that time, he will give his people everlasting life so that they will never die again. The Lord revived Lazarus’s dead body. He brought him back to life. And so, Lazarus was able to go on living for a time. But Lazarus eventually died a second time. But when the Lord comes again to raise the dead, we will be raised to live for ever. When the Lord comes again, death will be no more. There will be no more death or sorrow, but we will live with God for ever and for ever.

And we should rejoice that God the Son came down to earth in the flesh and raised Lazarus from the dead, because by this miracle he was showing the world what he will do for all who believe in his name. This is what he will do for you so long as you’re trusting in him for salvation. And all his people who have died over the generations and whose bodies are now dust will be raised when he comes and says the word. And it will be wonderful. And we will praise him for ever and for ever for his great power and for his abounding love to us.

Verses 45 to 57

And in the final part of today’s chapter, verses 45 to 57, we are once again confronted with the corruption of the human heart. We read in verse 45 that many of the Jews put their faith in him. Thanks be to God for that, because the reason they were able to believe is because of the new birth, which the Holy Spirit produces in us so that we’re able to repent and believe.

But some of them went to tell the Pharisees. And since John is contrasting them with those who believe, then I think we’re to take it that they went to tell the Pharisees so that they Pharisees would do something to stop the Lord Jesus. And sure enough, after hearing what the Lord did for Lazarus, the Pharisees and chief priests called a meeting of the Sanhedrin, which was the Jewish ruling council. And instead of rejoicing in the good news that the Lord Jesus was able to raise the dead, they were afraid that if they let him go on like this, then the Romans will come and take away their place as leaders and they will take away their nation. So, Christ had come so that they might have everlasting life in the new and better world to come. But instead of believing in him, they wanted to hold on to what they already have in this fallen and broken world.

And that’s the way so many people are. Instead of trusting Christ for eternal life in the new and better world to come, where we’ll be perfectly holy and happy for ever, they want to hold on to what they already have in this life, even though this life is a life of sin and misery and sorrow and sadness and disease and death and trouble and trials. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will have fullness of joy in the life to come. But instead of embracing him by faith, they cling on to what they already have.

And then we read about Caiaphas who said cynically that it was better for them that one man die for the people than for the whole nation to perish. He was saying that the Sanhedrin should put the Lord to death in order to save the nation. He spoke cynically. But without realising it, he spoke as a prophet to foretell the death of Christ and its meaning, because it is better for us that the Lord Jesus should die on the cross in our place so that all who believe in him will not perish, but have eternal life. He had to give up his life on the cross so that we might have eternal life.

The Sanhedrin listened to Caiaphas and from that day on they plotted to take his life. And this too reveals the corruption in their hearts, because instead of loving the Lord of life, they wanted to kill the Lord of life. Instead of trusting him, they wanted to destroy him. And you and I would be just like them if it were not for God’s overflowing goodness and love, because God not only sent his Son to pay for our sins with his life, but he also sends his Spirit into our lives to give us the new birth so that we’re able to repent and to believe and to trust in Christ for salvation. Left to ourselves, we would never believe. Left to ourselves, we’re unable to believe. But God, who is rich in mercy and love, sends his Spirit into our lives to enable us to believe in the Saviour, so that we’re able to live with God for ever.

And so, we should rejoice in God’s love for us in Christ Jesus. And while we go on living in this world, we should devote our life to doing his will and to honouring his name.