John 11
Notes
Transcript
Background
Background
Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill.
Jesus was across the Jordan
Mary and Martha are mentioned as if the reader would be familiar
with also a story that takes place later in John
Either John is aware of the other gospels or Mary and Martha are well known
Jesus Stays Across the Jordan
Jesus Stays Across the Jordan
So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” 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.”
Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.”
Jesus reassures the messenger
Lazarus is known as being close to Jesus
Does not end in death, but for the glory of God
Again, Jesus love for the family is reiterated
can be confusing: Why did He stay?
v.4 gives us the answer
Once the timing is right, Jesus leaves to Judea
The Disciples are Scared
The Disciples are Scared
The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?” 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. But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” After saying these things, he said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.” The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep. Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died, and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”
“12 hours in a day”
Jesus is using a real world example of why He doesn’t fear the Jews
Jesus has a specific mission and purpose. Until that purpose is done, He is safe
The Disciples are trying to find any reason to get out of going
“won’t he awaken”
Maybe they just don’t understand
Jesus tells them plainly that Lazarus died and His death will lead to something important
Thomas still doubts: “let us also go, that we may die with Him.”
Martha Confuses the Analogical with the Literal
Martha Confuses the Analogical with the Literal
Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”
Jesus travels to Bethany
appears to be a two day journey
very close to Jerusalem
Many people came to comfort the sisters
Martha has faith in Jesus
She trusts in the ressurection, but Jesus tells her to trust Him
He is the source of the resurrection
Doctrine without Christ is pointless
Martha confesses the Christ
Jesus Weeps
Jesus Weeps
When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying in private, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” And when she heard it, she rose quickly and went to him. Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha had met him. When the Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary rise quickly and go out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there. Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus wept. So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?”
Mary is mourning
surrounded by people mourning with her
Rushes to Jesus when she hears he has arrived
Mary says the same as Martha
The emotions of the event get to Jesus
Though He knows our troubles and may use our troubles, He still mourns with us
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Jesus was troubled
Some have empathy
Others have doubt
Lazarus is Raised
Lazarus is Raised
Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.” When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”
Jesus lets them know that they are about to witness the glory of God
He prays a prayer of thanks
His prayer is out loud so that others may know it was God who raised Lazarus
There is no doubt now about what is about to happen
Lazarus has risen from the dead
The Religious Leaders Plot to Kill Jesus
The Religious Leaders Plot to Kill Jesus
Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what he did, believed in him, but some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the council and said, “What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. 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.” But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all. 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.” He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. So from that day on they made plans to put him to death.
Jesus therefore no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there to the region near the wilderness, to a town called Ephraim, and there he stayed with the disciples.
Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and many went up from the country to Jerusalem before the Passover to purify themselves. They were looking for Jesus and saying to one another as they stood in the temple, “What do you think? That he will not come to the feast at all?” Now the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that if anyone knew where he was, he should let them know, so that they might arrest him.
They fear Jesus will cause the Romans to remove them
more concerned about status
more concerned about safety
Not concerned with the will of God
They were even given God’s will through prophecy!
they already made up their mind: Jesus was bad
They become the villains of God’s plan
Jesus becomes more secluded as a result
withdraws to Ephraim
“near the wilderness”
The Jews now openly seek to arrest Jesus
Conclusion
Doctrine is meant to understand Jesus, not replace Him
The disciples, Martha, Mary, and the crowds all had to learn to trust Jesus
Jesus not only understands us, but also relates to us on an emotional level
We will always participate in the will of God. We decide if we are the villain or not.