John 11:38-44
John Bible Study • Sermon • Submitted
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John
Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance.
“Once more deeply moved...”
The first time this is mentioned was in verse 33. Is it the same?
It is actually different. In verse 33, Jesus is moved and expresses sorrow at what His friends are going through. In this verse, Jesus was bothered by their unreasonable unbelief. Do you think that Jesus was also bothered about the tomb in which He was to be later placed?
The cave was seemingly in the use of the wording here was a natural cave and a stone was placed over it. Why do you thing John makes mention of that stone?
“Take away the stone,” he said.
“But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”
The instruction of Jesus to take away the stone created problems of disbelief and lacked understanding. Ever been there? For the resurrection to occur, Jesus wants to remove the obstacle blocking the tomb. What kind of spiritual stone is in the way of your spiritual resurrection?
Why do you think Jesus commands others to take the stone away, after all He could have easily have moved it?
so others could see
so the path to could be created for God to be manifested
Removing the stone at all was against the custom and actually forbidden.
Remember, after the 4th day, the body would be decomposing.
The NIV says “bad odor” while the KJV says “He stinketh.”
Why did Martha protest the opening of the grave?
Martha wasn’t expecting such a miracle. The Jewish custom was that the soul lingered for 3 days in hope that it might resuccitate. When the color of the face changed on the third day, it would depart permanently. Lazarus had been in the tomb for 4 days.
Martha was guardian of the remains and protested.
Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?”
This is not previously recorded, but most likely was said when Martha said in verse 27, “Lord I believe.”
If we take Christ at His word, rely on His power and faithfulness, we shall see the Glory of God!
John 11:4
So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”
What a beautiful prayer that Jesus gives! Notice what He does here:
Refers to God as Father (we see this at least 3 times in Chapter 17)
There is an assumption, “Father, I thank you that you have already heard me…,” that Jesus has already asked for Lazarus life to be restored. All He has to do is thank the Father for the answer.
The prayer is to draw others to the intimacy of Jesus and His Father.
The prayer demonstrates Jesus does not do anything by Himself.
Jesus publically prayed to show He was commissioned by God.
It is a reminder of the constant prayer that Jesus had with God the Father.
It is a reminder of the confidence that Jesus had with God the Father.
Psalm
O you who hear prayer,
to you all men will come.
Does he who implanted the ear not hear?
Does he who formed the eye not see?
Psalm 94:9
Jesus also shows a custom or a style with His prayer
He gave this prayer with the public in mind. When we are given the opportunity to pray publically, we should be mindful of those present and pray in a way that draws them closer to the Lord
Jesus shows the ENCOURAGEMENT of prayer, that through Jesus, God hears our prayer. The Bible teaches in that our sins separate us from God and He will no hear our prayers.
Isaiah
But your iniquities have separated
you from your God;
your sins have hidden his face from you,
so that he will not hear.
However, through Jesus, God hears our prayers because Jesus intercedes for us:
Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.
When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”
John 11
Before we discuss this verse, listen to what we have already studied in these verses:
John 5:25
I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live.
John 5:2
“Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out—those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned.
Here is an instance of when the dead heard the voice of the Son of God.
Why did Jesus call the name of Lazarus when that was the only grave open?
It is not recorded such in scripture, but I would think that had Jesus said “come forth” without specifying a name, all the dead would have come out!
Here we have Jesus calling out in a loud voice. Notice there are a couple of other times that Jesus does this:
And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.
Matthew 27:
And a future cry:
For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
1 Thessalonians
The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.
Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”
Notice that Lazarus came forth quickly.
in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.
Notice he came out perfectly:
Thoroughly revived
Returned to life and health
strong and able to walk
The grave clothes would have been bound so tight he couldn’t have moved. The face cloth so tight, had he been alive, he would not have been able to breathe and would have been smothered.
The walking dead had to be a frightful sight - yet Jesus commanded for the frightful to become normal. Take of the dead garments and come to Jesus! One can’t help but think of Jesus and His resurrection.
Notice though, Jesus didn’t high five the people around Him and receive any glory. Rather, He instead is concerned about the care of Lazarus, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”
As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.