John 11:1–16 Sermon

Sermon Text

John 11:1–16 ESV

1 Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. 3 So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” 4 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.” 5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. 7 Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” 8 The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?” 9 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. 10 But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” 11 After saying these things, he said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.” 12 The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” 13 Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep. 14 Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died, 15 and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” 16 So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

Introduction (v.1-4)

Verse 1 Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha.

Verse 2 It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill.

Verse 3 So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.”

Verse 4 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.”

Last week we covered verses 1 - 4.

In it we covered the setting and location of where Jesus was in the beginning of this chapter.

Jesus had left Judea when leaving the temple and traveled about 70 miles north across the Jordan River where John the baptized has baptized.

We cleared up that there was a Bethany north of Jerusalem that was not the same Bethany where Lazarus was.

Which was near Jerusalem. About 2 miles from Jerusalem according to verse 18.

Mary who had anointed Jesus’ feet (John 12:1-8) it was her brother Lazarus who was ill and along with her sister Martha they had sent word to Jesus about what was happening to Lazarus.

Verse 3 shows us that Lazarus was loved by Jesus.

And verse 4 is the anchor to this whole chapter.

John 11:4 ESV

4 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.”

Jesus knew from the beginning what this whole situation was about.

The intent and purpose of this illness is to give glory to God and in giving God glory the Son of God would be glorified.

We talked much about having a theology of suffering.

And the reason is because suffering and healing from it was not the great miracle here in chapter 11.

Greater than physical healing is the healing of a stony heart before God.

A theology of suffering is held when one knows that their greatest priority is to display God as praiseworthy. Which is what this chapter is about.

This chapter is anchored on this truth.

That illness and suffering will always for the believer be a God glorifying moment that must speak of the Son of God as glorious.

Outline

1. His Timing (v.5-10)

2. His Knowledge (v.11-13)

3. His Patience (v.14-16)

1. His Timing (v.5-10)

Verse 5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.

Verse 6 So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.

The love of Jesus here, if one didn’t know the outcome, would have looked like He didn’t love Lazarus, Martha and Mary.

Notice in verse 6 that Jesus when He had heard that Lazarus was ill, stayed two days longer in the place where He was.

It’s clear that Jesus is not going by what would have looked normal when it comes to responding to a report of someone’s sickness. Especially someone who was sick.

When He heard that Lazarus was ill, He stayed two days longer.

John 11:4 ESV

4 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.”

Jesus intentionally stayed two more days there because He knew that the illness would not lead to death. It was for the glory of God, so that He would be glorified through it.

So He delays and His disciples question Him about going back to Judea.

Read Verse 7 Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.”

Read Verse 8 The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?”

The disciples were talking about John 10:30–31 where Jesus spoke of the truth of Him and the Father being One. Which was an admission to Him being God and equal with God. Then after they wanted to stone Him because of it.

The disciples had a concern for their return there but Jesus again was not thinking like them.

There was a plan here. The plan (v.4) was that the illness of Lazarus would not lead to death. It was for the glory of God, so that He would be glorified through it.

This passage is a good example of the priority before God.

More than healing Lazarus, the greater miracle here is that people would see, not Lazarus raised from the dead, but the miracle here was that in Jesus being glorified and revealing Himself as the Resurrection and the Life, those who place their trust in would live and believe.

The goal of the miracle was not that Lazarus would be healed but that the Son of God would be glorified in it.

Meaning that there would be those who at seeing Jesus being glorified they would see Him for who He is!

Jesus did not rush to Lazarus when He heard He was ill. He stayed two days longer. And He was able to do this because He knew what God the Father was out to do.

He was on divine timing. He did nothing apart from the Father’s will.

John 5:19 ESV

19 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.

Jesus knows what He is doing. And He is not walking blindly. He is walking in perfect harmony with the Father.

And it was the Father’s will for Christ to stay there for two days. And He could do so in total trust and reliance to the Father’s leading.

Jesus was not preoccupied with what man wanted to do. But rather He was in perfect harmony with the Father’s lead.

Jesus addresses their concern in verse 9.

Read Verse 9 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.

What Jesus is saying here in response to their concern with Jesus returning to where they tried to stone Him, what He was saying was that He is not walking in darkness.

Jesus was not going by their timing or what they thought He should do. Jesus knew what God the Father would do through Him in going to Judea.

Those who could not see this, Jesus says in verse 10,

Read Verse 10 But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.”

I believe this is pointing to their inability to see what Jesus saw in what was to come.

One who does not and cannot see the glory of the Son of God is truly walking in darkness.

They stumble in the night walking aimlessly without the saving knowledge of who Jesus Christ is.

They would have seen the danger in Jesus going to Judea and not the power that would be displayed there through Him raising Lazarus from the dead which He spoke about in verse 4

John 11:4 ESV

4 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.”

Jesus goes on to share about Lazarus falling asleep.

2. His Knowledge (v.11-13)

Read Verse 11 After saying these things, he said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.”

Read Verse 12 The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.”

Read Verse 13 Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep.

Jesus here seems to be using what is sometimes called a euphemism.

A euphemism can take different forms when used.

When used it attempts to be used in such a way that is less offensive to the listeners sensitivities.

This was done in the Scriptures.

1 Kings 2:10 ESV

10 Then David slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of David.

1 Corinthians 15:6 ESV

6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.

This language was used because of the expectation of someone being awakened after.

In fact this was the expectation of Jewish thought when speaking of someone who had died as sleeping.

But it seems the disciples didn’t get that.

Sleep was used to describe death because of the expectation of that person being raised again.

We have this recalled when Martha said in John 11:21–24,

John 11:21–24 ESV

21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.”

The term being used here for sleeping when it meant death, it was used because it assumed that those who were sleeping would be awakened.

The disciples were mistaken about exactly what Jesus meant. We see this in verse 12,

John 11:12 ESV

12 The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.”

Jesus knew this was going to be the case. When talking about Lazarus sleeping He meant that Lazarus had died.

But they thought He meant that Lazarus was physically sleeping.

For those of us who believe in Christ this is literally what we will experience when Christ returns. We will be raised with Him.

Christians do not die and are then without hope.

We fall asleep with the expectation of being raised with Him.

John 5:28–29 ESV

28 Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice 29 and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.

So both the righteous and the wicked will be raised.

But those who have faith in Christ will be raised to life and those who have done evil (meaning those who have not come to saving faith) will be resurrected to judgement.

Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep.

Jesus spoke about His death as sleep and it was because of what Jesus had knowledge of already.

John 11:4 ESV

4 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.”

Jesus said this illness does not lead to death. But then in verse 14 He tells them Lazarus has died.

3. His Patience (v.14-16)

Read Verse 14 Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died,

Read Verse 15 and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”

Jesus was glad that He wasn’t where Lazarus was when He died.

Question: Why?

John 11:4 ESV

4 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 that Lazarus had passed Jesus would show the glory of God in the midst of what people saw as too late.

The plan here and its goal is to show who Jesus is.

I do have to ask the question to you today.

Question: Has Christ been made known as glorious in the midst of what you have considered loss?

Question: Have you forgotten to great over arching story of God’s glory being the reason for all that we go through?

Just like we have anchored ourselves in verse 4, remembering that the glory of God is preeminent, we must remember that today.

Jesus patiently waited longer where He was for a reason. In fact He said He was glad that He wasn’t there.

And He did it trusting perfectly in the Father’s will.

Read Verse 16 So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

John MacArthur pointed out how devoted Thomas seemed to be in saying let us also go that we may die with him” but also that there was pessimism.

Which again highlights a sense of a lack of trust in Jesus keeping them through whatever they would go through.

To be like Christ we should always seek the will of the Father and find strength in His sovereign hand in all things. Even if it means our death.

Because we who have placed our faith in Christ will never die. Death no longer has a grip on us.

We have the promised resurrection and life in Jesus Christ!