John 11:39

Vv 39-40) Jesus commands the stone to be removed.

Take away the stone: Everybody thought this was a strange thing for Jesus to ask.

After all, Martha knew that his body was beginning to rot. People probably thought that Jesus was so taken with grief that He wanted one last look at His dear friend Lazarus.

In any case the condition of the body was irrefutable confirmation of Lazarus’ death.

Jesus was fully capable of this miracle without the faith of Martha or Mary. But if they would not believe, then they would never see the glory of God

What I mean by that is they could see the end result and be happy in that, but they would miss the glory of working together with God in the fulfillment of His plan.

Vv 41-42) Jesus prays

[41] This was an incredible step of faith to remove the stone.

Jesus compelled Martha and Mary to act on their faith and they did by obeying Jesus and His unusual request.

We see that Jesus dealt with Martha according to steps deliberately intended to stretch and build her faith.

Jesus gave her a promise.

Jesus drew attention to Himself.

Jesus called upon her to confess her faith.

Jesus called her to act on her faith.

Lifting up His eyes and said: Jesus likely had the traditional posture of prayer- hands raised, eyes open upward as if looking towards heaven.

“Father, I thank You” Jesus was confident in His relationship with God the Father.

The public nature of the prayer was for the sake of Mary, Martha, and the people who were around.

Notice about Jesus’ prayer: There was no pomp of incantation, no wrestling in prayer even; but simple words of thanksgiving.

Vv 43-44) Lazarus is raised.

“Loud voice” means that Jesus had a decisive tone of authority.

Not because the dead needed to hear it. It could also have been for the crowd to know that it was no work of magic, but the very power of God.

Isaiah 8:19 ESV

And when they say to you, “Inquire of the mediums and the necromancers who chirp and mutter,” should not a people inquire of their God? Should they inquire of the dead on behalf of the living?

Not the Son of God though.

John 5:28 ESV

Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice

This was what Jesus previously said about the time he would call all who were in their graves. This occasion was a single demonstration of that authority.

Jesus simply called Lazarus out of the tomb. Others whom God used to raise the dead bodies in the Scripture often used far more elaborate procedures.

Romans 4:17 ESV

as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.

Jesus spoke to a dead body as if Lazarus were alive because He is God.

Lazarus, come out could be paraphrased as “Lazarus! This way!

Jesus fought death at Lazarus’ tomb and plundered the grave! Jesus told death that he would soon conquer it completely.

“Wrapped with cloth” What is interesting here is that Lazarus was not resurrected, but resuscitated.

He arose bound in grave-clothes, for he would need them again; Jesus left His grave-clothes behind in His tomb, never again having need of them.

Jesus did not miraculously remove those grave-clothes from Lazarus, but He asked attendants to do so. Jesus did what only God could do, and then He looked for man’s cooperation for the completion of Lazarus’ deliverance.

The man was wholly raised, but not wholly freed. See, here is a living man in the garments of death.

What a man can do for himself God will not do for him, and what Christian people can do for sinners they must not expect the Lord to do, they must work themselves according to the ability God has given them up to the point of possibility, and then they may look for divine interposition. -Spurgeon

V 45) The reaction of faith

We are now going to see two different reactions. One of faith and the other of worry.

What is cool is that those who came to join in the sorrow of the grieving sisters did not expect that their reason for grief would be taken away.

After all, it was undeniable work of God, and for many it helped them put their trust in who Jesus said He was seeing what He did.

Vv 46-48) The worry of the religious leaders

What makes the people act either in belief or disbelief, pertaining to the miracle?

I believe the effect of a miracle on a person’s life is effected by the persons moral condition.

If one’s heart is evil, rebellious, and unbelieving, they will not believe even though he were to see one raised from the dead.

Case and point: Some of the Jews who witnessed the miracle were unwilling to accept Jesus as their Messiah in spite of such undeniable proof.

They saw both Jesus’ power and sympathy and yet responded by working against Him.

This is truly astonishing. Some would harden their hearts against the miracle, and not only that, but conspired the destruction of this most humane, amiable, and glorious Savior.

Spurgeon would call them reporting to the pharisees, “Some of the meanest conduct that has ever been recorded in human history.”

There is a persistent theme- that the words and works of Jesus divide humanity between those who believe and those who reject.

Have you ever thought how John knew about their meeting?

John probably got his information from either Joseph of Arimathaea or Nicodemus, because they would later become Christians.

[47] what is the shocking statement in this verse?

These religious leaders privately admitted that Jesus performed signs that authenticated His claim to be the Messiah and God.

They spoke these words to their own condemnation.

Why then did they not believe on Him?

They did not want to believe because they preferred their sins to the Savior.

Jesus’ worst enemies confess that He did miracles, and many of them. They didn’t attempt to discredit the miracles here or try to deny the truth that they happened.

There were too many, too public, and too thoroughly witnessed for them to dare deny them.

Modern skeptics can talk of our Lord’s miracles as being impostures and delusions, they would do well to explain!

If the Pharisees who lived in our Lord’s time, and who moved heaven and earth to oppose Jesus’ progress, never dared to dispute the fact that He worked miracles, it is absurd to begin denying His miracles now, after eighteen centuries have passed.

Their opposition changed. First they opposed Jesus because they weren’t convinced that He was the Messiah. Now They opposed Jesus because they were convinced that He was the Messiah.

They admitted the miracles, but look how they treated the Miracle-worker:

They denied Him.

They opposed Him.

They were afraid of His influence over the people.

[48] These men knew the logical response to the witness of the works of Jesus was to believe in Him. And their chief concern was that more people might.

Jesus simply left alone, would show forth His glory.

What were the religious leaders afraid of?

They feared losing their power and prestige, at the hands of the Roman empire.

Most scholars believe that the “our place” speaks of the temple.

This is probably the case because they did make an idol of the temple that they were willing to kill Jesus to preserve it.

There are many church leaders today that make an idol of churches. As if it belongs to them. It all belongs to Jesus.

Vv 49-52)The counsel of Caiaphas

Caiaphas was high priest from A.D. 26 to 36. He presided at the religious trail of Jesus and was present when Peter and John were brought before the Sanhedrin in:

Acts 4:6 ESV

with Annas the high priest and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family.

He was not a believer in Jesus, in spite of the words which he here uttered.

“you know nothing at all” According to Josephus, sadducees had a reputation for rudeness, even among one another.”

He thought logically but nor morally. It was logical that one man should die for the people, but it was not moral to reject the Messiah and seek the death of an innocent man.

I love how the Lord works. Caiaphas gave an unconscious and involuntary prophecy.

John was careful to give the credit to the office, not the man.

John explained that the unconscious prophecy of Caiaphas was greater than he could have ever imagined. The death of Jesus would also gather into one the sheep of another fold.

John 10:16 ESV

And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.

Vv 53-54) The plot

Before it was mostly lesser religious officials who wanted Jesus dead. But now at this point the men with real political power decided to murder Jesus. The allotted time was drawing closer.

Jesus did not walk openly because of fear, but because His hour had not yet come.

John 7:30 ESV

So they were seeking to arrest him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come.

The city of Ephraim was north of Jerusalem, close to Samaria.

Numbers 6:24–26 ESV

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.