Sermon Tone Analysis

Seeing The Glory Of God

Vs. 28-29........Jesus hasn’t entered into the town of Bethany, but Mary met Jesus outside the town, possibly near the tomb of Lazarus.

After Martha and Jesus’ conversation, Martha went to Mary and tells her that Jesus is calling for her.

Mary took off to see Jesus.

Vs. 30-31.......We see here the presence of the Jews…we will find out more about them in a bit......It seems that they genuinely cared about her and wanted to comfort her.

Vs. 32......Again, Mary’s statement here does not seem to be a rebuke, but more of an acknowledgement of the power that Jesus could of healed her brother if He would of been there before he died.

This speaks to the innocent misunderstanding of the Christ, the Son of God........They had no idea of the True Power that was among them!

We do not either.......I am not saying that God will give us everything down here, but I will tell you that everything God will do, is for His Glory and will fulfill His Purpose.

I also want to note that some people will and have used these miracles and healings to preach that God can heal and perform miracles.

He most certainly can, but the one thing that they miss in God’s wondrous works is the purpose.

The purpose of any of God’s works, is for His Glory!

The trap that is laid by satan is.....”If God done it for these, why doesn’t He do that for others?”

That question right there is not rightly dividing the Word of Truth and the question puts people in torment.

This is all that this event was for, to reveal the Jesus was the Messiah the Son of God!

Vs. 33-37.......These next few verse have been debated and most commentators differ on why Jesus “groaned (deeply moved) in His Spirit and why He was troubled, why He wept, and why He groaned again........I pulled a few commentators thoughts on this event:

It is abolishing one of the finest traits in our Lord’s human character to say that he wept and mourned here because of sin and its consequences.

No: Jesus had humanity in its perfection, and humanity unadulterated is generous and sympathetic.

A particular friend of Jesus was dead; and, as his friend, the affectionate soul of Christ was troubled, and he mingled his sacred tears with those of the afflicted relatives......... Adam Clarke

It is the unbelief of the person whose faith does not rest on who Jesus is and what he has revealed of the Father, but on displays of power.

Such ‘faith’ in it’s early stage is so weak it constantly demands new signs and miracles (cf.

notes on 4:48; 6:30–31).

This unbelief is the reason the next verse reports that Jesus’ quiet outrage flares up again (the verb is embrimaomai, as in v. 33)......... D.A Carson

The Greek word for groaned is “deeply moved” which in the Greek points to personal indignation, Jesus was angered at the emotional grief of the people, because it implicitly revealed unbelief in the resurrection and the temporary nature of death.

They were all acting as if they had no hope....... John MacArthur ..........1 Thess.

4:13 “But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.”

These are just some.....I fall in the lines that Jesus could not of been moved by the situation with the full knowledge of the promise of God........rather

He was troubled because of the unbelief and also the fallen world that exposed themselves to sin and death.

I gathered my belief in a few other passages where Jesus was emotional, it was all about that the people did not know Who it was that was with them and what He was going to do.....

Luke 19:41-44 “And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace!

but now they are hid from thine eyes.

For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.”

Matthew 23:37-39 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!

Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.

For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.”

This really had nothing to do with whether Lazarus would be raised or not, but everything to do with how people believed in Jesus.

More focused on the physical, than the Heavenly (Spiritual).

Vs. 38-39........Jesus approaches the tomb and He groaned again.......We can only assume what Jesus was thinking and draw our own conclusions........He commanded the stone be rolled away, after His command, Martha spoke up and said that Lazarus stunk......He has been in the tomb 4 days....

The Jews did not embalm anyone, most of the time they wrapped loosely their dead in linen and would add spices in the layers and the folds of the linen.

Most likely other people would have assisted the family would this.

This is what sets this miracle apart from the others......it was impossible to mimic this miracle.....there were witnesses of Lazarus’ decomposition and it was raising a man after he had been dead for 4 days which has never been heard of by anyone, not even us!

Until Jesus!

Vs. 40-44...........Jesus took Mary back to what He said to her in verse 4.....You see, they still have questions/doubts even.......Jesus is reminding her of what He said, do she not trust what He has said/promised?

Do we trust what Jesus has said and done?

Is there still more questions?

Did I not tell you that you would see the Glory of God?

The only question is do you still not believe Me?

Jesus then began to pray as they took the stone away.......Lifting His eyes to the Father.....Jesus, being thankful for the faithfulness of the Father, God!

.........the public nature of his prayer is not a matter of playing to the gallery (so Loisy, p. 353).

Quite the reverse, for (1) the prayer seeks to draw his hearers into the intimacy of Jesus’ own relationship with the Father; (2) the prayer demonstrates the truth of 5:19ff., i.e. that Jesus does nothing by himself, but is totally dependent on and obedient to his Father’s will.

The Son may ask; the Father grants.

What Jesus is hoping will be accomplished is that some of his hearers will in consequence believe that he has been sent by God himself.

Jesus shouting Lazarus’ name.........”Come forth!”

J. Vernon Mcgee said of this that he believes that is how it will be in the rapture of the church, that will here our names from Heaven and will be commanded to come up!

Loose him from the graveclothes and let him go......A lot has been made about the graveclothes of Lazarus and Jesus’ statement......it is an affirmation of life that has been given to Lazarus......it could be a meaning of new life for us and for us to put off the old and put on the new....I will just say that it is an affirmation for us to believe in Jesus the Christ the Son of the Living God for life eternal and in doing that we leave the old behind and our desire for it and follow after Jesus!

Vs. 45-46......Throughout the Gospels we have read that Jesus’ teachings and works divided those that were around......The Truth of Jesus Christ does that today!

Matthew 10:34-35 “Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.

For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.”

Some question this truth, stating that Jesus is love, He is love, He and His Father are One, too.

His Father told Moses that He will in no wise clear the guilty.......Those are the ones that refuse to believe.....Those are the ones that are angry at the Truth, because it testifies against them and they want to stomp it out.

That is why the divide!

Vs. 47-48.....When those who didn’t believe left they went straight like little tattle-tails and told the Pharisees.

This caused a meeting of the supreme court of the religious leaders, the Sanhedrin.

This court was made up of mostly Sadducees and they were at constant odds with the Pharisees (much like Republicans and Democrats), but their hatred of Jesus brought them together.

So they got together in a council meeting, “what do we do with Jesus?”

His miracles have set Him above any testimony that we would have against Him???

If we don’t do anything, we are finished in the eyes of the Romans!

The idea of Messiah being here is that of revolution and since they didn’t believe that Jesus was the Messiah, the people would believe and start a revolution and the Romans would come and destroy everyone.

Which actually did happen in AD 70.

Vs. 49-50......Caiaphas was the high priests (Pharisee) .......What Caiaphas says here is simply that Jesus should be executed in order to spare their own positions and the nation of Israel from a Roman uprising.

Vs. 51-52.........

An unknowing prophecy by Caiaphas from the hardness of his heart:

that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation—and once again, ‘for the nation’ (hyper tou ethnous) is sacrificial language (cf.

notes on vv.

49–50), frequently associated with a ransom.

Both Caiaphas and John understand Jesus’ death to be substitutionary: either Jesus dies, or the nation dies.

‘If He dies the nation lives.

It is His life instead of theirs’ (Morris, p. 568).

But while Caiaphas is thinking at the purely political level, John invites his readers to think in terms of the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (1:29, 34).

Psalm 76:10 “Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee: The remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain.”

The railings against God and Jesus will be praise unto God, when He providentially executes His judgement on the wicked!

Vs. 53-54.....Again the Jews, because of Jesus’ wondrous works sought to kill Him, Jesus then left Bethany and went to Ephraim which is not too far from Jerusalem.

Vs. 55-57....The Passover feast was drawing close and all males had to be there in Jerusalem for this feast.......Purifying means cleansing.....sacrifices was made during this feast to atone for sin!!!

That is very important!

This would be Jesus’ last earthly Passover.

The Jews sought for Jesus, expecting Him to come, but some wondered if He would.

They commanded people to report to them when they saw or heard of Jesus’ whereabouts!

This will come soon enough!!!