Context: Mary, Martha and Lazarus (Luke 10:38-42, John 11:1-3,14,12:3,5)
- Time: Few weeks before the passover?
- Place: Bethany, a small village in Judea
- People:
- Martha: An anxious lady who was troubled about many things
- When Jesus went through her village,
- She received Jesus into her house and served much
- When Jesus went through her village,
- Mary: Choose to listen to Jesus’ Word, sitting at His feet
- Lazarus: Martha and Mary’s brother. Was sick and then died.
- Jews in Judea: were just trying to stone Jesus
- Disciples: Were not particularly interested in going to Judea ‘cause of the jews
- Thomas asks the rest to follow Jesus, even if it means death.
- Martha: An anxious lady who was troubled about many things
What did Mary, Martha and the Jews believe about Jesus? (John 11:1-8, 21-27, 32, 36)
- Martha: If Jesus came in time and healed Lazarus, he would not have died
- She does confirm that she still believes God will give whatever Jesus asks for
- Resurrection? She knows that will happen at the last day
- But not that day. It was already late. Body may be stinking
- Resurrection? She knows that will happen at the last day
- She does confirm that she still believes God will give whatever Jesus asks for
- Mary: Same thing as Martha: If Jesus was there, Lazarus wouldn’t have died
- Jews: They acknowledge that Jesus has opened the eyes of the blind
- If he could do that, couldn’t He keep Lazarus from dying?
How did Jesus react to the news about Lazarus? Why? (John 11:4-5, 11-15)
- When he heard the news, he called out that it was not to death
- Jesus waited two days after hearing the news – before starting for Judea
- Jesus knew
- That this is for the glory of God
- So that the multitude around Jesus may believe that God sent Him
- Why did Jesus weep?
- Because Mary was weeping? Also the Jews who came along with her?
- Mary was weeping hopeless and in despair that it was too late?
- Because Mary was weeping? Also the Jews who came along with her?
What was the impact of this miracle? (John 11:44-54, 12:3)
- Lazarus: Was free to go
- Mary: Anointed Jesus’ feet with precious ointment
- Apparently worth a year’s worth of wages of an agricultural laborer
- Jews: many of the Jews believed
- However some of the Jews went and told the Pharisees
- Pharisees and the chief priests: took counsel together to put Jesus to death
- Because they were afraid that everyone would follow Jesus and
- The romans would take away their freedom and their nation
- Even though Jesus
- The romans would take away their freedom and their nation
- Because they were afraid that everyone would follow Jesus and
- High priest: Prophecies that it is better for one person to die in the place of a nation
- Jesus: Didn’t walk openly among the Jews anymore
Conclusion / Application:
- Thomas was willing to follow Jesus, even if it meant death. But it meant life!
- How far am I willing to follow Jesus?
Main Passage John 11:32-46 – World English Bible (WEB)
32 Therefore when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you would have been here, my brother wouldn’t have died.” 33 When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews weeping who came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled, 34 and said, “Where have you laid him?” They told him, “Lord, come and see.”
35 Jesus wept.
36 The Jews therefore said, “See how much affection he had for him!” 37 Some of them said, “Couldn’t this man, who opened the eyes of him who was blind, have also kept this man from dying?”
38 Jesus therefore, again groaning in himself, came to the tomb. Now it was a cave, and a stone lay against it. 39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to him, “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.” 40 Jesus said to her, “Didn’t I tell you that if you believed, you would see God’s glory?”
41 So they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying.[a] Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, “Father, I thank you that you listened to me. 42 I know that you always listen to me, but because of the multitude standing around I said this, that they may believe that you sent me.” 43 When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 He who was dead came out, bound hand and foot with wrappings, and his face was wrapped around with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Free him, and let him go.” 45 Therefore many of the Jews who came to Mary and saw what Jesus did believed in him. 46 But some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the things which Jesus had done.
Footnotes
- 11:41 NU omits “from the place where the dead man was lying.”
Notes / Cross References
Luke 10:38-42 38 As they went on their way, he entered into a certain village, and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word. 40 But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she came up to him, and said, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister left me to serve alone? Ask her therefore to help me.”
41 Jesus answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, 42 but one thing is needed. Mary has chosen the good part, which will not be taken away from her.”
John 11:1-3 11 Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus from Bethany, of the village of Mary and her sister, Martha. 2 It was that Mary who had anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother, Lazarus, was sick. 3 The sisters therefore sent to him, saying, “Lord, behold, he for whom you have great affection is sick.”
John 11:5-8 5 Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus. 6 When therefore he heard that he was sick, he stayed two days in the place where he was. 7 Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let’s go into Judea again.” 8 The disciples asked him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just trying to stone you. Are you going there again?”
John 11:14-16 14 So Jesus said to them plainly then, “Lazarus is dead. 15 I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may believe. Nevertheless, let’s go to him.” 16 Thomas therefore, who is called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, “Let’s go also, that we may die with him.”
John 12:3 Therefore Mary took a pound of ointment of pure nard, very precious, and anointed Jesus’s feet and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the ointment.
John 11:21-27 21 Therefore Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you would have been here, my brother wouldn’t have died. 22 Even now I know that whatever you ask of 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 at the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will still live, even if he dies. 26 Whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Christ, God’s Son, he who comes into the world.”
John 11:45-50 45 Therefore many of the Jews who came to Mary and saw what Jesus did believed in him. 46 But some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the things which Jesus had done. 47 The chief priests therefore and the Pharisees gathered a council, and said, “What are we doing? For this man does many signs. 48 If we leave him alone like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” 49 But a certain one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all, 50 nor do you consider that it is advantageous for us that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation not perish.”
John 11:53-54 53 So from that day forward they took counsel that they might put him to death. 54 Jesus therefore walked no more openly among the Jews, but departed from there into the country near the wilderness, to a city called Ephraim. He stayed there with his disciples.
