In this transitional
story there are many connections with earlier chapters. The motif of light
found in chapters 8 and 9 continues (11:9-10), the purpose given for the
illness of the blind man is similar to that given for Lazarus' death (9:3;
11:4), and the healing of the blind man is referred to (11:37), as is the
conflict with the Jewish authorities in chapter 10 (11:8). We have another
example of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, calling his own and gathering his flock
(11:54). There are also larger connections, for the raising of Lazarus is the
last of a series of Jesus' signs that began in chapter 2; both the first and
last of the signs in this series (2:11; 11:4) are explicitly linked with the
revelation of God's glory. All of the signs were revelations of who Jesus is
and what he offers. The final sign, the raising of Lazarus, points most clearly
to what has been at the heart of the revelation all the way through and what
was emphasized in Jesus' keynote address (5:19-30)--that Jesus is the one who
gives life. The irony, of course, is that he gives life by giving up his own
life on the cross. A further irony is that by giving life to Lazarus, Jesus
sets in motion his own death. The raising of Lazarus, then, is the final sign
before the event that actually accomplishes what all the signs have pointed
toward--the provision of life through the death of the Son of God.
This story also
continues to develop the theme of faith. Jesus has just made a very clear
statement of his unity with the Father (10:30, 38), and many have believed in
him (10:42). Often in this Gospel Jesus reacts to faith by doing or saying
something scandalous or cryptic. Although these folk who have faith are not
present at the raising of Lazarus, the raising can perhaps be seen as a further
revelation in response to their faith, as they represent a general turn upward
in his popularity.Lazarus Dies (11:1-16) John does not say exactly when this
event took place, only that it was sometime during the four months, roughly,
between the Feast of Dedication and Passover. John is, however, careful to
describe the place. This Bethany is a little less than two miles southeast of
Jerusalem on the road to Jericho (cf. v. 18). It is to be distinguished from
the Bethany where John had been baptizing (1:28) and to which Jesus had just
returned (10:40), which is either in Perea at the Jordan a few miles north of
the Dead Sea, about a day's journey from Jerusalem, or up north in Batanea,
several days journey away (Riesner 1992; cf. Carson 1991:147, 407).
The sisters send a
message to Jesus: Lord, the one you love is sick (v. 3). Clearly, Jesus
had a special relationship with this man and his sisters (v. 5). Yet chapters
11 and 12 are the only reference to Lazarus in the New Testament. We are
alerted, once again, to how little we know of the life of our Lord (cf. 21:25).
This request is very
similar to Jesus' mother's request at the wedding of Cana (2:4). It presents a
need but does not dictate to the Lord how he should respond. In these requests
we have a model of intercession that makes a need known to the Lord with humility
and a recognition that it is his will that should be done. Such humility and
submission are key characteristics of true disciples.
Jesus had responded to
his mother by saying it was not yet his hour, a reference to the cross (2:4).
Now, however, his hour is fast approaching. Mary and Martha must have known how
dangerous it had become for Jesus to be in the vicinity of Jerusalem. They
might have known that Jesus could heal at a distance (cf. 4:49-53), yet they
seem to want him to come to heal Lazarus (11:21, 32). Perhaps their anxiety for
their brother led them to summon Jesus. But love is the laying down of life
(cf. 1 Jn 3:16), and the sisters seem to think that Jesus would be willing to
risk his life for the sake of their brother, whom he loves. Whatever they may
have been thinking, we see that Jesus, the Good Shepherd, was indeed willing to
risk his life for his friend (cf. 10:11, 15), though he was under no real
danger since he was doing the Father's will and under his protection (10:39;
cf. 10:29).
Jesus' love for
Lazarus and his sisters teaches us that our faith in God's love, even in the
midst of adversity, is well grounded. Even those especially dear to God must
endure such things (cf. Chrysostom In John 62.1). "The one sick,
the others sad, all of them beloved: but He who loved them was both the Savior
of the sick, nay more, the Raiser of the dead and the Comforter of the
sad" (Augustine In John 49.7).
When Jesus heard the
message he said, This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's
glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it (v. 4). This response
sets the agenda and provides the approach to what will take place. Just as the
man's blindness in chapter 9 was an opportunity for the work of God to be
manifested (9:3), so the purpose here is the glorification of God and his Son
through this sickness. In both cases we see a revelation of the divine
activities of life-giving and judgment, though here they are more intense for
we are close to the cross and resurrection, the ultimate glorification (12:23;
13:31).
In all that Jesus does
we see the glory of God (1:14), for we see God's love and life-giving power.
Now, in the raising of Lazarus, we will have the most spectacular manifestation
of this glory. God is the one who brings life to the dead out of his love for
those in such need. This is the heart of the Gospel. God's glory is thus seen
in his victory over death--indeed, it is "possible only through
death--first the death of Lazarus, and then the death of Jesus himself!"
(Michaels 1989:195).
The close connection
between Jesus and the Father clearly presented in chapter 5 and chapters 8--10
is evident here as well. This is one of the few times Jesus refers to himself
explicitly as God's Son (cf. 5:25; 10:36, perhaps 3:18). The Son of God will be
glorified through this illness and thereby the glory of God himself will be
manifested. The Father will be glorified as the source of life, and the Son
will be glorified as the one who acts in obedience to the Father and shares in
his identity as the source of life (cf. 1:3-4, 10; 5:21, 26; cf. Michaels
1989:195).
When Jesus' mother
appealed for help in Cana he put her off with a statement that seemed abrupt or
even harsh (2:4). Now, when the most powerful sign is about to be performed,
Jesus behaves in an especially shocking manner. John prepares us for this by
emphasizing Jesus' love for Lazarus and his sisters (v. 5). Jesus loved them
and "therefore" (oun, translated in the NIV as yet) when
he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days (v.
6). Jesus acts only in accordance with his Father's will (2:4; 7:3-9), not the
will of his family or, as we see now, his closest friends. His activity is
scandalous, as Mary and Martha will show by their responses (11:21, 32),
because he is concerned with God's glory (v. 4), with doing God's will and, as
"therefore" indicates, with love for these friends. His love does not
feel like love but it is love, and it is for the best in their lives. His delay
leads to a greater blessing.There are two possible ways to understand the
sequence of events that follow, depending on whether one believes the Bethany
where Jesus is staying is in the south or the north. If Bethany is in the
south, as most scholars believe, then it would take the messengers one day to
reach Jesus and one day for Jesus to reach Lazarus. Since Jesus stayed put for
two days and Lazarus has been dead for four days when Jesus does arrive, that
means Lazarus must have died on the same day as the messengers set out (cf.
Barrett 1978:391). If Bethany is a reference to Batanea in the north the timing
would be different. It takes four days to travel from Batanea to where Lazarus
is. Since Jesus arrives when Lazarus has been dead for four days, Jesus had
waited until Lazarus died before he set out. In either case the two-day delay
does not cause the death of Lazarus, since Jesus could not have gotten to him
before he died, either because he was dead before the messengers arrived with
their message (southern view) or because Jesus would only be halfway there
(northern view). In either case the two-day delay does, however, insure that
Lazarus will have been dead for four days when Jesus arrives.
When Jesus announces
that they are to return to Judea (v. 7), his disciples remind him that the Jewish
opponents had just been trying to stone him there (v. 8). The disciples are
taking their cues from their circumstances rather than from the Father. They
are very aware of the danger their opponents present, but they are not in tune
with the voice of the Father. Jesus responds with a cryptic saying, which, as
usual, directly addresses the issue at hand but is not able to be understood
(vv. 9-10). He uses the imagery of light to put things into perspective for
them. In the natural realm one is able to walk without stumbling while there is
light, and there is light for a set period of time. One need not worry about
stumbling while it is day. The point is that they need not worry about what
will happen to them for they have the Light of the World with them (8:12), for
with him they are able to get on with the work of the Father (9:4). With the
psalmist they can say, "The Lord is my light and my salvation--whom shall
I fear?" (Ps 27:1). They should stick with Jesus even when he seems to
lead them into danger, for no matter what happens it will work out for the
best, even as Lazarus's illness will work for the glory of God. Here is a word
of assurance and a call to all believers to take their bearings from God and
not from their circumstances.
From this cryptic
saying, which goes over their heads, as Thomas' response will soon indicate (v.
16), Jesus spells out why they must now return to Judea: Our friend Lazarus
has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up (v. 11; cf. Mt
9:24). The use of the metaphor of sleep to refer to death is common in the
ancient world, including ancient Jewish thought (Balz 1972:548-53), but the
disciples nevertheless misunderstand and think Jesus is referring to natural
sleep (v. 13). This misunderstanding is quite amazing. Who could think that
Jesus was concerned about Lazarus's merely falling asleep? And even if this
were an acceptable concern--perhaps they think Jesus means Lazarus is now
sleeping peacefully after his illness--who could think Jesus would need to be
informed that Lazarus would wake up, especially since it would take Jesus up to
four days to get to Lazarus, depending on where one thinks Jesus was when he
received the news about Lazarus? So it appears the disciples are thinking that
Jesus had preternatural knowledge that Lazarus had fallen asleep and that he
wanted to go wake him up! There must have been no dull moments with Jesus. He
was doing incredible miracles, he was a marked man in the eyes of the
authorities, and one never knew what he would say next. The disciples are very
disoriented, which should be of some encouragement to us when we feel the same
way. Jesus' patience with them is a manifestation of God's grace for which we
can only be thankful. "Christ's kindness in putting up with such stupidity
in the disciples was remarkable" (Calvin 1959:5).
Jesus has spoken of
death as a sleep from which he will awaken the sleeper. Such language has
profound implications concerning our Lord's power over death and the continuity
of the person in death. Even in death Lazarus is still our friend (v.
11; cf. Westcott 1908:2:84), and he is able to be restored even after his body
has begun to decay, which happens by the fourth day. He may have died (v. 14),
but they are still going to him (v. 15), that is, "He speaks of the
body `sleeping' in the tomb as the man himself" (Westcott 1908:2:86).
It is no wonder, then,
that sleep becomes the main way of referring to death in Christian thought
beginning with the postapostolic fathers (cf. Balz 1972:555-56). Indeed, our
word cemetery comes from the Greek word koimeterion, a place of
sleep. Chrysostom says that since Christ died for the life of the world, we no
longer call death thanatos (death) but hyptos kai koimesis (two
words for sleep) (Chrysostom On the Cemetery and the Cross 1; cf. Balz
1972:556). As he says elsewhere, "What is death at most? It is a journey
for a season; a sleep longer than usual! So that if you fear death, you should
also fear sleep!" (Chrysostom Concerning the Statues 5.11; cf.
7.1).
Since the disciples do
not understand that Jesus is speaking of Lazarus' death, he has to explain it
to them (v. 14) and thereby give them his perspective on this opportunity: for
your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe (v. 15). He
has no doubt that he could have cured Lazarus if he had been there, but
something even more helpful for their faith is now going to take place.
"It is sometimes expedient for disciples that Jesus should be absent from
them; cf. 16.7" (Barrett 1978:393). To have faith in the Son of God is far
more important than to have health and comfort in this life. Such faith leads
to eternal life (20:31), as this miracle will symbolize. This faith is a
progressive thing, for here Jesus is talking to those who have believed in him
already, and yet he says this miracle is so that you may believe. Faith
must be exercised in the face of each new revelation, and each new revelation
is taking the disciples nearer to the ultimate revelation in the most extremely
scandalous event, the cross--the ultimate revelation of God's light and life
and love and thus the ultimate manifestation of God that faith must grasp hold
of. As God reveals more of himself and his ways to us we must likewise have a
faith that both grasps firmly onto him as he is revealed in Jesus and also is
able to be stretched and deepened. Faith enables us to rest in God, but God
himself also keeps us on the move as we continue to grow closer to him for
ever.
Jesus may be
rejoicing, but Thomas, and presumably the other disciples, is not. We usually
think of Thomas as "doubting Thomas" from his reactions after the
resurrection of the Lord (20:24-28). In the present story we see another facet
of Thomas--his loyalty. This is the response of a true disciple. Just as Peter
sticks with Jesus even though he does not understand what Jesus is talking
about regarding eating his flesh and drinking his blood (6:68), so Thomas is
willing to go with Jesus to death (v. 16). He is still fixated with the evident
danger (v. 8), and he does not understand the encouraging words Jesus has just
spoken (vv. 9-10), but he is attached to Jesus and is going to stay with him,
even though he does not see how Jesus' decision makes any sense. Here is an
incredible picture of faith. He is not following because he sees how it all
fits; he is following out of loyalty to Jesus himself. He is a model disciple
at this point. As Thomas follows Jesus into what he thinks is death he is
answering the call, expressed in the Synoptics, that "if anyone would come
after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever
wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for
the gospel will save it" (Mk 8:34-35).Jesus Reveals Himself to Martha as
the Resurrection and the Life (11:17-27) The scene now shifts to Bethany, near
Jerusalem, as Jesus arrives and finds that Lazarus has been in the tomb for
four days. Burials normally took place on the day of the death (cf. Acts
5:6-10), so he has been dead for four days. For Jews this probably signifies
that Lazarus is clearly dead and beginning to decay (cf. m. Yebamot
16:3). A later Jewish text that cites an authority from the early third century
A.D. says the mourners should continue to come to the tomb for three days
because the dead person continues to be present. Mourning is at its height on
the third day, presumably because it is the last time the dead person will be
present there. "Bar Kappara taught: Until three days [after death] the
soul keeps on returning to the grave, thinking that it will go back [into the
body]; but when it sees that the facial features have become disfigured, it
departs and abandons it [the body]" (Genesis Rabbah 100:7; cf. Leviticus
Rabbah 18:1; Ecclesiastes Rabbah 12:6). Thus, the reference to the
fourth day may be quite significant for setting the scene for another dramatic
miracle. The healings in this Gospel have taken place in response to desperate
needs (cf. Talbert 1992:172) from the son of the royal official who was close
to death (4:49), to the man who was paralyzed for thirty-eight years (5:5), to
the man born blind (9:1). Now we come to the climax of this sequence.
John spells out that
Bethany is quite near Jerusalem (v. 18). This note heightens the drama. Jesus
had said he was returning to Judea (v. 7), which the disciples recognized as
the place of hostility. Now John makes sure we understand that Jesus has come
back to the region of Jerusalem itself, the very heart of the opposition.
Jerusalem is also the key place for revelation, and the greatest of all revelations
is now starting to unfold.
As Jesus approaches,
Martha comes out to meet him. It is unclear why Jesus halted and met her in
this way. Some have suggested the desire for relative privacy, but perhaps more
likely this reflects the danger he is in by returning to the suburbs of
Jerusalem. The crowd of mourners may well contain those who would inform the
authorities of Jesus' presence, as indeed does happen after the raising of
Lazarus (v. 46).
Martha says, Lord,
. . . if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that
even now God will give you whatever you ask (v. 21). It is difficult to
know how to understand this statement. It is possible to find in her first
sentence a rebuke of Jesus (Wallace 1996:703) and in her second sentence a very
defective view of Jesus: "She regards Jesus as an intermediary who is
heard by God (22), but she does not understand that he is life itself
(25)" (Brown 1966:433; cf. Chrysostom In John 62.3). The fact that
she says, literally, "I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give
you" suggests a distance between Jesus and God through the repetition of
the word God (not evident in the NIV). Also, the word she uses for ask
(aiteo) is not the word used by Jesus for his own prayer to the Father but
the word he uses of the disciples' prayer (Westcott 1908:2:89). Thus, there is
no doubt that her view of Jesus is defective. Indeed, in this very interchange
Jesus is revealing himself more perfectly to her, as he revealed himself to the
Samaritan woman, despite her defective views.
But we should also see
here a genuine, though defective, faith. Her initial statement (v. 21) need not
imply a rebuke. It could simply be a lament (see, for example, Beasley-Murray
1987:190). And although her knowledge of Jesus is defective, nevertheless, she
does believe Jesus could have healed Lazarus. And her belief that Jesus'
prayers are answered does pick up on the truth of Jesus' dependence upon the
Father, as will be illustrated later in this story (vv. 41-42). So there is more
here than simple unbelief or defective belief.
Indeed, her statement
in verse 22 is actually a profound statement of faith: But I know that even
now God will give you whatever you ask. It might be that she believed Jesus
even now could ask God to raise Lazarus, but her reaction when he actually does
raise Lazarus indicates that is not part of her thinking (v. 39). Rather, the
greatness of her faith is seen in the words even now (kai nyn). She
continues to believe in him even though Lazarus' death seems to call into
question the messengers' report that Jesus had said, This sickness will not
end in death (v. 4). Moreover, even though Jesus has delayed coming to
help, she continues to believe that Jesus is the agent of the gracious
God--despite the fact that this graciousness was not present to heal her
brother. Her trust in God's love for one that Christ clearly loved (v. 3) is
not shaken by what seems like indifference or disregard (cf. Job 13:15; Hab
3:16-19). In this way Martha is an example of stellar faith, which should
encourage all believers who face situations in which God seems to be absent or
uncaring. The hard parts of life are occasions for learning about God and
drawing closer to him.
Jesus' response, Your
brother will rise again (v. 23), comes across as a common consolation among
those Jews who believed in the future resurrection. That is how Martha takes it
(v. 24), which is another case of misunderstanding. Not that her belief in the
future resurrection is wrong--indeed, it is confirmed by what takes place. But
Jesus is speaking of something more profound, the very foundation upon which
the future resurrection itself rests. As almost always in John's Gospel, the
key to unlocking Jesus' cryptic sayings is Jesus' own identity.
Martha has expressed her
faith in the future resurrection and her brother's place in it (v. 24). Jesus
responds to this statement of faith by challenging her with a deeper revelation
of himself: I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will
live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die
(vv. 25-26). All of the "I am" sayings have to do with Christ as the
life-giver, as is clearly the case here where we see that he does not just give
life, but is life itself. As is made evident in some of the other "I
am" sayings, he gives life by becoming our life (for example, 6:51; 15:1).
The main point is that
Jesus' own identity spans the gap between the already and the not yet:
"The resurrection because the life" (Augustine In John
49.14). Life is the more basic term, and the life Jesus is talking about even
encompasses the resurrection life of the world to come (cf. Howard 1943:106-28;
Beasley-Murray 1991:1-14). This "already" and "not yet" was
met earlier (6:54; cf. 5:24-29). So we have in the raising of Lazarus a
revelation of Jesus' authority and his identity as life-giver because he is
life itself. Jesus' role goes far beyond our earthly existence.
The two terms Jesus
uses, resurrection and life, are unpacked in the statements that
follow (Dodd 1953:365). "I am the resurrection": He who believes
in me will live, even though he dies (v. 25). This statement addresses
Martha directly in the situation she is experiencing with the death of her
brother. Jesus' claim is mind-boggling. He says it is faith in him that brings
one back to life at the resurrection at the last day. He is the ground of
eschatological hope. But then he goes even further. "I am the life": and
whoever lives and believes in me will never die (v. 26). The life that
comes through believing in Jesus is not interrupted by physical death.
"The topic is the nature of the life that the believer has, namely one
that death cannot destroy since the believer is in union with him who is the
Life" (Beasley-Murray 1987:191). "By taking humanity into Himself He
has revealed the permanence of man's individuality and being. But this
permanence can be found only in union with Him. Thus two main thoughts are laid
down: Life (resurrection) is present, and this Life is in a Person"
(Westcott 1908:2:90).
Martha has confessed
her faith in the resurrection (v. 24), and now Jesus has revealed himself to be
the source of resurrection and life itself. He asks her, Do you believe
this? (v. 26). She, like the former blind man (9:35-38), is given the
opportunity to make a confession of faith. She does so in a statement that
"echoes earlier confessions in the Gospel (1:42, 49) and anticipates the
statement of its purpose in 20:30-31" (Beasley-Murray 1987:192). She
responds, Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who
was to come into the world (v. 27). She does not repeat the terms Jesus has
used, but she combines two of the most common titles used for Jesus in this
Gospel. It would seem that she does not really grasp what Jesus is saying, as
will be clear from her response when he does raise Lazarus (v. 39). So her use
of more common titles may be a sign that she has not understood him. But her
faith is still genuine and solid, for it is in Jesus himself. She is not
grasping all that he is saying about himself, but she is sticking with him and
confessing as much as she knows, which is what faith is all about. As the
events of the raising of Lazarus unfold Jesus will instruct her in what he has
just claimed, thus bringing her step by step in her knowledge of who he is and
what he is offering so she may respond in faith. "The relevance of faith
lies not in the power of faith as such, but in the fact that faith creates
communion with Jesus and that through Jesus believers receive the gift of life"
(Schnackenburg 1980b:332). This example of patient progress in our Lord's
dealing with Martha should be a great encouragement to those of us who are not
always quick on the uptake when it comes to God's revelation of himself to us.
While Martha's use of
terms may suggest her lack of comprehension, the effect her statement has in
the unfolding revelation in this Gospel is more positive. Jesus' language of
resurrection and life is combined with a common Jewish term, Christ, and John's
favorite title for Jesus, Son (of God). This combination brings together
several strands of thought and makes them interpret one another. The most
fundamental category in John is life. At this point, when Jesus most clearly
speaks of himself as life, other major terms are brought in, thus suggesting
that they should be interpreted in the light of this theme of life as well.
Thus, Martha's confession and Jesus' claim provide a major point of revelation
in this Gospel.Jesus Meets with Mary (11:28-32) After Martha made her confession
of faith Jesus apparently sent her to call her sister Mary, since she tells
Mary, The Teacher is here . . . and is asking for you (v. 28; more
literally, "he is calling you," phonei se). The designation of
Jesus as teacher is interesting after the more exalted terms of Martha's
confession. But it is appropriate since he had just given her a teaching.
Mary runs to Jesus (v.
29), as had Martha (v. 20), showing that they had a great attachment to Jesus,
which reciprocated his love for them. In coming to Jesus in the midst of
suffering the sisters provide a model for all believers.
John tells us that
Martha gives her message secretly (v. 28) and that Mary and Jesus meet apart
from the crowd (v. 30) so it would seem Jesus desires privacy, perhaps, as
noted above, because he is a marked man in this region. But his cover is blown
when those who were mourning with Mary follow her, thinking she was going to
wail at the tomb (v. 31). So all the mourners in the house gather at the tomb,
providing witnesses to what is about to happen and thus giving them the
opportunity to believe--and others as well through their testimony.
When Mary reaches
Jesus, she falls at his feet and said, "Lord if you had been here, my
brother would not have died" (v. 32). This is exactly what her sister
had said (v. 21). It would seem the sisters had been sharing this thought with
one another (Westcott 1908:2:94). Whether her statement is rebuke or
lamentation is unclear, as it is in the case of Martha. It could have elements
of both, though the fact that she is wailing (v. 33) suggests lamentation is
her main response. Mary does not add an expression of faith as Martha had (v.
22), though falling at Jesus' feet may suggest a similar attitude.Jesus Calls
Lazarus Back from the Dead (11:33-44) The wailing of Mary and those with her
provokes a strong emotional reaction in Jesus. The NIV translation, he was
deeply moved in spirit and troubled (v. 33), is common among English
translations, but it does not do justice to the language. The word for deeply
moved (embrimaomai) can be used of snorting in animals (for example,
Aeschylus Seven Against Thebes 461) and in humans refers to anger
(Beasley-Murray 1987:192-93). The second word, troubled (tarasso), is
literally "troubled himself" (etaraxen heauton). So a better
translation would be, "became angry in spirit and very agitated"
(Beasley-Murray 1987:192-93).
Clearly the wailing
provokes his response, but there are two very different ways to understand the
nature of this reaction. Some would see Jesus as upset over their obtuseness
and lack of faith, which is evident in their wailing (Schnackenburg 1980b:336;
Beasley-Murray 1987:193). In this case we would have an occasion similar to his
upbraiding of the disciples for their little faith at the stilling of the storm
in the Synoptics. As Matthew tells that story, Jesus upbraids them before he
stills the storm, while they are still being tossed about (Mt 8:26; contrast Mk
4:39-40; Lk 8:24-25)! There is not, however, a clear note of anger in those
stories such as we find here (though see Mt 17:17 par. Mk 9:19 par. Lk 9:41).
Others suggest Jesus
is angry at death itself and the pain and sadness it causes evident in the
wailing (Westcott 1908:2:96; Brown 1966:435; Michaels 1989:203). This could be
a parallel with the emotion Jesus felt in the Garden of Gethsemane (Mk 14:33),
"prompted by the imminence of death and the struggle with Satan"
(Brown 1966:435; cf. Chrysostom In John 63.2), though there it is more
like sadness.
Either interpretation
gets at a truth. Since the focus of this chapter is the theme of life, death is
the more likely object of his anger. In a Gospel in which life is one of the
primary themes, death is clearly the great enemy. Also, anger at their lack of
faith would not be appropriate since they have not been faithless, though
theirs is an imperfect faith. And he has no reason to expect the Jews present
to trust in him, especially since they did not hear his revelation to Martha.
Thus, his anger is most likely not at their imperfect faith, but at death
itself and the reign of terror it exercises.
Jesus asks where they
have laid Lazarus, and they reply, come and see, Lord (v. 34). Their
wailing had triggered anger; now their invitation triggers weeping (v. 35).
Jesus has not yet come to the tomb (v. 38), so he is not weeping over Lazarus.
There would be no reason to do so anyway, at least on his part. It is their
invitation that wrings his heart. He does not wail (klaio) like them.
Rather, he weeps (dakryo), that is, sheds tears. He is not in anguish
over the death of Lazarus, but rather saddened by the pain and sadness they
feel. He is weeping with those who weep (Rom 12:15) because he loves them. The
grief caused by death is one facet of death's evil that caused his anger. He is
angry at death and saddened at grief. In both cases the reason is the same,
namely, his love for his friends. The love of God for us and his wrath toward
that which corrupts and destroys us are two sides of a single coin.
Though Jesus' weeping
was not over the death of Lazarus itself, his weeping--not wailing--has rightly
been taken as a model of Christian mourning. Paul says we should not
"grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope" (1 Thess 4:13).
"He wept over Lazarus. So should you; weep, but gently, but with decency,
but with the fear of God. If you weep thus, you do so not as disbelieving the
resurrection, but as not enduring the separation. Since even over those who are
leaving us, and departing to foreign lands, we weep, yet we do this not as
despairing" (Chrysostom In John 62.4). But for believers, the
separation is only for a while. Jesus' raising of Lazarus shows that his death
was not final and that Jesus has the power over death. We may miss the one who
has died and thus be saddened, but perfect love casts out wailing.
The Jewish mourners
take note of how much Jesus loved Lazarus. They have interpreted his tears
correctly. But then some of them go on to say, Could not he who opened the
eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying? (v. 37). This is often
taken as a statement of unbelief, which then provokes Jesus' anger again (v.
38; for example, Schnackenburg 1980b:337). But something much more profound is
going on. This link back to the healing of the blind man is relevant, for that
miracle was unheard of and actually bore witness to Jesus as the agent of
creation (see comment on 9:6). If one has such powers, then it is reasonable to
ask whether he could have prevented this death. This is not so much unbelief as
it is puzzlement. It looks like death is stronger than Jesus despite the
implications of his healing the man born blind.
So Jesus' anger in
verse 38 is not at their lack of faith as such, but again at death and its
challenge to him as life-giver. Jesus came to the tomb in this state of anger (embrimomenos,
present participle; see comment on 11:33), ready to exercise his power over
death and thereby initiating the process that will lead to his own death and
decisive victory over death. "Christ does not come to the sepulchre as an
idle spectator, but like a wrestler preparing for the contest. Therefore no
wonder that He groans again, for the violent tyranny of death which He had to
overcome stands before His eyes" (Calvin 1959:13).
Jesus orders the
mourners to take the stone away from the entrance of the tomb (v. 39). Martha's
objection that there would be a stench due to decomposition highlights the
greatness of this sign. Jesus is raising someone who should already have begun
to decay. There is no indication in the story that Lazarus comes out bearing
marks of decay. Here we should see, as we saw with the giving of sight to the
blind man, a revelation of Jesus' power and authority as the agent of creation.
He does not just bring the person back to life by reuniting soul and body, he
also restores the body itself. Thus, not only is the raising of Lazarus a sign
of Jesus' identity and authority as life-giver, it also reflects the reality of
the resurrection of the body. God is able to restore physical bodies after
decay. The analogy is not complete, since Lazarus is not raised as an
imperishable, spiritual body, as will be the case at the resurrection of the
dead (1 Cor 15:42-44). But there is a continuity between the spiritual body and
the physical body: it is a bodily resurrection. The overcoming of corruption in
the raising of Lazarus thus provides, in part, a sign of the future
resurrection.
The messengers had
reported that Jesus said this illness is for God's glory (v. 4), and
when Jesus met with Martha he presented himself to her as the object of faith.
Now Jesus refers back to that conversation, though not in exactly the same
words, at least as reported by John (cf. also 6:36, Schnackenburg 1980b:338).
Jesus does not say that his ability to raise Lazarus is dependent on her faith.
Rather, seeing God's glory depends upon her faith. Since she does indeed
benefit from this sign it seems that her faith, defective as it may be, is nevertheless
sufficient at this stage in God's eyes for her to see his glory. The repetition
of the theme of God's glory at this point, just before the raising, keeps our
focus on what is most significant. Here is the most powerful sign of Jesus'
power and authority, but it does not point to him except as evidence that he is
doing what he sees the Father doing. He is here to glorify God, not himself.
This dependency upon
the Father is further emphasized in Jesus' prayer. Indeed, prayer itself is the
form of speech that directly corresponds to the most significant thing about
Jesus--his relationship with God, his Father. Each part of this prayer reveals
something about that relationship. He looked up, or, more literally, he
"lifted up his eyes" (v. 41; cf. Ps 123:1; Lam 3:41; 1 Esdras 4:58; 4
Maccabees 6:26; Mt 14:19 par. Mk 6:41 par. Lk 9:16; Jn 17:1), a gesture of
looking away from self and toward God. It implies otherness and transcendence.
But this gesture of transcendence is immediately juxtaposed with a word of
intimacy, Father, the main title for God in this Gospel. Indeed, for
Christians, God is now known primarily as the Father of Jesus. Our language for
God as Father has its source in Jesus' own revelation of God. It is his
relationship with God that a Christian enters into and thus comes to know God
as Jesus knows him, within the limitations of human nature.
We do not hear an
actual petition but rather Jesus' thanksgiving that the Father heard him (v.
41). The communication between the Father and the Son regarding Lazarus had
taken place much earlier, since he already announced what would take place when
the messengers arrived with the news (v. 4). We here see the Son as subordinate
to the Father, bringing a request to the Father. But far more is involved, for
he goes on to say, I knew that you always hear me (v. 42). The clear
teaching of the Old Testament is that God listens to the righteous, not the
unrighteous, except for prayers of repentance (see note on 9:31). Thus, Jesus
is claiming to be righteous before God and in unbroken fellowship with him. He
knows he is heard; he has utter confidence in this relationship. "Jesus
lives in constant prayer and communication with his Father. When he engages in
vocal prayer, he is not entering, as we do, from a state of non-praying into
prayer. He is only giving overt expression to what is the ground and base of
his life all along. He emerges from non-vocal to vocal prayer here in order to
show that the power he needs . . . for the raising of Lazarus . . . depends on
the gift of God. It is through that prayer and communion and constant obedience
to his Father's will that he is the channel of the Father's saving action. That
is why the prayer is a thanksgiving rather than a petition" (Fuller
1963:107).
He vocalizes his
prayer for the sake of the crowd: I said this for the benefit of the people
standing here, that they may believe that you sent me (v. 42). In other
words, it is not enough for people to be impressed with Jesus. They must
believe in him as the one sent from God. It is precisely because Jesus is sent
from God and does as God directs him that he is heard by God. The Father as the
sender is primary. Jesus is not a wonderworker who is able to get God to do
what he wants him to do. He is the obedient Son sent by the Father to do the
Father's will. The Father's will and the Son's petition coincide exactly. Later
Jesus will say that his followers are to share in this same relationship
through their union with him, and thereby they will also be heard by the Father
(14:11-14; 15:7, 16; 16:24). In such prayer, as also in the case of Jesus'
prayer, "It is not the setting up of the will of self, but the
apprehension and taking to self of the divine will, which corresponds with the
highest good of the individual" (Westcott 1908:2:101).
In saying the purpose
of this prayer is that they might believe, Jesus is again acting with divine
graciousness and mercy. Such belief brings eternal life. Thus, this miracle is
not just for the sake of Lazarus and his sisters, who already do have such
faith and the life it brings, but for others that they may have life. The
miracle reveals Jesus as the life-giver sent from the Father, and one receives
life from him as one has faith in him. We see the grace of God evident in
several ways in this story. This last miraculous sign continues to reveal the
glory of God as have all the others.
After the prayer comes
the deed: Jesus called in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!"
(v. 43). Jesus could have healed Lazarus when he was still sick with a word of
command, even across the miles. But now he utters a mightier word across a much
greater distance--that between the living and the dead. The voice at the end of
the age is heard here ahead of time (cf. 5:28; 1 Thess 4:16). The Word through
whom all was made (1:1-3) here speaks forth life. Those standing around were
given tasks to do, such as taking away the stone and unbinding Lazarus. The
physical contact helped drive home the reality of what was happening. But for
Jesus, his work is his word.
Perhaps, as is often
suggested, he had to include Lazarus' name or all the dead would have come
forth! The dead man still existed as Lazarus and could be called by name, for
those who believe in Christ never die (v. 26). Jesus does not actually say
something like "Rise" (contrast Mk 5:41 par. Lk 8:54; Lk 7:14).
Rather, it seems the very calling of his name brought Lazarus back, and the
call to come out that followed was "the command to use the new-given
life" (Westcott 1908:2:102).
Lazarus came out,
his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face
(v. 44), presumably hopping or perhaps shuffling. It is unclear what was
involved in burial in the first century (Brown 1994:2:1243-44; Green 1992:89).
The NIV assumes we should picture Lazarus as a mummy, with strips of cloth
passing around and around his body. This interpretation may be correct (cf.
Brown 1994:2:1264), but there is evidence for the use of a single large sheet
as the main covering (Brown 1994:2:1244-45). So it has been suggested that the
Jewish custom was not to wind the corpse like a mummy, but rather to use a
cloth like that of the Shroud of Turin. "The corpse would have been placed
on a strip of linen, wide and long enough to envelop it completely. The feet
would be placed at one end, and the cloth would then be drawn over the head to
the feet, the feet would be bound at the ankles, and the arms secured to the
body with linen bandages, and the face bound round with another cloth to keep
the jaw in place" (Sanders 1968:276). The separate cloth used to bind up
the jaw is mentioned in later sources (m. shabbat 23:5; cf. Safrai and
Stern 1974-1976:2:773), though this cloth in verse 44 may refer rather to a
covering for the face (Beasley-Murray 1987:195).
Jesus gives yet
another command, Take off the grave clothes and let him go (v. 44). This
is a cry of victory. The grave has been defeated and liberty achieved. It is
only a partial sign of the coming victory of Jesus' resurrection, since Lazarus
will need to die again and enter the grave until the final resurrection. But it
is a great sign of the life that is stronger than death, which those who
believe in Jesus share. And it is a graphic sign of Jesus' own power and
authority.
The call to loose
Lazarus and let him go picks up "the biblical imagery of `loosing' for
victory over death and the powers of evil (for example, Matt. 16:19; Luke
13:16; Acts 2:24; cf. John 8:32-36)" (Michaels 1989:207). As such, this
story speaks to all Christians bound by the fear of death and, on another level,
bound by various sins. The Christian is in union with the one who himself is
resurrection and life. As Christ offers freedom from the power of sin
(8:32-36), so faith in Christ as resurrection and life brings freedom from the
fear of death (cf. Heb 2:14-15).
Few would deny the
theological and spiritual power of this story, but many would question whether
the raising of Lazarus ever in fact took place. Some would say miracles do not
happen, so therefore this could not have happened. This perspective derives
more from prejudice than scientific observation and seems to be on the wane.
But even those who believe such a thing could happen are suspicious of this
story since it is not recounted in the Synoptics. If this event is so
climactic, as John suggests, then this omission is striking. But neither John
nor the Synoptics are trying to tell the whole story. John leaves out similar
miracles in the Synoptics: the raising of Jairus's' daughter (Mt 9:18-19, 23-26
par. Mk 5:21-24, 35-43 par. Lk 8:40-42, 49-56) and the raising of the widow's
son at Nain (Lk 7:11-17). So the omission is not that unusual. John includes
this story because he sees in it the theological climax of Jesus' public
ministry. It is also, from John's perspective, the key factor in the Jewish
leaders' decision to have Jesus eliminated (11:53). John is fitting the pieces
together to highlight the truth of what takes place in Jesus' ministry. That is
very different from saying he is making up stories to illustrate his theology.
"He who wrote the Gospel of the Word made flesh viewed history as
of first importance; he would never have related a story of Jesus, still less
created one, that he did not have reason to believe took place"
(Beasley-Murray 1987:199). Thus, while the story of Lazarus looks suspicious to
some, its historicity can be accounted for (cf. further Westcott 1908:2:77-79;
Beasley-Murray 1987:199-201; Harris 1986:310-17).Both Faith and Rejection Arise
from the Raising of Lazarus (11:45-54) As a result of this miracle there is again
a variety of responses. Many put faith in Jesus (v. 45), but others inform the
authorities (v. 46). John does not make clear whether their trip to the
authorities is innocent or a betrayal of Jesus. At an earlier stage the crowd
was well aware of the authorities' concerns over Jesus (7:13, 25), and their
animosity deepened significantly at the Feast of Dedication (10:31-39), leading
Jesus to withdraw from the area (10:40-42). So it may well be that this is
another betrayal of Jesus, similar to the lame man's betrayal earlier in Jesus'
ministry (5:15).
The report alarms the
Pharisees, and so the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of
the Sanhedrin (v. 47). The Sanhedrin was the supreme Jewish court in
Jerusalem, which, under Roman oversight, "had both religious and political
powers and comprised the elite (both priestly and lay) of society"
(Moulder 1988:331). Both Sadducees and Pharisees were part of the Sanhedrin.
Which of the two was the dominate part is uncertain (Schürer 1973-1987:2:213),
though John implies it was the chief priests (7:45, 48; cf. 12:10). The chief
priests were members of high-priestly families, along with others from
prominent priestly families (cf. Acts 4:6), including, perhaps, temple officers
like the treasurer and captain of police (Hubbard 1996:961; cf. Jeremias
1969:160-81; Schürer 1973-1987:2:235-36). Of the fifty-four references to chief
priests in the Gospels, all of them are associated with Jerusalem, and
almost all of them concern Jesus' final conflict (the exceptions are Mt 2:4; Jn
7:32, 45). In John's Gospel the Pharisees are also closely associated with
Jerusalem. When John mentions opponents outside Jerusalem or its environs he
uses the term "the Jews" (6:41, 52; see comment on 1:19).
Thus the two chief
components of the Sanhedrin now call the Sanhedrin together. Both the Pharisees
and the chief priests had attempted to apprehend Jesus earlier (7:32, 45), but
now the situation is reaching a crisis, as they see his popularity rising. The
low point after the feeding of the five thousand, at which almost everyone
deserted Jesus (6:66), is now past and many are believing in him. Like many
religious leaders since, Jesus is accused of being a threat to national
security. Jesus' popularity could look like a popular uprising that would
require calling in the Roman legions (cf. Acts 19:23-41, especially 19:40), who
would come and take away both our place and our nation (Jn 11:48). As
the NIV footnote indicates, place here refers to the temple (cf. H.
Koester 1972:204). The position of the word our is emphatic. In fact,
this could be translated, "will come and take away from us both our place
and our nation." While they seem concerned for the nation, John says they
are actually concerned about their own self-interests, as are the hirelings
Jesus condemned earlier (10:12; cf. Westcott 1908:2:105). The irony is that
they do destroy the temple of Jesus' body (cf. 2:19, 21), but this does not
prevent the Romans from destroying their temple and their nation, nor does it
prevent increasing numbers of people from believing in Jesus. Their plot
prevented neither of the things they feared, even though they succeeded in
getting Jesus killed.
Caiaphas, who ruled as
high priest for a very long time by the standards of the day (A.D. 18-36),
speaks up: You know nothing at all! You do not realize that it is better for
you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish (vv.
49-50). Here again the self-interest is evident (for you). This is a
very significant statement for John, as is evident from his dwelling on it (vv.
51-52). Unknown to Caiaphas, he had in fact prophesied that Jesus would die
for the Jewish nation (v. 51). Caiaphas is thinking of Jesus' death in
place of the destruction of the nation by Rome, but John sees the divine intent
that Jesus die in place of the nation for their sin. Here, along with 1:29, is
the clearest expression in this Gospel of Jesus' death as dealing with sin.
John focuses on the cross as revelation (Forestell 1974), but here we see that
he also affirms the cross as atonement. The cross as revelation alone leads to
Gnosticism, as John discovered in his own communities, hence the emphasis in 1
John on the atonement aspect (1 Jn 2:2; 4:10, cf. Whitacre 1982:156-57). But
those members of the community who headed off in gnostic directions were not
true to John's teaching in its fullness. John's experience in his community is
a cautionary tale. Each aspect of the Gospel needs to be in place, or some
deformed shape will emerge. The period of the New Testament saw the
articulation of a variety of ways to express the Gospel, with the Holy Spirit
guiding and protecting. The unity and diversity we now have in the canon
provides a composite shape to the faith that is a guide to the truth of the
Gospel--that is what "canon" means.
Caiaphas refers to the
people (laos) and the nation (ethnos), but in the next verse John
only uses nation. The word laos was not used frequently in
classical Greek, but it occurs more than two thousand times in the Septuagint,
having become "a specific term for a specific people, namely, Israel, and
it serves to emphasize the special and privileged religious position of this
people as the people of God" (Strathmann and Meyer 1967:32). Thus, John's
refusal to use laos may be significant in the light of the theme of
Jesus' departure from the temple and the formation of the core of the new
community around him (see comments on 8:59 and 10:1-21). "The Jews at this
crisis had ceased to be `a people.' They were a `nation' only, as one of the
nations of the world. The elements of the true `people' were scattered
throughout the world, as Jews, and Jews of the Dispersion, and Gentiles"
(Westcott 1908:2:107).
Caiaphas is only
thinking of the Jewish nation, but John sees the significance of Jesus' death
to extend to all of humanity (v. 52). Jesus death is also for the scattered
children of God, to bring them together and make them one. The idea of
gathering together God's scattered people is a hope found extensively in the
Old Testament (for example, Is 11:12; Jer 31:8; Ezek 11:17; Mic 2:12-13; 2 Macc
1:27). Now this gathering will begin to take place in the most unusual
way--through the death of the Messiah. Jesus' work as the Good Shepherd (10:16)
is accomplished through his death, as he himself will emphasize shortly
(12:32). So even in this passage, which touches on the atoning significance of
his death, other aspects are developed as well. The oneness with God that the
atonement accomplishes is complemented by the oneness of the people of God drawn
from the whole of the human race. They are already referred to as children
of God since each one who enters Christ's community has been given to him
by the Father (6:37) and has responded in faith and has been born again (1:12).
John places great stress on the individual, but here we see his appreciation of
the corporate whole (cf. Brown 1966:443). The nature of this unity will be
brought out soon (chaps. 14--17), but for now we see that it is Christ,
especially Christ crucified, that unites the people of God.
The Sanhedrin comes to
the decision to kill Jesus (v. 53). There had been attempts to take his life
already (5:18; 7:1, 19 ; 8:59; 10:31), but now the decision had been reached in
an official manner by the central authority for the Jewish people. "Jesus
is formally devoted to death by a vote of the competent authority. This is, in
fact, the act by which, in its historical or `objective' aspect, the death of
Christ is determined" (Dodd 1953:367). They plotted in the NIV does
not do justice to the Greek ebouleusanto, which means, rather, that they
"resolved," "determined" or even "passed a
resolution" (Bammel 1970:30). Thus, by giving life to Lazarus, Jesus has
sealed his own death. In what follows we see the even greater irony that through
his death comes life for the world.
Jesus knows of this
increased danger, though we are not told whether he knows this through an
informant, preternatural knowledge or just common sense. He goes back into
seclusion once again, this time to Ephraim (v. 54; cf. 10:40). It is not
certain where Ephraim was located, though it was probably four miles to
the northeast of Bethel, which places it some fifteen miles north-northeast of
Jerusalem (cf. Barrett 1978:408; Brown 1966:441). His movement in and out of
seclusion shows him working around the intentions of his enemies as he works
out the intentions of his Father. There is a similar pattern in his work in the
lives of his followers today. He moves in and out of seclusion in our lives,
not because his life is threatened but as part of his love for us, to wean us
from false attachments, even false views we may have of God himself.
