Jesus Speaks With Mary While Martha WatchesBible World
11:1John 11:1
Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.
John 11:1 introduces Lazarus as a sick man of Bethany, the home he shared with his sisters Mary and Martha. He and his household sincerely loved Jesus and believed in Him, and their humble home was a place of rest, welcome and pure friendship where He often found relief from conflict and labor. His sudden violent sickness ran its course to death and burial until he had lain dead four days, while his sisters sent only the confiding word that he whom He loved was sick, fully expecting Him to come and heal him. Jesus knew of the sickness and could have stopped death from afar, yet He remained where He was for two more days, not from lack of love but by God's plan that the raising be a crowning, undoubted proof of His divine power as Saviour and Lifegiver. After four days He called Lazarus from the tomb by His word and restored him, though not to immortality, so that many believed and glorified God while those hardened against light renewed their hostility.
Bethany Home and Sickness
Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha, his sisters and household. Lazarus was a steadfast disciple whose faith in Christ was strong and whose love for Him was deep, sincerely loving Jesus and strongly believing in Him as the Way, the Truth, and the Life. He knew the deep enmity of the Pharisees against Jesus and the injustice of the charges they sought to fasten upon Him, and the sympathy of the whole peaceful household was wholly with Jesus, with Mary earnestly listening to His words. Jesus loved him and was bound to the family at Bethany by especially tender affection.
Their Bethany home was a peaceful, humble place where Jesus, having no home of His own and depending on the hospitality of friends and disciples, often found rest and repose. Weary and thirsting for human fellowship, He gladly escaped there from the suspicion and jealousy of the angry Pharisees and the weary conflict of public life, finding relief from care and labor amid an atmosphere of faith and love when misunderstood. There He found sincere welcome and pure, holy friendship, a quiet home and interested listeners who understood and treasured His words. Longing for human tenderness, courtesy and affection, He could speak there with simplicity and perfect freedom without parables, opening to an appreciative audience the volume of Providence and telling in private what He did not tell the mixed multitude.
Sorrow entered that home when Lazarus was seized by sudden, violent illness, a fever that rapidly grew worse until death triumphed and he died in anguish before his sisters. He was buried and lay dead four days, his body beginning to decay. The illness became worse while the sisters waited for Jesus, whom they expected to come and heal him.
Knowing Christ had shown power to heal all manner of diseases and trusting His sympathy in their distress, his sisters sent only the brief confiding word that he whom He loved was sick, making no urgent demand or plea for His immediate presence yet fully expecting their beloved friend to come at once and reach Bethany as soon as He could to heal him. They waited anxiously, praying and watching for Jesus to come while the spark of life remained in their brother, and when the messenger returned without Him but with the word that the sickness was not unto death, they clung to hope that Lazarus would live. With heavy hearts they prepared Lazarus for burial and laid him in the grave, all the while looking anxiously for Christ and longing to see Him and hear His words of comfort.
Delay, Raising, and Meaning
Jesus knew Lazarus was sick before the messenger reached Him and could have held back the power of death from where He was, yet He stayed where He was two more days and did not come until Lazarus had died, been buried, and two long sorrowful days had passed. He knew Lazarus was dead and said He was glad for the disciples' sakes that He had not been there, to the intent they might believe, and then set out for Judea though the Jews had lately sought to stone Him there.
The delay came from no lack of interest or love for Lazarus and his family, but by God's plan that the sickness run its course to death and burial so the raising would be a crowning, undoubted proof of divine power. It was the greatest of His miracles, revealing His character as Saviour and Lifegiver shortly before His entry into Jerusalem. He delayed though He could not witness suffering without bringing relief, and He let death be permitted so He could raise him.
He let Lazarus die to unite His disciples to Him in a faith that could not be broken and to answer doubts among them whether He was really the Christ since He had not saved Lazarus whom He loved. The miracle was to convince all who would be convinced that He is the Saviour of the world, to reveal the Father through His works to believers and unbelievers, and to give convincing proof of His divinity even when the body had begun to decay. It became the final, crowning evidence to the Jews that Jesus was the Son of God, the final test given to the Jewish nation and undeniable evidence of Messiahship, and it drew a large enthusiastic multitude.
After Lazarus had been dead four days Christ called him from the tomb by His word and restored him to Mary and Martha, showing sympathy for their grief and power to return their brother to them and to bring joy to his sisters. His raising shows Christ's power over death and points to the time when Christ returns, when His voice will call the dead in Christ from their tombs to immortal life to remain with the Lord. Jesus wept at the grave, and His tears reflected sorrow that He could not save all brought low by death, though He gave Himself as a ransom for all who would return to loyalty to God. In raising Lazarus He knew He would pay the ransom for that life at Calvary, for every such rescue moved Him toward humiliation and death.
Like the widow's son and the ruler's daughter, Lazarus returned to life but was not made immortal and remained subject to death and decay. The everlasting immortal life of those raised at Christ's resurrection will be different. He had no experience after death to report, because the dead know nothing and their love and hatred have perished. Instead he testified by his life and words to Christ's divine power, declaring that Jesus was the Son of God and asking what people would gain by putting Him to death.
This crowning miracle led many to believe in Jesus and glorify God, while opponents who had repeatedly rejected light remained hardened and renewed hostility. That hardening stirred anew the hatred and jealousy of the Pharisees. His raising of the dead in Bethany was part of His mission to lift the human race to a new and perfect life, as surely as His work as a carpenter and His death as humanity's sacrifice.
John 11:1 introduces Lazarus as a sick man of Bethany, the home he shared with his sisters Mary and Martha. He and his household sincerely loved Jesus and believed in Him, and their humble home was a place of rest, welcome and pure friendship where He often found relief from conflict and labor. His sudden violent sickness ran its course to death and burial until he had lain dead four days, while his sisters sent only the confiding word that he whom He loved was sick, fully expecting Him to come and heal him. Jesus knew of the sickness and could have stopped death from afar, yet He remained where He was for two more days, not from lack of love but by God's plan that the raising be a crowning, undoubted proof of His divine power as Saviour and Lifegiver. After four days He called Lazarus from the tomb by His word and restored him, though not to immortality, so that many believed and glorified God while those hardened against light renewed their hostility.
Bethany Home and Sickness
Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha, his sisters and household. Lazarus was a steadfast disciple whose faith in Christ was strong and whose love for Him was deep, sincerely loving Jesus and strongly believing in Him as the Way, the Truth, and the Life. He knew the deep enmity of the Pharisees against Jesus and the injustice of the charges they sought to fasten upon Him, and the sympathy of the whole peaceful household was wholly with Jesus, with Mary earnestly listening to His words. Jesus loved him and was bound to the family at Bethany by especially tender affection.
Their Bethany home was a peaceful, humble place where Jesus, having no home of His own and depending on the hospitality of friends and disciples, often found rest and repose. Weary and thirsting for human fellowship, He gladly escaped there from the suspicion and jealousy of the angry Pharisees and the weary conflict of public life, finding relief from care and labor amid an atmosphere of faith and love when misunderstood. There He found sincere welcome and pure, holy friendship, a quiet home and interested listeners who understood and treasured His words. Longing for human tenderness, courtesy and affection, He could speak there with simplicity and perfect freedom without parables, opening to an appreciative audience the volume of Providence and telling in private what He did not tell the mixed multitude.
Sorrow entered that home when Lazarus was seized by sudden, violent illness, a fever that rapidly grew worse until death triumphed and he died in anguish before his sisters. He was buried and lay dead four days, his body beginning to decay. The illness became worse while the sisters waited for Jesus, whom they expected to come and heal him.
Knowing Christ had shown power to heal all manner of diseases and trusting His sympathy in their distress, his sisters sent only the brief confiding word that he whom He loved was sick, making no urgent demand or plea for His immediate presence yet fully expecting their beloved friend to come at once and reach Bethany as soon as He could to heal him. They waited anxiously, praying and watching for Jesus to come while the spark of life remained in their brother, and when the messenger returned without Him but with the word that the sickness was not unto death, they clung to hope that Lazarus would live. With heavy hearts they prepared Lazarus for burial and laid him in the grave, all the while looking anxiously for Christ and longing to see Him and hear His words of comfort.
Delay, Raising, and Meaning
Jesus knew Lazarus was sick before the messenger reached Him and could have held back the power of death from where He was, yet He stayed where He was two more days and did not come until Lazarus had died, been buried, and two long sorrowful days had passed. He knew Lazarus was dead and said He was glad for the disciples' sakes that He had not been there, to the intent they might believe, and then set out for Judea though the Jews had lately sought to stone Him there.
The delay came from no lack of interest or love for Lazarus and his family, but by God's plan that the sickness run its course to death and burial so the raising would be a crowning, undoubted proof of divine power. It was the greatest of His miracles, revealing His character as Saviour and Lifegiver shortly before His entry into Jerusalem. He delayed though He could not witness suffering without bringing relief, and He let death be permitted so He could raise him.
He let Lazarus die to unite His disciples to Him in a faith that could not be broken and to answer doubts among them whether He was really the Christ since He had not saved Lazarus whom He loved. The miracle was to convince all who would be convinced that He is the Saviour of the world, to reveal the Father through His works to believers and unbelievers, and to give convincing proof of His divinity even when the body had begun to decay. It became the final, crowning evidence to the Jews that Jesus was the Son of God, the final test given to the Jewish nation and undeniable evidence of Messiahship, and it drew a large enthusiastic multitude.
After Lazarus had been dead four days Christ called him from the tomb by His word and restored him to Mary and Martha, showing sympathy for their grief and power to return their brother to them and to bring joy to his sisters. His raising shows Christ's power over death and points to the time when Christ returns, when His voice will call the dead in Christ from their tombs to immortal life to remain with the Lord. Jesus wept at the grave, and His tears reflected sorrow that He could not save all brought low by death, though He gave Himself as a ransom for all who would return to loyalty to God. In raising Lazarus He knew He would pay the ransom for that life at Calvary, for every such rescue moved Him toward humiliation and death.
Like the widow's son and the ruler's daughter, Lazarus returned to life but was not made immortal and remained subject to death and decay. The everlasting immortal life of those raised at Christ's resurrection will be different. He had no experience after death to report, because the dead know nothing and their love and hatred have perished. Instead he testified by his life and words to Christ's divine power, declaring that Jesus was the Son of God and asking what people would gain by putting Him to death.
This crowning miracle led many to believe in Jesus and glorify God, while opponents who had repeatedly rejected light remained hardened and renewed hostility. That hardening stirred anew the hatred and jealousy of the Pharisees. His raising of the dead in Bethany was part of His mission to lift the human race to a new and perfect life, as surely as His work as a carpenter and His death as humanity's sacrifice.