Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well.
When Jesus said Lazarus slept, the disciples understood Him to mean natural rest in sleep from which he would recover and do well, but He meant that Lazarus was dead and not taking rest. He was teaching that death is a sleep, and that for His believing children it is a sleep in Christ in which they remain until the last trump sounds. The dead know nothing and have no experience to recount, so Lazarus when raised had no story to tell of what happened while he was dead. Understanding that the dead are asleep safeguards against deception by claims to communicate with the dead. The two-day delay was not lack of interest but divine wisdom and design, to make the raising after four days in the grave a crowning, undoubted proof of His divine power as the Son of God and Saviour of the world.
Setting and Misunderstanding
Lazarus of Bethany was among the most steadfast of Christ's disciples, strong in faith and deep in love, and he was greatly beloved by the Saviour, for whom the greatest of Christ's miracles was performed. Christ was bound by peculiarly tender affection to the family at Bethany, and their home was where Jesus often found rest, having no home of His own and depending on the hospitality of friends and disciples. There, when weary and thirsting for human fellowship, He was glad to escape away from the suspicion and jealousy of the angry Pharisees, and found sincere welcome and pure, holy friendship, a quiet home and interested listeners, and the human tenderness, courtesy, and affection for which He longed. Those who received His heavenly instruction there were greatly blessed, for He could speak with simplicity and perfect freedom, knowing His words would be understood and treasured. He opened to that appreciative audience the volume of Providence in private interviews, unfolding what He did not attempt to tell the mixed multitude, needing not to speak to His friends in parables as He did in His public teaching through the open fields where He unfolded the beauties of the natural world to open the eyes of their understanding.
After waiting two days, Jesus decided to go to Judea to awake Lazarus, and the disciples tried to stop Him because the Jews there had lately sought to stone Him. He told them Lazarus was dead and that He was glad He had not been there to the intent they might believe.
The disciples took His word about Lazarus sleeping to mean natural, ordinary rest in sleep and answered that if he slept he would recover and do well. They concluded that sleep would help him recover. He meant that Lazarus was dead, not taking rest in sleep, and He then said plainly that Lazarus was dead.
Death as Sleep
The disciples heard the word about sleeping and took it for ordinary natural rest that would aid recovery and do good. He was not speaking of rest but of death, which is described as sleep. For His believing children death is a sleep in Christ, in which they remain asleep until the last trump sounds.
They took that description of death as sleep in a literal sense. The imagery presents death as an eternal sleep, in which the dead slumber in the grave as whole beings awaiting the resurrection. This makes the resurrection the hope of the bereaved and the event in which the righteous dead receive immortal life.
The dead know nothing and have no experience to recount, so Lazarus when raised from death and returned to life had no account or story to tell of what happened while he was dead. He testified instead to Christ's divine power. The disciples' mistaken idea of sleep belongs with the scriptural teaching that the dead are asleep, and understanding that teaching safeguards against deception by spiritualist claims to communicate with the dead.
Miracle's Purpose and Power
The two days of waiting were not indifference toward Lazarus and his family but divine wisdom and deliberate design, part of God's plan to make the death an occasion for undoubted proof of divine power. It was meant to bind the disciples to Him in a faith that could not be broken at a time when some were questioning whether they had been deceived and whether Christ would let one He loved die. It was to be a crowning miracle that would convince all who could by any means be convinced that He is the Saviour of the world. The death was permitted and the raising performed to give the Jews a final, crowning evidence that Jesus was the Son of God. It gave Nicodemus undeniable evidence that He was the Messiah, and gave convincing proof of His divinity and revealed the Father through Him even after Lazarus's body had seen corruption.
The account shows His power to raise the dead and restore life by bringing a dead brother back from the grave and calling Lazarus out of the tomb after he had been dead four days. Amid the grief of Mary and Martha over his death and burial, Jesus wept with the bereaved sisters and gave their buried brother back to them. That restoration points forward to the dead in Christ rising to immortal life when Christ returns. The raising led many to believe in Jesus and glorify God, though others remained hardened in unbelief. As His crowning miracle it powerfully affected people and drew a large, enthusiastic crowd to where Jesus was staying.
Lazarus was restored to life but his return was temporary, for he remained subject to death and decay and was not made immortal. Unlike those raised at Christ's resurrection who were raised to everlasting life, he was still mortal. Having no experience of death to recount, for the dead know nothing, he had no story of what happened while he was dead. He testified instead to Christ's divine power.
When Jesus said Lazarus slept, the disciples understood Him to mean natural rest in sleep from which he would recover and do well, but He meant that Lazarus was dead and not taking rest. He was teaching that death is a sleep, and that for His believing children it is a sleep in Christ in which they remain until the last trump sounds. The dead know nothing and have no experience to recount, so Lazarus when raised had no story to tell of what happened while he was dead. Understanding that the dead are asleep safeguards against deception by claims to communicate with the dead. The two-day delay was not lack of interest but divine wisdom and design, to make the raising after four days in the grave a crowning, undoubted proof of His divine power as the Son of God and Saviour of the world.
Setting and Misunderstanding
Lazarus of Bethany was among the most steadfast of Christ's disciples, strong in faith and deep in love, and he was greatly beloved by the Saviour, for whom the greatest of Christ's miracles was performed. Christ was bound by peculiarly tender affection to the family at Bethany, and their home was where Jesus often found rest, having no home of His own and depending on the hospitality of friends and disciples. There, when weary and thirsting for human fellowship, He was glad to escape away from the suspicion and jealousy of the angry Pharisees, and found sincere welcome and pure, holy friendship, a quiet home and interested listeners, and the human tenderness, courtesy, and affection for which He longed. Those who received His heavenly instruction there were greatly blessed, for He could speak with simplicity and perfect freedom, knowing His words would be understood and treasured. He opened to that appreciative audience the volume of Providence in private interviews, unfolding what He did not attempt to tell the mixed multitude, needing not to speak to His friends in parables as He did in His public teaching through the open fields where He unfolded the beauties of the natural world to open the eyes of their understanding.
After waiting two days, Jesus decided to go to Judea to awake Lazarus, and the disciples tried to stop Him because the Jews there had lately sought to stone Him. He told them Lazarus was dead and that He was glad He had not been there to the intent they might believe.
The disciples took His word about Lazarus sleeping to mean natural, ordinary rest in sleep and answered that if he slept he would recover and do well. They concluded that sleep would help him recover. He meant that Lazarus was dead, not taking rest in sleep, and He then said plainly that Lazarus was dead.
Death as Sleep
The disciples heard the word about sleeping and took it for ordinary natural rest that would aid recovery and do good. He was not speaking of rest but of death, which is described as sleep. For His believing children death is a sleep in Christ, in which they remain asleep until the last trump sounds.
They took that description of death as sleep in a literal sense. The imagery presents death as an eternal sleep, in which the dead slumber in the grave as whole beings awaiting the resurrection. This makes the resurrection the hope of the bereaved and the event in which the righteous dead receive immortal life.
The dead know nothing and have no experience to recount, so Lazarus when raised from death and returned to life had no account or story to tell of what happened while he was dead. He testified instead to Christ's divine power. The disciples' mistaken idea of sleep belongs with the scriptural teaching that the dead are asleep, and understanding that teaching safeguards against deception by spiritualist claims to communicate with the dead.
Miracle's Purpose and Power
The two days of waiting were not indifference toward Lazarus and his family but divine wisdom and deliberate design, part of God's plan to make the death an occasion for undoubted proof of divine power. It was meant to bind the disciples to Him in a faith that could not be broken at a time when some were questioning whether they had been deceived and whether Christ would let one He loved die. It was to be a crowning miracle that would convince all who could by any means be convinced that He is the Saviour of the world. The death was permitted and the raising performed to give the Jews a final, crowning evidence that Jesus was the Son of God. It gave Nicodemus undeniable evidence that He was the Messiah, and gave convincing proof of His divinity and revealed the Father through Him even after Lazarus's body had seen corruption.
The account shows His power to raise the dead and restore life by bringing a dead brother back from the grave and calling Lazarus out of the tomb after he had been dead four days. Amid the grief of Mary and Martha over his death and burial, Jesus wept with the bereaved sisters and gave their buried brother back to them. That restoration points forward to the dead in Christ rising to immortal life when Christ returns. The raising led many to believe in Jesus and glorify God, though others remained hardened in unbelief. As His crowning miracle it powerfully affected people and drew a large, enthusiastic crowd to where Jesus was staying.
Lazarus was restored to life but his return was temporary, for he remained subject to death and decay and was not made immortal. Unlike those raised at Christ's resurrection who were raised to everlasting life, he was still mortal. Having no experience of death to recount, for the dead know nothing, he had no story of what happened while he was dead. He testified instead to Christ's divine power.