John 11:41, commentary and pictures

After the stone was taken from the tomb where Lazarus had lain dead four days, Jesus lifted His eyes and thanked the Father for hearing Him before He called Lazarus to come forth. He knew the Father always heard Him, and that assurance grounded His intercession and His power to save. He spoke the thanks aloud for the sake of the people standing by, so they might believe the Father had sent Him and know that He did not act independently but worked in union with the Father. He required human hands in faith and obedience to remove the stone and prepare the way, though He could have removed it by a word, showing that life-giving power is His yet He works through human effort and cooperation. The raising that followed was the greatest, last, and crowning miracle of His ministry, giving wonderful evidence of His divinity, Messiahship, and Sonship that led many to believe and glorify God, while the priests, Pharisees, and rulers hardened their hearts, refused the light, and determined to kill both Jesus and Lazarus.

Tomb Scene and Setting

The moment stands at the tomb of Lazarus, after the stone has been taken away and before the call for Lazarus to come forth. The thanksgiving is spoken with lifted eyes once the stone is removed, and it is followed by a hush and then the loud call that brings Lazarus out. Human obedience in removing the stone prepares the way, while the power to give life belongs to Jesus alone.

Lazarus had been dead four days when the stone was removed. His body had begun to decay and see corruption, so that the decayed, corrupt form was exposed after all that human hands could do was done. Friends gathered around with curiosity and awe. By a word Jesus called him back to life and health from the tomb.

The miracle belongs to the quiet home at Bethany, where Jesus often found rest away from suspicion, jealousy, and the conflict of public life. There He was dependent on the hospitality of friends and received a sincere welcome and pure, holy friendship. There He could speak with simplicity and perfect freedom about providence to an appreciative audience who understood and treasured His words.

Lazarus was among the most steadfast of the disciples, strong in faith from his first meeting with Christ and deep in love, and he was greatly beloved by the Saviour. Though Christ loves all the human family and blessed all who sought His help, He was bound to some by peculiarly tender associations. His heart was knit by a strong bond of affection to the family at Bethany, and for one of them His most wonderful work was wrought.

Thanksgiving Prayer Explained

With lifted eyes Jesus thanked the Father and expressed confidence that the Father had heard Him before Lazarus was brought back to life. The thanks came after the stone was removed, when all that human hands could do was done, and He gave thanks before calling Lazarus from the tomb and restoring the brother to Mary and Martha in sympathy and bringing joy to the grieving sisters. He knew the Father always heard Him, and that assurance grounded His intercession, as for Peter, and His power to save all who come to Him.

He spoke the thanks aloud not for His own sake but because of the people standing by, so they might believe that the Father had sent Him. That public prayer was meant to lead those present to belief in His divine mission and to show His claim to be the Son of God as genuine. It publicly affirmed His relationship with the Father and made evident that He did not act independently but worked in cooperation with the Father. His miracles were wrought through faith and prayer, and He desired all to know that union.

Human Part in Miracles

Before the miracle is performed human effort is required in faith and obedience to remove the stone and prepare the way for the work. The disciples have to act and obey the instruction to take away the stone before Lazarus is called from the grave. Though the stone could have been removed by divine power or moved by a word, instead action in faith and obedience to the request is waited for before power is exercised. The power to give life belongs to Him, yet He still works through human faith and effort.

The stone also represents unbelief that must be taken away before Christ can bring spiritual life to those in carnal security. Doubts, jealousy, and insistence on one's own plans are hindrances that can block His work of making the spiritually dead alive. He waits for followers to clear away those hindrances, to do what they can, and to cooperate with Him.

Crowning Miracle of Power

The raising of Lazarus is the greatest, the last, and the crowning miracle of Christ's ministry. His dying and being buried before Jesus arrived was permitted as part of God's plan. It was allowed to become the crowning evidence to the Jews that Jesus is the Son of God.

After the stone was removed and all that human hands could do was done, a hush fell, and then by divine power Jesus broke the slumber of the dead with a loud call to come forth. That word instantly animated a form changed by decay, for the man had lain four days in the grave until his body had begun to decay and see corruption. Lazarus rose bound hand and foot with graveclothes and with a napkin about his face, and tried to walk until Jesus told the friends standing by to loose him and let him go. He was called back to life and health by that word.

The work showed divine power over death and gave clear proof of Sonship. It stands with His other works of mercy and power: healing the sick, giving sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf and speech to the dumb, feeding the hungry, comforting the sorrowful, walking on the sea and stilling the storm by a word, casting out devils who confessed Him to be the Son of God, and holding thousands by words of wisdom.

Lazarus, with the son of the widow of Nain and Jairus' daughter, was restored only to mortal life during Christ's earthly ministry. Those three were not clothed with immortality but after they were raised continued subject to death and decay. Their condition is different from those who came forth from the grave at Christ's resurrection, who were raised to everlasting life never more to see death or experience sorrow.

Jesus restored Lazarus to life and health, and he was present in strength and health as the crowd escorted Jesus to Jerusalem. That crowning miracle had a powerful effect on the people and drew a large, enthusiastic multitude to see Jesus.

Evidence Believed or Rejected

The raising of Lazarus after he had been dead four days was wonderful, crowning evidence of Christ's divinity, majesty, power, truth, authority, Messiahship and Sonship. It was a public display of divine power over death that revealed the Father through Christ to believers and unbelievers, and gave compelling proof that Jesus of Nazareth was the Son of God which even the learned could not dispute. As His last and crowning miracle it testified to His mighty power with a light and evidence of God's majesty, power and truth than which no greater could have been given.

That light was given to the Jewish nation and rulers, wonderful enough to banish all prejudice even in the most unbelieving and to lead them to believe in Him and confess Him. Lazarus himself rose to testify to Christ's divine power and to declare that Jesus is the Son of God, bearing his witness before them. Many did believe in Jesus because of the miracle and glorified God.

Instead the Pharisees, priests, rulers and Jewish leaders met it with intensified hatred, bitterest opposition, stubbornness, self-exaltation and proud boasting. They hardened their hearts against all evidence, refused to humble themselves and confess error, and sought to mislead the people rather than accept the truth. Maddened because they could not refute what Christ had done, they determined to kill Him and even sought to kill Lazarus who testified before them.

Those who had repeatedly rejected light remained hardened in unbelief despite the evidence. Resisted light hardens the heart until no light however strong and no evidence however plain has any effect. Piling evidence upon evidence will not convince or lead to repentance those who refuse to listen to God's voice in His Word.

The raising was the crowning miracle of Christ's life and the final test given to the Jewish nation. It vindicated the warning that if men hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rose from the dead. The law and the prophets are God's appointed agencies for salvation, and those who reject them so harden their hearts that they will reject all light, and even the testimony of a witness raised from the dead would not be heeded.

Doctrine and Life Application

At the grave the character of Christ as Saviour and Lifegiver was demonstrated when, with eyes lifted in thanks to the Father before Lazarus was brought back to life, He expressed confidence that the Father had heard Him and had power to raise the dead. He was moved with sympathy at that grave to restore the brother to Mary and Martha and to bring joy to the grieving sisters. The raising was permitted to become the crowning evidence to the Jews that Jesus was the Son of God. In raising Lazarus He knew He would pay the ransom for that life on the cross, so the rescue pointed toward His own death for humanity.

Lazarus had no experience of the time he was dead to recount and remained silent about it, according with the teaching that the dead know nothing. After being raised he bore witness to Christ, was raised to testify to His divine power and to declare that Jesus is the Son of God. That raising of the dead to life fulfilled His mission as the Pattern Man just as certainly as toiling as a carpenter while hiding His divine mission, as treading the foaming billows on the Sea of Galilee, and as dying as man's sacrifice upon the cross to lift up the whole race to a new and perfect life.

By divine power He broke the slumber of the dead, and that work stands with His other works of mercy and power: healing the sick, giving sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf and speech to the dumb, feeding the hungry, comforting the sorrowful, walking on the sea and stilling the storm by a word, casting out devils who confessed Him to be the Son of God, and holding thousands by His words of wisdom. Though He did all this for the people He labored to save, His life was persecution and insult, and He was driven away and rejected by hearts blinded by prejudice and hatred that resolutely rejected the light.