4743086 john-11-verse-by-verse-commentary-final

John 11 VERSE BY VERSE COMMENTARY
Written and edited by Glenn Pease
INTRODUCTION:
Here is the climax of the series of seven signs. Jesus began his signs at a wedding and
ends them at a funeral. Jesus prevented the wedding from becoming a disaster, and
he changed the disaster of the funeral into the joy of a wedding. In both miracles
Jesus is meeting the needs of a family. This family of three single people was special
to Jesus. They loved him and he loved them. They took him in and gave him a place
of refuge where he could escape from the constant clamoring of the crowds. They
cooked for him, cared for him, conversed with him, and listened to him teach in that
home. There was good reason why he picked Lazarus for his demonstration of the
ultimate power that showed him to be the Son of God as he claimed.
Constable wrote, “Jesus had presented Himself as the Water of Life, the Bread of
Life, and the Light of Life. Now He revealed Himself as the resurrection and the life.
This was the seventh and last of Jesus' miraculous signs that John recorded, and it
was the most powerful revelation of His true identity. It shows Jesus' authority over
humankind's greatest and last enemy, death."
Pink, "The darker the night, the more manifest the light which illumines it. The
more the depravity and enmity of Israel were exhibited, the brighter the testimony
which God caused to be borne to the glory of His Son. The end was almost reached,
therefore did the Lord now perform His mightiest work of all—save only the laying
down of His own life, which was the wonder of all wonders. Six miracles (or as John
terms them, "signs") had already been wrought by Him, but at Bethany He does
that which displayed His Divine power in a superlative way. Previously we have seen
Him turning water into wine, healing the nobleman’s son, restoring the impotent
man, multiplying the loaves and fishes, walking on the sea, giving sight to the blind
man; but here he raises the dead, yea, brings back to life one who had lain in the
grave four days. Fitting climax was this, and most suitably is it the seventh "sign" in
this Gospel."
R. Brown wrote, "All Jesus’ miracles are signs of what he is and what he has come
to give man, but in none of them does the sign more closely approach the reality
than in the gift of life. The physical life that Jesus gives to Lazarus is still not in the
realm of the life from above, but it is so close to that realm that it may be said to
conclude the ministry of signs and inaugurate the ministry of glory. Thus, the
raising of Lazarus provides an ideal transition, the last sign in the Book of Signs

leading into the Book of Glory. Moreover, the suggestion that the supreme miracle
of giving life to man leads to the death of Jesus offers a dramatic paradox worthy of
summing up Jesus’ career. And finally, if a pattern of sevens had any influence…,
the addition of the Lazarus miracle gave the seventh sign to the Book of Signs.
1
Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He
was from Bethany, the village of Mary
and her sister Martha.
1. It is surprising that all of the first three Gospels mention these two sisters Mary
and Martha, but they never mention their brother Lazarus. His name means "God
helps, and he receives God's help in a very unusual way, for he was the most dead
person Jesus ever raised from the dead. Others were raised who were dead, but they
were just recently dead when Jesus raised them, but Lazarus was what we call dead
as a door nail. He was so dead he was decaying a smelling the cave up where his
body was placed. He was in a very hopeless condition, and nobody would even
dream of having any hope about his being revived to life again.
2. You might wonder why Jesus would choose to do this most spectacular miracle on
this man who was seemingly hardly known by the other Gospel writers. It is not
hard to figure it out, for this home of three single people was the place that Jesus
visited most often. He was so loved here that it was his favorite getaway. He felt
right at home, for he was single also, and had much in common with these three, and
so he hung out with them as often as he could. He could relax there and get away
from the clamoring crowds. They were godly people and they became his best
friends. Martha cooked for him and Mary sat at his feet and listened eagerly to his
teaching. We can assume that Lazarus was often involved in theological
conversation with Jesus, for the text says that Jesus loved him. Of course, Jesus
loved everybody, but when it says this of an individual it means that there was a
special relationship involved. He loved strangers as well, and never turned anyone
away, but Lazarus was what we would call a buddy.
3. Jesus loved this family, and because of it he loved to go to this little village of
Bethany. He did his greatest miracle here; he was anointed for his burial here by
Mary; he stayed here just before his crucifixion, and he ascended to heaven near
this village. The site of the house and the tomb of Lazarus can still be seen here. The
village is now named after Lazarus and is called Lazarieh, which is the Greek form
of the Hebrew Eleazer. The Bethany of Mary and Martha was about two miles east

of Jerusalem on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives. Jesus loved to get away
from Jerusalem to this little village, and, the fact is, the little town is often much
more friendly and hospitable than the big city.
3. BARCLAY "It is one of the most precious things in the world to have a house and
a home into which one can go at any time and find rest and understanding and
peace and love. That was doubly true for Jesus, for he had no home of his own; he
had nowhere to lay his head (Lk.9:58). In the home at Bethany he had just such a
place. There were three people who loved him; and there he could find rest from the
tension of life."
4. Pink, "Martha was evidently the senior, for we are told "Martha received him
into her house" (Luke 10:38). This is most blessed. There were very few homes
which were opened to the Lord Jesus. He was "despised and rejected of men." Men
hid as it were their faces from Him and "esteemed him not." Not only was He
unappreciated and unwelcome, but He was "hated." But here was one who had
"received him," first into her heart, and then into her home. So far so good. Of her
sister, it is said, "And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet and
heard his word" (Luke 10:39). It is indeed striking to note that each time Mary is
mentioned in the Gospel, she is seen at the feet of Christ. She had the deeper
apprehension of the glory of His person. She was the one who enjoyed the most
intimacy with Him. Her’s was the keener spiritual discernment. We shall yet see
how this is strongly confirmed in John 11 and 12."
5. Clarke, “It is surprising that the other evangelists have omitted so remarkable an
account as this is, in which some of the finest traits in our Lord's character are
exhibited. The conjecture of Grotius has a good deal of weight. He thinks that the
other three evangelists wrote their histories during the life of Lazarus; and that they
did not mention him for fear of exciting the malice of the Jews against him. And
indeed we find, from John 12:10, that they sought to put Lazarus to death also, that
our Lord might not have one monument of his power and goodness remaining in the
land. Probably both Lazarus and his sisters were dead before St. John wrote."
6. There are those who have tried to say that this Lazarus is the same one that we
read about in Luke 16, but Pink in his study makes it clear that they are two very
distinct persons. He wrote, "There are only two mentioned in the New Testament
which bear this name. Here again the ‘law of comparison and contrast’ helps us. The
Lazarus of Luke 16 was a beggar, whereas everything goes to show that the Lazarus
of John 11 (cf. John 12:2, 3) was a man of means. The Lazarus of Luke 16 was
uncared for, for we read of how the dogs came and licked his sores; but the one in
John 11 enjoyed the loving ministrations of his sisters. The Lazarus of Luke 16 was
dependent upon the "crumbs" which fell from another’s table; whereas in John 12,
after his resurrection, the Lazarus of Bethany is seen at "the table" where the Lord
Jesus was. The one in Luke 16 died and remained in the grave, the one in John 11
was brought again from the dead."

7. J. C. Ryle points out that the three people in this family were quite different in
their personalities, but Jesus loved them all in a special way. He wrote, "We must
never forget that there are varieties in character, and that the grace of God does not
cast all believers into one and the same mold. Admitting fully that the foundations of
Christian character are always the same, and that all God's children repent, believe,
are holy, prayerful, and Scripture-loving, we must make allowances for wide
varieties in their temperaments and habits of mind. We must not undervalue others
because they are not exactly like ourselves. The flowers in a garden may differ
widely, and yet the gardener feels interest in all. The children of a family may be
curiously unlike one another, and yet the parents care for all. It is just so with the
Church of Christ. There are degrees of grace, and varieties of grace; but the least,
the weakest, the feeblest disciples are all loved by the Lord Jesus. Then let no
believer's heart fail because of his infirmities; and, above all, let no believer dare to
despise and undervalue a brother."
2
This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now
lay sick, was the same one who poured
perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet
with her hair.
1. Mary had the deepest devotion to Jesus, and the account of her anointing the feet
of Jesus and wiping them with her hair is the way John begins the next chapter. She
was filled with admiration for Jesus, and made a costly sacrifice to communicate her
love and devotion to him. Matthew 26:6-13 also records this event and says, " Now
when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, 7 There came unto him
a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his
head, as he sat at meat. 8 But when his disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying,
To what purpose is this waste? 9 For this ointment might have been sold for much,
and given to the poor. 10 When Jesus understood it, he said unto them, Why trouble
ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me. 11 For ye have the poor
always with you; but me ye have not always. 12 For in that she hath poured this
ointment on my body, she did it for my burial. 13 Verily I say unto you,
Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this,
that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her." Mark 14 tells the same
story and ends with verse 8 ,"She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand
to anoint my body to the burying."

2. Jesus honored this Mary as few others, and he assured her of being one of the
most talked about people in the Bible, for this anointing was to be told as far and
wide as the Gospel itself. So here we have a sister, and a brother who are treated in a
special way by Jesus, and we get a clear picture of the love they had for him, and the
love he had for them. These were special people in the life of Jesus, and it speaks
highly of the love that singles can have without there being any need for sexual
implications. A man and a woman, and two men can have marvelous fellowship and
love one another without all of the implications we see today that smacks of sex and
homosexuality.
3. It is a sad reality that you can be the best friend of Jesus and still get sick, and so
sick that it kills you. Lazarus is a fairly young man. Tradition says he was 30 years
old, and that he lived for 30 more and died at 60. He was in the prime of life, and
had a personal friendship with the Son of God, and yet he died at age 30. This is
considered a tragedy in just about every time of history. It has an important
message we need to give heed to as Christians. We sometimes get the idea that being
a child of God, and being one who puts their trust in Jesus as Savior, means we will
escape the suffering that afflicts the human race. There are many who preach this
sort of thing, and they are called the health and wealth preachers. They say
Christians are not to be sick and poor, for that is not consistent with being children
of the King of kings. It is lack of faith that leads to believers being sick and having
financial problems. The only weakness in this theory is that it it just not true.
The Bible will not support this nonsense that can only be accepted in an affluent
country like our own. Millions of Christians live in poverty around the world, and it
has been the case all through history. Most Christians in America are wealthy
compared to the rest of history and the rest of the world, but this has little to do with
what Scripture teaches. One thing is for sure, all Christians still get sick and they all
die, and often they die young just like Lazarus. Ray Stedman wrote about those who
say, "... sickness is never the will of God for a believer; that it is wrong to be sick,
that it is due to lack of faith, some hidden sin or judgment from God. We have had
people in this congregation who have mistakenly taken that position. I have been in
sick rooms where someone was dying, and his death was made miserable, and much
less than it could have been, because he was tormented by the idea that sickness was
a sign of lack of faith on his part." This false view of suffering and death is hurtful
to so many, and it is all unnecessary because it is not a Biblical perspective.
4. Scripture makes it clear that the good guy does not always win on the earthly
level. It was Adam that dies and sinful Cain lived on. It was John the Baptist who
died young and Herod lived on. It was young Stephen that died and his stoners lived
on. The point is that being a believer does not shield people from the evils of life.
When God's people went to war many of them died even if the won over the evil
enemy, and this history of persecution makes it clear that Christians can suffer and
die at the hands of evil men. Show me one godly person in the Bible who did not
have problems of one kind or another. People often read Hebrews 11, the great faith
chapter, and they see all of the marvelous things that happened to people of faith,

and they neglect to read the end of the chapter where from verse 35 to 38 all of the
terrible things that they had to endure are listed. Being a person of faith is no
guarantee that you will escape the suffering of this world. On a lighter note, the poet
points out that even Noah all safe in the ark still had his problems.
When Noah sailed the waters blue,
He had his troubles same as you;
For forty days he drove the ark
Before he found a place to park.
5. The reason it is important to avoid getting caught up in the hype of Christians
escaping sickness and poverty is that it leads to a faith that is not in Jesus, but in the
culture and its promises of the good life. The Gospel does not promise these things,
and so if you believe it does you will be at risk of losing your faith if sickness strikes,
and you feel you must not have any faith, or not enough to really be saved. Many fall
away from the body of Christ because of a false faith. The Bible and history reveal
that believers have all the problems of a fallen world. Even faith healers have a
history of health problems. Emily Gardiner Neal had a great ministry of healing
even though she went through 6 years of pain due to a spinal injury. She saw others
healed but not herself, and her story can be repeated over and over among faith
healers.
3
So the sisters sent word to Jesus, "Lord,
the one you love is sick."
1. This family knew the wherabouts of Jesus, for they had regular contact with him,
and they were in on his ministry and where he was going to be. When they saw that
their brother was more seriously sick than normally one would be, they sent a
messenger to Jesus with this simple note or verbal communication-"Lord, the one
you love is sick." This is about as brief as a message could be. They thought it would
be enough to get Jesus to respond right away and hurry back to their home and heal
Lazarus. They did not flatter Jesus by saying the one who loves you is sick, but said
the one you love is sick. The assumption is that if you do, in fact, love him, you will
be swift in coming to his aid. You don't leave loved ones hanging in suspense, but
rush to their aid. This was the expectation of the sisters, for they knew Jesus had
healed hundreds of sick people, and they had no doubt he would heal their brother.
This was a sure fire thing, and they anticipated a quick resolving of this sickness
problem. I can just hear these sisters saying to Lazarus, "Don't worry dear, Jesus
will soon be here, and so there is nothing to fear." Augustine said it was sufficient

that Jesus should know; for it is not possible that any man should at one and the
same time love a friend and desert him.
2. You will notice the obvious, that the first thing people do when someone is sick is
to seek for a solution. You try what you have on hand to bring down the fever, and
you seek a doctor if the symptoms do not go away. That is what they are doing in
sending for Jesus, for he was the Great Physician, and they knew he could heal
anything. The point I want to make is that this is the normal response of all people,
and this makes it evident that sickness is of the kingdom of evil, and it is to be fought
and overcome. You do not accept sickness as a valid condition. You do not say this
must be my punishment for some sin I committed. You say this is bad and I am
going to get rid of it one way or another. That is the way Jesus dealt with all
sickness. He did not ask questions about why anyone was sick. He did not try to
figure out who sinned to bring it about, and what sin was the cause of the problem.
He saw all sickness as evil and as something that he wanted to see disappear as fast
as possible. Sickness leads to death, and death is an enemy. It is the worst enemy of
life, and the final enemy to be defeated, and Jesus demonstrates in this chapter that
he is the only person who has the power to conquer this ultimate enemy of man.
3. You can be loved by Jesus, and yet still get sick and die. I come back to this
subject again because it is so often not understood. The great commentator Trench
said, “Those whom Christ loves are no more exempt than others from their share of
earthly trouble and anguish: rather are they bound over to it more surely." Bob
Deffinbaugh wrote, "Martha and Mary misunderstand something that has troubled
many others before and after them—the place of suffering in the life of the
Christian. I am willing to grant that Martha and Mary and Lazarus are as close to
Jesus as any family could be. I believe they enjoy as intimate a relationship with
Him as is possible. I also believe that this was the very reason Martha and Mary
expected Jesus to rush to them, and to keep Lazarus from dying. They think that
being close to God is like an insurance program, protecting them from suffering. In
this, they, like many others, are wrong. Job had to learn to trust God in the midst of
his suffering. And it was by means of that suffering that Job grew greatly in his
understanding of God."
4. Pink has several paragraphs of wisdom on this verse: "The verse now before us
plainly teaches that sickness in a believer is by no means incompatible with the
Lord’s love for such an one. There are some who teach that sickness in a saint is a
sure evidence of the Lord’s displeasure. The case of Lazarus ought forever to silence
such an error. Even the chosen friends of Christ sicken and die. How utterly
incompetent then are we to estimate God’s love for us by our temporal condition or
circumstances! "No man knoweth either love or hatred by all that is before them"
(Ecclesiastes 9:1). What then is the practical lesson for us in this? Surely this:
"Therefore judge nothing before the time" (1 Cor. 4:5). The Lord loves Christians
as truly when they are sick as when they are well."
"It is blessed to mark how Martha and Mary acted in the hour of their need. They

sought the Lord, and unburdened their hearts to Him. Do we always act thus? It is
written, "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble" (Ps. 46:1);
yet, to our shame, how little we know Him as such. When the people murmured
against Moses, we are told that, "he cried unto the Lord" (Ex. 15:25). When
Hezekiah received the threatening letter from Rabshakeh, he "spread it before the
Lord" (Isa. 37:14). When John the Baptist was beheaded his disciples "went and
told Jesus" (Matthew 14:12). What examples for us! We have not an High Priest
who cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities. No, He is full of
compassion, for when on earth He, too, was" acquainted with grief."
"The sisters of Lazarus acquainted the Lord with the desperate condition of their
brother, appealed to His love, and then left the case in His hands, to be dealt with as
He saw best. They were not so irreverent as to tell Him what to do. In this they have
left all praying souls a worthy example which we do well to follow. "Commit thy
way unto the Lord": that is our responsibility. "Trust also in him"; that is our
happy privilege. "Trust also in him," not dictate to Him, and not demand from Him.
People talk of "claiming" from God. But grace cannot be "claimed," and all is of
grace. The very "throne" we approach is one of grace. How utterly incongruous
then to talk of "claiming" anything from the Sitter on such a throne. "Commit thy
way unto the Lord, trust also in him, and he shall bring it to pass." But it must ever
be kept in mind that He will "bring it to pass" in His own sovereign way and in His
own appointed time. And oftentimes, usually so in fact, His way and time will be
different from ours. He brought it to pass for Martha and Mary, though not in the
time and way they probably expected."
4
When he heard this, Jesus 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."
1. Jesus heard this message, and that means it came by means of a messenger and
not just a note handed to him. It was a spoken message. Here is an unknown person
who is carrying a message for Jesus from the sisters that were among his closest
friends. We have no idea about his relationship to the family or to Jesus, but he
represents the many unknown people who play a role in God's plan. There are many
minor roles that are still essential for the history to develop as God wills. We never
know when we may be doing something that is a part of a greater plan even though
we may be doing something that seems trivial and insignificant. This messenger may

have been a friend or someone who was hired to carry the message, and he would
have no idea how significant his task was.
2. Bob Deffinbaugh makes the following points: "The sisters of Lazarus must expect
one of two things. Either they expect to see Jesus coming as quickly as He can get
there, or they expect Him to send word by the messenger that He is coming shortly. I
believe the words recorded in verse 4 are not spoken solely for the benefit of those
who overhear this conversation between Jesus and the messenger, but as a message
for this messenger to take back to Martha and Mary. Notice our Lord’s words to
Martha later in this same account. In verse 39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.”
Martha, the sister of the deceased, replied, “Lord, by this time the body will have a
bad smell, because he has been buried four days.” 40 Jesus responded, “Didn’t I tell
you that if you believe, you would see the glory of God?” (11:39-40, emphasis mine)
"It is my understanding that verse 4 is our Lord’s response to Martha and Mary,
sent back by the same messenger who brought word to Him of Lazarus’ grave
condition."
Our Lord’s words are very carefully chosen: “He responds, ‘This sickness will not
end in death, but is for God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through
it.’” Jesus is not assuring these women that Lazarus won’t die. He is assuring them
that even though Lazarus will die, this will not be the end of the matter. He is also
informing them that this crisis has a divinely-intended purpose—to bring glory to
God the Father through the glorification of the Son of God. If we grant that the
words of verse 40 are also sent to the women by the messenger, Jesus also
encourages them to have faith, so that they too will see God glorified in all these
things.
Now I am convinced that this is not what the women “hear” the messenger say when
he returns without Jesus. I believe they “hear” (i.e., understand) the messenger say,
“Jesus told me to tell you that Lazarus will not die.” The problem is that by the time
the messenger returns to the women, Lazarus may already have died. Can you
imagine their bewilderment if this is the case? They have already suffered the
torment of Lazarus’ death and burial. Then, the messenger returns with word from
Jesus which appears to assure them that Lazarus won’t die! Their faith in Jesus is
really put to the test."
3. Pink asks the obvious question and then answers it: "But why not have told the
exercised sisters plainly that their brother would die, and that He would raise him
from the dead? Ah! that is not God’s way; He would keep faith in exercise, have
patience developed, and so order things that we are constantly driven to our knees!
The Lord said sufficient On this occasion to encourage hope in Martha and Mary,
but not enough to make them leave off seeking God’s help! Bishop Ryle has pointed
out how that we encounter the same principle and difficulty in connection with
much of unfulfilled prophecy: "There is sufficient for faith to rest upon and to
enkindle hope, but sufficient also to make us cry unto God for light"!

4. The response of Jesus to this message has shocked many, for it seems that Jesus
does not take it seriously. "So my good friend is sick. It is no big deal, for it will not
end in death. It is for the glory of God." He is obviously saying this to his disciples
who may be worried about Lazarus, for it had to be serious for the sisters to send a
messenger. Jesus knew that Lazarus would die, but he says it will not end in death
because his dying was not the end of the story. He knew he would raise him up and
death would not have the last word. He knew this whole event was his final chance
to display that he was indeed the Son of God, and had the power to reverse death.
He did die and was so dead he was decaying as he lay in the grave for 4 days. It
seems like the sickness was unto death, but the story is never over until Jesus has his
say in the matter, and he says it is not over until I say it is over. He said instead, that
it is time for a new beginning, and so he came to restore the body of Lazarus so that
all signs of death were eliminated.
5. Barnes wrote, “Those words cannot be understood on any other supposition than
that he expected to raise him up. The Savior often used expressions similar to this to
fix the attention on what he was about to say in explanation. The sense may be thus
expressed: "His sickness is not fatal. It is not designed for his death, but to furnish
an opportunity for a signal display of the glory of God, and to furnish a standing
proof of the truth of religion. It is intended to exhibit the power of the Son of God,
and to be a proof at once of the truth of his mission; of his friendship for this family;
of his mild, tender, peculiar love as a man; of his power and glory as the Messiah;
and of the great doctrine that the dead will rise."
6. Intervarsity Commentary says, “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)."

5
Jesus loved Martha and her sister and
Lazarus.
1. This is obvious, but it is stated clearly so there is no doubt that these are special
friends to Jesus, for they had a more intimate relationship with Jesus than the
masses that followed him everywhere. Even his own disciples did not seem to have
the oneness with Jesus that these three singles had. It ought to be a great
encouragement for singles to know they can be special to Jesus even if they never
marry, and never have children, following the pattern of the majority of people.
Jesus approves of the saying that one is a whole number. People can be complete as
singles. Jesus was one, and he loved others who were.
2. Gill wrote, "Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus. Not only with
an everlasting love, a love of complacency and delight, an unchangeable one, and
which never varies, nor will ever end, with which he loves all his people alike; but
with a very great human affection, and which was very singular and peculiar to
them: these were the intimate friends, and familiar acquaintance of Christ, whom he
often visited, at whose house he frequently was when in those parts; they were very
hospitable to him; they kindly received him into their houses, and generously
entertained him, and which he returned in love to them."
3. Stedman tells of how we often feel when we know we are loved by Jesus, and yet
he does not respond to our prayers. He wrote, "This is the true lesson of these
opening verses. I want to tell you there have been many times when I have cried out
to God for help and said, "Things are so bad it can't get any worse. Lord, do
something. Help us." But no answer came. That is hard. It is hard to believe. It is
hard to wait. But I am gradually learning that that is never the end of the story,
gradually learning what God said so clearly through the prophet Isaiah, "My
thoughts are not your thoughts, and my ways are not your ways," {cf, Isa 55:8}.
That is what is so difficult. God is sovereign. He is not a man that he should act like
we act. There are dimensions of the problems which he sees that we do not remotely
imagine. There are possibilities and opportunities in every situation that we cannot
conceive of. So we must wait and quietly trust, knowing that he is working out
something." Martha and Mary had to have this attitude as well, or they would be
devastated by the lack of response to their message.
4. Pink makes an interesting point based on the order in which these three are
named. He wrote, "Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus" (John

11:5). Here the order of their names is reversed from what we have in verse 1.
Martha is now mentioned first. Various conjectures have been made as to why this
is. To us it appears the more natural to mention Mary first at the beginning of the
narrative, for she would be the better known to the readers of the Gospel records. In
John 11:5, and so afterwards, it was suitable to name Martha first, seeing that she
was the senior. But in addition to this, may it not be the Holy Spirit’s design to show
us that each sister was equally dear to the Savior! It is true that Mary chose the
better part, whilst Martha struggled with the needless unrest of her well-meaning
mind. But though these sisters were of such widely dissimilar types, yet were they
one in Christ! Diverse in disposition they might be, yet were they both loved with the
same eternal, unchanging love!"
6
Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick,
he stayed where he was two more days.
1. Ray Stedman, "I want to talk this morning about the hardest problem to handle
in the Christian life. It would be interesting to poll the congregation here as to what
you think that would be. Your answer might be different than mine. For me, the
hardest problem I have to handle as a Christian is what to do when God does not do
what I have been taught to expect him to do; when God gets out of line and does not
act the way I think he ought. What do I do about that?" This is the very problem
that Martha and Mary have to face in the light of Jesus deciding that he would just
ignore the urgency of their message, and delay his coming to their aid. Stedman
says, "He immediately said to the disciples, "Let's rush over and see him before he
dies!" No. it does not say that: ... he stayed two days longer in the place where he
was."
2. Pink wrote, "Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus." A precious
thought will be lost here unless we mark carefully the exact place in the narrative
that this statement occupies. It is recorded not at the beginning of the chapter, but
immediately before what we read of in verse 6, where we are told that the Lord
Jesus "abode two days still in the place where he was." Such a delay, under such
circumstances, strikes us as strange. But, as we shall see, the delay only brought out
the perfections of Christ—His absolute submission to the Father’s will. In addition
to that, it is beautiful to behold that His delay was also in full keeping with His love
for Martha and Mary. Among other things, Christ designed to strengthen the faith
of these sisters by suffering it to endure the bitterness of death, in order to heighten
its subsequent joy. "His love wittingly delays that it may more gloriously console
them after their sufferings" (Stier). Let us learn from this that when God makes us
wait, it is the sign that He purposes to bless, but in His own way—usually a way so
different from what we desire and expect. What a word is that in Isaiah 30:18, "And

therefore will the Lord wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he
be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the Lord is a God of judgment:
blessed are all they that wait for him"!
3. Clarke wrote, “Therefore his staying two days longer in Bethabara was not
through lack of affection for this distressed family, but merely that he might have a
more favorable opportunity of proving to them how much he loved them. Christ
never denies a less favor, but in order to confer a greater. God's delays, in
answering prayers offered to him by persons in distress, are often proofs of his
purpose to confer some great kindness, and they are also proofs that his wisdom
finds it necessary to permit an increase of the affliction, that his goodness may be
more conspicuous in its removal.” The fact is these sisters had to endure the grief of
losing a loved brother, and so the delay of Jesus was costly for them in terms of the
emotions they had to suffer by this loss. It was very negative, but in the end the joy
was all the greater in getting him back from the dead.
4. Calvin wrote, “And Jesus loved Martha and her sister, and Lazarus. These two
things appear to be inconsistent with each other, that Christ remains two days
beyond Jordan, as if he did not care about the life of Lazarus, and yet the Evangelist
says, that Christ loved him and his sisters; for, since love produces anxiety, he ought
to have hastened immediately. As Christ is the only mirror of the grace of God, we
are taught by this delay on his part, that we ought not to judge of the love of God
from the
condition which we see before our eyes. When we have prayed to him, he often
delays his assistance, either that he may increase still more our ardor in prayer, or
that he may exercise our patience, and, at the same time, accustom us to obedience.
Let believers then implore the assistance of God, but let them also learn to suspend
their desires, if he does not stretch out his hand for their assistance as soon as they
may think that necessity requires; for, whatever may be his delay, he never sleeps,
and never forgets his people. Yet let us also be fully assured that he wishes all whom
he loves to be saved.”
5. Henry put it this way, "He loved them, that is, he designed to do something great
and extraordinary for them, to work such a miracle for their relief as he had not
wrought for any of his friends; and therefore he delayed coming to them, that
Lazarus might be dead and buried before he came. If Christ had come presently, and
cured the sickness of Lazarus, he had done no more than he did for many; if he had
raised him to life when newly dead, no more than he had done for some: but,
deferring his relief so long, he had an opportunity of doing more for him than for
any."
6. When he heard his friend was sick,
He did not respond by going to him quick.
Instead he decided he would delay,

And where he was at, he would just stay.
Their urgent message did not seem to phase,
For he would just linger for two more days.
They wanted Jesus to jump to his feet,
And come with haste every need to meet.
With eyes on the road they waited,
"Why does he not come?", They debated.
"Maybe he will be here tomorrow",
They said as they waited in sorrow.
The agony of waiting for Jesus to come was a curse,
But before things get better they often get worse.
It seems a terrible way to treat a best friend,
But make no judgment until you see the end.
Only Jesus understands that Lazarus will be raised,
So in the end his late coming will be greatly praised. Glenn Pease
7. An unknown author wrote, "That is what is incredible to us. It is a tough thing to
believe that Jesus deliberately waited. We are so used to critical illness being a signal
for immediate action -- mourning sirens, flashing red lights, get him to the hospital
-- that it seems incredible that Jesus, knowing that his dear friend was ill, or in this
case dead, nevertheless stayed right where he was for two more days. Somebody
may well say, "If he knew Lazarus was dead why would he hurry? There was
nothing he could do." But remember Mary and Martha's hearts were breaking.
This was a dearly loved brother, a younger brother evidently, and his death as a
young man was a grievous loss to them. Jesus' presence with them would have been
a tremendous comfort even though he never did a thing about raising Lazarus from
the dead. Yet, knowing that they needed him there to comfort them, knowing that
they longed to have him there to the point that they sent a messenger to let him
know the situation, he deliberately remained two days longer at the place where he
was.
Why? That is the question we all ask. Why? Well, we ought to believe what John
tells us. John says, "Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. Therefore,
because he loved them, he stayed two days longer where he was." That is the tough
thing to handle. When you have gone to God for help which you feel you desperately
need, your heart is breaking over something and you need God to intervene, but
nothing happens, the heavens are silent, there is no word at all, that is what is tough.
Has that ever happened to you? It has happened to me several times. When that
does happen, we always interpret God's delays as God's denials. We say, "He didn't
answer my prayer. Prayer doesn't work. What's the use? I've tried it. It doesn't

work." This is the usual reaction. With shameful heart, I have to admit that I have
reacted the same way. But what this is telling us is that a delay in answer like that is
not a sign of God's indifference or his failure to hear. It is a sign of his love. The
delay will help us. It will not hurt us. It will make us stronger. So Jesus deliberately
delayed because he loved them and knew this would strengthen their faith as they
learned the ultimate outcome when God would work."
8. "Loneliness, loss, pain, sorrow: these are disciplines; the are God's gifts to drive
us to his very heart, to increase our capacity for him, to sharpen our sensitivities and
understanding, to temper our spiritual lives so that they may become channels of his
mercy to others and so bear fruit for his Kingdom. But these disciplines must be
seized upon and used, not thwarted. They must not be seen as excuses for living in
the shadows of half-lives, but as messengers, however painful, to bring our souls into
vital contact with the Living God that our lives may be filled to overflowing with
himself in ways that may perhaps be impossible to those who know less of life's
darkness."
9. Think of the reaction in Bethany as the messenger returned with the news that
when he told Jesus that Lazarus was ill, Jesus had said, "This illness is not unto
death." Yet when the messenger got back with that message Lazarus had already
been dead for two days. What do you think the reaction of his sisters was? How do
you think they felt? Not only would there be the heartache caused by the loss of
their dear brother, but doubt as to the power and accuracy of Jesus would fill their
minds and hearts. Obviously he was mistaken; the illness had already resulted in
death. Doubt as to his capacity, his ability, his position must have filled and clouded
their minds and hearts so as to drive them close to despair.
10. Barnes gives us some insight on the timing of the events: “Probably Lazarus died
soon after the messengers left him. Jesus knew that (John 11:11) and did not hasten
to Judea, but remained two days longer where he was, that there might not be the
possibility of doubt that he was dead, so that when he came there he had been dead
four days, John 11:39. This shows, moreover, that he intended to raise him up. If he
had not, it could hardly be reconciled with friendship thus to remain, without any
reason, away from an afflicted family. At Bethabara (John 1:28; 10:40), about 30
miles from Bethany. This was about a day's journey, and it renders it probable that
Lazarus died soon after the message was sent. One day would be occupied before the
message came to him; two days he remained; one day would be occupied by him in
going to Bethany; so that Lazarus had been dead four days (John 11:39) when he
arrived."
11. Guzik points out that Jesus was following a pattern here common to the way he
answered requests in his own time. "In John’s gospel, there are three times when
someone near and dear to Jesus makes a request of Him (the other two are His
mother at Cana, and His brothers on their way to Jerusalem). In each of these three

cases, Jesus responded in the same way. He first refused to grant their request, then
He fulfilled it after asserting that He does things according to the timing and will of
God, not man."
12. Jamison points out that we do not like the way God works, but wise we are to
accept that he does not work as we wish, but as he wills. He wrote, "Beyond all
doubt this was just to let things come to their worst, in order to display His glory.
But how trying, meantime, to the faith of his friends, and how unlike the way in
which love to a dying friend usually shows itself, on which it is plain that Mary
reckoned. But the ways of divine are not as the ways of human love. Often they are
the reverse. When His people are sick, in body or spirit; when their case is waxing
more and more desperate every day; when all hope of recovery is about to expire -
just then and therefore it is that “He abides two days still in the same place where He
is.” Can they still hope against hope? Often they do not; but “this is their infirmity.”
For it is His chosen style of acting."
13 Pink adds his comments, "Frequently is this the Lord’s way; but how trying to
flesh and blood! How often we ask, with the disciples, "Master, carest thou not that
we perish?" But how awful to question the tender compassion of such a One! And
how foolish was the question of these disciples: how could they "perish" with Christ
on board! What cause we have to hang our heads in shame! "When circumstances
look dark, our hearts begin to question the love of the One who permits such to
befall us. Oh, let me press upon you this important truth: the dealings of the
Father’s hand must ever be looked at in the light of the Father’s heart. Grasp this.
Never try to interpret love by its manifestations. How often our Father sends
chastisement, sorrow, bereavement, pressure! How well He could take me out of it
all—in a moment—He has the power, but He leaves me there. Oh, may He help us to
rest patiently in Himself at such times, not trying to read His love by circumstances,
but them, whatever they may be, through the love of His heart. This gives wondrous
strength—knowing that loving heart, and not questioning the dealings of His hand"
(C.H.M.).
How differently Christ acted from what you and I most probably would have done!
If we had received a message that a loved one was desperately sick, would we not
have hastened to his side without delay? And why would we? Because we sought
God’s glory? or because our natural affections impelled us? Ah! in this, as in
everything, we behold the uniqueness of the Lord Jesus. The Father’s glory was ever
dearest to the heart of the Son. Here then is the force of the "therefore." "When
therefore he heard that he is sick, then indeed he remained in which he was place
two days" (Bagster’s Interlinear-literal translation). The "therefore" and the
"indeed" look back to verse 4—"this sickness... is for the glory of God." And how
what we read of in the intervening verse serves to emphasize this—Christ’s love for
His own never interfered with His dependence on the Father. His first recorded
utterance exhibited the same principle: to Mary and Joseph He said, "Wist ye not
that I must be about my Father’s business?" The Father’s claims were ever

supreme."
14. The fact is, many people get angry at God for his delays, and even more so when
it is not just a delay, but no answer comes at all. Back in 1949 a man was finely
caught in New Jersey who had robed 55 churches of more than 15,000 dollars over a
period of a year and a half. His motive was revenge, for he prayed for his mother
and she died and so he was angry because of unanswered prayer. We need to
recognize that most will not get an answer for Jesus to come and prevent the death
of our loved ones every time we pray for that. Everyone must die at some point, and
so the prayer for survival is always unanswered by everyone at least once. Many
other prayers are also unanswered, for a great many reasons, and so we need to
recognize that prayer is not giving orders to God. It is a request, and it may or may
not be granted. To get angry at God is folly, for it is getting mad because you cannot
control God, and this is the highest form of idolatry, for you are putting yourself on
the throne where only God reigns. Mary and Martha did not know Jesus would
raise their brother when he did come, and they accepted that as God's will, and that
is the example we need to follow. Not my will, but thine be done.
7
Then he said to his disciples, "Let us go
back to Judea."
1. We have no clue as to what Jesus did for those two days he delayed going back to
see how Lazarus was doing. He knew, of course, that Lazarus had died, and that
Martha and Mary would be is a state of great grief, not only because their brother
had died, but because their greatest friend, who might have saved him, did not come
before he died. Jesus knew what he was doing, and he knew the end result would be
joy and gladness on the part of all the grievers, but he had to have had some sad
emotions knowing what he was making those sisters endure much sorrow that could
have been avoided. It could not have been easy on him knowing he was deliberately
causing pain in the lives of those he loved. It is one of the paradoxes of life that we
often have to cause pain in order to do something wonderful. Jesus was keeping one
of the greatest secrets and surprises he ever had from these sisters, and so often this
is the case in life, that you have to keep good news from those you love until the time
is right. It was finally time now, and Jesus said, "Let us go back to Judea." It was
time to let these women know why he was not there, and what he was going to do to
make up for all he had put them through.
2. We need to keep in mind that going back to Judea was high risk for Jesus. His
enemies among the Pharisees were determined to kill him one way or another. If he

showed his face anywhere near them they would arrest him. We see there was
resistance among the disciples at this point. Jesus says "let us go back", and they say
in the next verse, "yet you are going back." In other words, what do you mean by us
going back. Maybe you are willing to risk you neck this way, but why drag us into
it? They were fully aware of the risk involved, and they did not like it. In verse 16
Thomas develops a martyr complex and says "let us go and die with him", but there
was not a lot of enthusiasm for this plan among the rest of them. It just did not make
any sense to them, for the timing was all wrong they thought. In contrast, Jesus said
the timing is just right for fulfilling my purpose.
3. Ray Stedman deals with this very issue of the timing of Jesus as he wrote, "Have
you noticed the many times in the gospels when Jesus confounds his disciples? They
do not understand his actions. These are those hard moments when God does things
we do not understand. We cannot figure them out. They are beyond us. They baffle
us and discourage us at times. Yet what they reveal is how little we understand. It is
God who is the realist. He never deceives himself. He always acts in perfect accord
with what the situation demands. He does not suffer from illusions and fantasies like
we do. He does not pursue hopeless aims like we do. He acts in line with reality.
He is orchestrating this whole procedure. He is, if I may use a very crude analogy,
like a cook barbecuing steaks. First, he puts them on the fire for awhile until the fat
begins to melt and run down. Then the flames leap up and get too hot and he moves
the steaks back for a bit. When the fire dies down he puts them back on again. That
is what Jesus is doing with himself in this case. He removes himself from the scene
because his presence is stirring up antagonism before the time. Jesus knew that God
had appointed an hour when he would die. He knew that hour was to be the
Passover, the great feast of Israel, when he would become "the Lamb of God, slain
from the foundation of the world for the sins of all the world," {Rev 13:8}. He was
moving the opposition, stimulating them by his presence at times to greater
opposition and then moving away for awhile before coming back again, keeping the
fire hot. Therefore it is clear that it is not fear that drives him or motivates him at
all. It is a question of timing."
8
"But Rabbi," they said, "a short while
ago the Jews tried to stone you, and yet
you are going back there?"
1. The disciples thought that Jesus was not thinking straight at this point. They
reminded him that the Jews tried to stone him the last time he was among them. The
reason we are hiding out is to avoid getting stoned, and so what sense does it make

to go back where you are the prime target? They thought it was a foolish idea, and
were amazed that he even suggested such a move. If we look back at the previous
few chapters we see that it was not a friendly environment that he was heading back
into. In fact, it was close to a suicide plan, for the rocks were ready to fly when they
would see him eye to eye. In John 8:59 we read, "At this, they picked up stones to
stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds." In John
10:31 we read, "Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him.." And in John 10:32
"but Jesus said to them, "I have shown you many great miracles from the Father.
For which of these do you stone me?" Without John's Gospel we would not know
that the Jews tried to stone Jesus on two occasions, for the other Gospels do not tell
us this. The disciples were fearful that Jesus would be stoned to death if he went
back to Jerusalem.
2. Jesus had a plan that did not include being stoned to death. His plan involved
making death no longer the final word on the life of man. His going back would lead
to his death, but not before he demonstrated to all that he was the Lord over death,
and could bring the dead back to life. This would be his final miracle before his own
death and resurrection, and it would be the final chance for his enemies to see who
he really was, and choose to follow him. Many did, but nothing could convince the
hard hearted Pharisees who manipulated the laws to get him crucified. He had to go
back, however, for he had to reveal his power over death before he died himself. It
would not be good enough for him to defeat death for himself, for he had to show
that he could defeat it for others as well to give this hope of eternal life to his
followers. His disciples could not grasp this whole plan, and so it was nothing but
nonsense to even dream of going back. They needed to learn what we all need to
learn when we do not understand what God is doing. Prov. 3:5-6 is the answer,
"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths"
9
Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve
hours of daylight? A man who walks by
day will not stumble, for he sees by this
world's light.
1. Jesus has said this same thing before in different words. He has to work while it is
day, for the night is coming when he can work no more. In other words, it is still
light out, and so I have things that have to get done before the sun sets. I will not

stumble while it is day, for I walk in the light, but if I wait too long and miss the
opportunity of walking in the light, it will be a bad thing, and that is the only danger
that I care about. I care about not fulfilling the work the Father sent me into the
world to achieve. I have to go back while the day of light is still with us, for nothing
can hinder the will of God from being fulfilled if it is done in the time frame set by
my Father. Jesus knew he could not die until his work was done, and he would not
die until he was ready. It would not be decided by his enemies, but by his choice to
lay down his life as a sacrifice. In John 17:4 Jesus said to his Father, "I have
glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do."
Only when he could say that was it time to die. Until then he could see the obstacles
before him, and he walked around them, and escaped all the traps the Pharisees set
for him, and dodged all the stones they had to crush him. He walked in the light and
was invincible until his work was done.
2. Constable put it like this: "Metaphorically the daylight hours represented the
Father's will. Jesus was safe as long as He did the Father's will. For the disciples, as
long as they continued to follow Jesus, the Light of the World, they would not
stumble. Walking in the night pictures behaving without divine illumination or
authorization
3. William Hendriksen has provided a helpful paraphrase of this passage: "The time
allotted to Me, to accomplish My earthly ministry, is definitely fixed (just like the
day-time is always exactly twelve hours). It cannot be lengthened by any
precautionary measure which you, My Disciples, would like to take, nor can it be
shortened by any plot which My enemies would like to execute. It has been
definitely fixed in the eternal decree. If we walk in the light of this plan (which was
known to Jesus), willingly submitting to it, we shall have nothing to worry about (we
cannot suffer real injury); if we do not we shall fail.
4.Calvin wrote, "Relying on this protection, therefore, Christ advances boldly into
Judea, without any dread of being stoned; for there is no danger of going astray,
when God, performing the part of the sun, shines on us, and directs our course."
5. Barclay wrote, "The legend of Dr. Faustus was turned into great drama and
poetry by Christopher Marlowe. Faustus had struck a bargain with the devil. For
twenty-four years the devil would be his servant and his every wish would be
realized; but at the end of the years the devil would claim his soul. The twenty-four
years have run their course, the last hour has come, and Faustus now sees what a
terrible bargain he has struck. "Ah, Faustus, Now hast thou but one bare hour to
live, And then thou must be damn'd perpetually; Stand still, you ever-moving
spheres of heaven, That time may cease, and midnight never come. Fair Nature's
eye, rise, rise again and make Perpetual day; or let this hour be but A year, a month,
a week, a natural day, That Faustus may repent and save his soul! O lente, lente
currite, noctis equi! The stars move still, time runs, the clock will strike, The devil
will come, and Faustus must be damn'd."
Nothing in the world could give Faustus more time. That is one of the great

threatening facts in the life of man. There are twelve hours in the day--but there are
only twelve hours in the day. There is no necessity for haste; but, equally, there is no
room for waste. There is time enough in life, but there is never time to spare."
Barclay's words here motivated a little poetry.
There is time enough, so no need for haste,
But there is not so much that there is time to waste.
There is plenty of time to care and share,
but never enough time to spare.
6. Someone wrote this poem that fits the theme here.
The clock of life is wound but once,
And no man has the power
To tell just where the hands will stop —
At late or early hour.
To lose one's wealth is sad indeed,
To lose one's health is more,
To lose one's soul is such a loss
As no man can restore.
The present only is our own,
Live for Christ with a will;
Place no faith in tomorrow,
For the clock may then be still. Unknown author
10
It is when he walks by night that he
stumbles, for he has no light."
1. The disciples are saying the timing is bad, for the Jews are trying to find you and
kill you. We need to stay away until the heat is off. Jesus says it is just the opposite,
for if we wait until we are safe, it will be night, and we will stumble and fail to
achieve the plan of God. We need to act now while it is still daylight, for if we wait

until it is night we will not succeed. Timing was crucial in the whole plan of Jesus to
raise Lazarus from the grave, and to set himself up to go to the cross. It was all
worked out in the mind of Jesus, and he knew the time had come to get the wheels in
motion that would complete his ministry on earth, and send him back to the Father
in heaven.
2. Barnes wrote, “This description is figurative, and it is difficult to fix the meaning.
Probably the intention was the following:
1st. Jesus meant to say that there was an allotted or appointed time for him to live
and do his Father's will, represented here by the twelve hours of the day.
2nd. Though his life was nearly spent, yet it was not entirely; a remnant of it was
left.
3rd. A traveler journeyed on till night. It was as proper for him to travel the twelfth
hour as any other.
4th. So it was proper for Jesus to labor until the close. It was the proper time for him
to work. The night of death was coming, and no work could then be done.
5th. God would defend him in this until the appointed time of his death. He had
nothing to fear, therefore, in Judea from the Jews, until it was the will of God that
he should die. He was safe in his hand, and he went fearlessly into the midst of his
foes, trusting in him. This passage teaches us that we should be diligent to the end of
life; fearless of enemies when we see that God requires us to labor, confidently
committing ourselves to Him who is able to shield us, and in whose hand, if we have
a conscience void of offence, we are safe.”
3. Barclay has a word of insight for all people here as he wrote, "The gospel is based
on the love of God; but whether we like it or not, there is a threat also at its heart. A
man has only so much time to make his peace with God through Christ; and if he
does not do so the judgment must follow. So Jesus says: "Finish your greatest work;
finish the work of getting yourself right with God while you have the light of the
world; for the time comes when for you, too, the dark must come down and then it
will be too late." No gospel is so sure that God loved the world as the Fourth Gospel
is; but also no gospel is so sure that love may be refused. It has in it two notes--the
glory of being in time; and the tragedy of being too late."
4. Clarke, “Our Lord alludes to the case of a traveler, who has to walk the whole
day: the day points out the time of life-the night that of death. He has already used
the same mode of speech, John 9:4: I must work the works of him that sent me,
while it is day: the night cometh when no man can work. Here he refers to what the
apostles had just said-The Jews were but just now going to stone thee. Are there
not, said he, twelve hours in the day? I have not traveled these twelve hours yet-my

last hour is not yet come; and the Jews, with all their malice and hatred, shall not
be able to bring it a moment sooner than God has purposed. I am immortal till my
work is done; and this, that I am now going to Bethany to perform, is a part of it.
When all is completed, then their hour, and that of the power of darkness, shall
commence."
11
After he had said this, he went on to tell
them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen
asleep; but I am going there to wake him
up."

1. This sounds strange for Jesus to be saying he is going to wake up their friend
Lazarus. The disciples had good reason to be puzzled by this. Lazarus has fallen
asleep, and so we are going into enemy territory in order to wake him up? Our we
losing our minds? Let the poor man sleep, and let us avoid getting stoned to death. It
is just a little too much to pay to get a friend out of bed. It seems obvious that Jesus
is playing with their minds here. He is talking nonsense from their perspective, but it
is because the profound truth is hidden in his literal language, which is superficial.
He goes on to give them the real message that Lazarus is dead, and he is going to
raise him up from the dead. Now that is a significant message, but this verse is a
joke if taken literally. Jesus would be saying, "I think it is worth the risk of our lives
to go and help our friend Lazarus wake up from his sleep. Nobody else has the
power to wake him up. His sisters are totally helpless, and so he will never wake up
unless I come to his rescue." This had to be as meaningless a message that Jesus ever
spoke, but they were so dull, they never got the joke. Calvin said, "Christ's kindness
in putting up with such stupidity in the disciples was remarkable."
2. Jesus is actually saying that he is going to raise Lazarus from the dead. He is
announcing that he is going to do the greatest miracle of his life, and the miracle
that would bring a man back from death and lead to his own death. He is revealing
that he has supernatural knowledge that Lazarus is dead, and that he has the power
to raise him up with no more effort than it takes to wake a sleeping man. His deity
will be revealed and displayed as never before. All this is involved in these simple
words that sound so meaningless to the disciples, for they do not hear all this, but
only that Jesus is going to risk all in order to get Lazarus out of bed.
3. Jesus is using the word sleep to refer to death, and Barnes gives us some reasons
for why sleep is used this way in Scripture. He wrote, "Barnes, “The word sleep is
applied to death,
1st. Because of the resemblance between them, as sleep is the "kinsman of death." In
this sense it is often used by pagan writers. But,
2nd. In the Scriptures it is used to intimate that death will not be final: that there
will be an awaking out of this sleep, or a resurrection. It is a beautiful and tender
expression, removing all that is dreadful in death, and filling the mind with the idea
of calm repose after a life of toil, with a reference to a future resurrection in
increased rigor and renovated powers. In this sense it is applied in the Scriptures
usually to the saints, 1 Corinthians 11:30 ; 15:51; 1 Thessalonians 4:14 ; 5:10;
Matthew 9:24.”
4. "It is no wonder, then, that sleep becomes the main way of referring to death in
Christian thought beginning with the post-apostolic 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."
5. Henry wrote, "He calls the death of a believer a sleep: he sleepeth. It is good to
call death by such names and titles as will help to make it more familiar and less

formidable to us. The death of Lazarus was in a peculiar sense a sleep, as that of
Jairus's daughter, because he was to be raised again speedily; and, since we are sure
to rise again at last, why should that make any great difference? And why should not
the believing hope of that resurrection to eternal life make it as easy to us to put off
the body and die as it is to put off our clothes and go to sleep? A good Christian,
when he dies, does but sleep: he rests from the labors of the day past, and is
refreshing himself for the next morning. Nay, herein death has the advantage of
sleep, that sleep is only the parenthesis, but death is the period, of our cares and toils.
The soul does not sleep, but becomes more active; but the body sleeps without any
toss, without any terror; not distempered nor disturbed. The grave to the wicked is a
prison, and its grave-clothes as the shackles of a criminal reserved for execution; but
to the godly it is a bed, and all its bands as the soft and downy fetters of an easy
quiet sleep. Though the body corrupt, it will rise in the morning as if it had never
seen corruption; it is but putting off our clothes to be mended and trimmed up for
the marriage day, the coronation day, to which we must rise."
6. Pink gives us the most detailed study of sleep as a description of death. He wrote,
"The figure is a very beautiful one, and a number of most blessed thoughts are
suggested by it. It is a figure frequently employed in the Scriptures, both in the Old
and New Testaments: in the former it is applied to saved and unsaved: but in the
N.T. it is used only of the Lord’s people.[1] In the N.T. it occurs in such well-known
passages as 1 Corinthians 15:20, 51: "Now is Christ risen from the dead, and
become the first fruits of them that slept... Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall
not all sleep, but we shall all be changed"; and 1 Thessalonians 4:14, 5:10: "For if
we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will
God bring with him . . . Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should
live together with him." Below we give some of the leading thoughts suggested by
this figure:—
First, sleep is perfectly harmless. In sleep there is nothing to fear, but, much to be
thankful for. It is a friend and not a foe. So, for the Christian, is it with death. Said
David, "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no
evil." Such ought to be the triumphant language of every child of God. The "sting"
has gone from death (1 Cor. 15:56, 57), and has no more power to hurt one of
Christ’s redeemed, than a hornet has after its sting has been extracted.
Second, sleep comes as a welcome relief after the sorrows and toils of the day. As
the wise man declared, "The sleep of a laboring man is sweet" (Ecclesiastes 5:12).
Death, for the believer, is simply the portal through which he passes from this scene
of sin and turmoil to the paradise of bliss. As 1 Corinthians 3:22 tells us, "death" is
ours. Sleep is a merciful provision, not appreciated nearly as much as it should be.
The writer learned this lesson some years ago when he witnessed a close friend, who
was suffering severely, seeking sleep in vain for over a week. Equally merciful is
death for one who is prepared. Try to imagine David still alive on earth after three
thousand years! Such a protracted existence in this world of sin and suffering would
probably have driven him hopelessly crazy long ago. How thankful we ought to be

that we have not the longevity of the antediluvians!
Third, in sleep we lie down to rise again. It is of but brief duration; a few hours
snatched from our working time, then to awaken and rise to a new day. In like
manner, death is but a sleep and resurrection, an awakening. "And many of them
that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to
shame and everlasting contempt" (Dan. 12:2). On the glorious resurrection morn
the dead in Christ shall be awakened, to sleep no more, but live forever throughout
the perfect Day of God.
Fourth, sleep is a time of rest. The work of the day is exchanged for sweet repose.
This is what death means for the Christian: "Blessed are the dead which die in the
Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors"
(Rev. 14:13). This applies only to the "intermediate state," between death and
resurrection. When we receive our glorified bodies there will be new ministries for
us to engage in, for it is written, "His servants shall serve him" (Rev. 22:3).
Fifth, sleep shuts out the sorrows of life. In sleep we are mercifully unconscious of
the things which exercise us throughout the day. The repose of night affords us
welcome relief from that which troubles us by day. It is so in death. Not that the
believer is unconscious, but that those in paradise know nothing of the tears which
are shed on earth. Scripture seems to indicate that there is one exception in their
knowledge of what is transpiring down here: the salvation of sinners is heralded on
high (Luke 15:7, 10).
Sixth, one reason perhaps why death is likened to a sleep is to emphasize the ease
with which the Lord will quicken us. To raise the dead (impossible as it appears to
the skeptic) will be simpler to Him than arousing a sleeper. It is a singular thing that
nothing so quickly awakens one as being addressed by the voice. So we are told "the
hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice" (John
5:28).
Seventh, sleep is a time when the body is fitted for the duties of the morrow. When
the awakened sleeper arises he is refreshed and invigorated, and ready for what lies
before him. In like manner, the resurrected believer will be endued with a new
power. The limitations of his mortal body will no longer exist. That which was sown
in weakness shall be raised in power."
7. Stedman wrote, "I remember years ago reading a sermon by Peter Marshall,
when he was Chaplain to the United States Senate. He told of a boy of 12 who knew
he was dying. The boy asked his father, "What is it like to die?" His father said to
him, "Son, do you remember when you were little how you used to come and sit on
my lap in the big chair in the living room? I would tell you a story, read you a book
or sing you a song and you would go to sleep in my arms, and when you woke up

you were in your own bed. That is the way death is." When you wake you are not
where you were. You are in a place of security and safety and beauty and rest. That,
Jesus declares, is what death is. All through the account of the gospels we get this, so
that even the apostles pick it up later and say, "Them that sleep in Jesus will Christ
bring with him when he comes," {cf, 1 Th 4:14}.
8. When Dick Shepard died a Great London newspaper had a picture made by an
artist. It showed his pulpit and an open Bible laying there with a beam of light
shining on both. The caption said, "Here endeth the first lesson."
Sleep is a death, O make me try
By sleeping, what it is to die;
And as gently lay my head
On my grave, as now my bed,
How'er I rest, great God, let me
Awake again at last with thee,
And thus assured, behold I lie
Securely, or to wake or die.
Those are my drowsy days, in vain
I do now wake to sleep again,
O come that hour, when I shall never
Sleep again, but wake forever.
9. THE CHRISTIAN'S DEATH, A SLEEP. Jesus taught His disciples a lesson
about death by comparing it to sleep. Because (1) in both, the person
is unconscious of the worldly activities around him. (2) The soul con
tinues to live, while the body is unconscious. (3) There is to be an
awaking to new and fresh life. The very expression implies immor
tality.
A man goes to bed willingly and cheerfully, because he believes he
shall rise again the next morning, and be renewed in his strength.

Confidence in the resurrection would make us go to the grave as cheer
fully as we go to our beds."
The blest are like the stars by day,
Withdrawn from mortal eye,
But not extinct ; they hold their way
In glory through the sky." Montgomery.
10. THE SLEEPING CHILD. Mrs. Browning has a poem on a sleeping child,
tired out with playing, and slumbering on the floor, a part of which
runs thus :
" And God knows, who sees us twain, child at childish leisure,
I am near as tired of pain, as you seem of pleasure ;
Very soon, too, by His grace gently wrapped around me,
Shall I show as calm a face, shall I sleep as soundly !
Differing in this, that you clasp your playthings sleeping,
While my hand shall drop the few given to my keeping.
Differing in this that I sleeping shall be colder,
And in waking presently, brighter to beholder.
Say not Good Night, but in some brighter clime
Bid me Good Morning."
11. Bible verses that use sleep, as a metaphor for Death:
1. "And many of those who
sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the
others to disgrace and everlasting contempt. Dan 12:2
2. "Our friend Lazarus has fallen
asleep; but I go, that I may awaken him out of sleep." The disciples therefore
said to Him, "Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover." Now Jesus had
spoken of his death, but they thought that He was speaking of literal sleep.

Then Jesus therefore said to them plainly, "Lazarus is dead". Jn 11:11-14
3. Ps 90:5 Thou hast swept them away like a flood, they fall
asleep
4. Mt 9:24 He began to say, "the girl has not died, but is
asleep." And they began laughing at Him.
5. Mt 27:52 tombs were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen
asleep were raised;
6. Mk 5:39; Lk 8:52 The child has not died, but is
asleep
7. Ac 7:60 "Lord, do not hold this sin against them!" And having said this,
Stephen fell
asleep.
8. Ac 13:36 "For David ... fell
asleep, and was laid among his fathers, and underwent decay
9. 1 Co 15:6,18,20,51 some have fallen
asleep ... those who are asleep, we shall not all sleep,
10. 1 Th 4:13-15 those who are
asleep ... have fallen asleep in Jesus
11. 2 Pe 3:4 ever since the fathers fell
asleep
12
His disciples replied, "Lord, if he sleeps,
he will get better."
1. Barnes, “Sleep was regarded by the Jews, in sickness, as a favorable symptom;
hence it was said among them, "Sleep in sickness is a sign of recovery, because it
shows that the violence of the disease has abated" (Lightfoot.) This seems to have
been the meaning of the disciples. They intimated that if had this symptom, there
was no need of his going into Judea to restore him.”
2. In their ignorance they think Jesus is being foolish to go to wake up a sick friend
when it is so dangerous. He will wake on his own without any help. They did not
know what they were saying, for had they understood Jesus they would be saying,
"It is good he is dead, for this will make him better." They were in the dark as to

what Jesus is saying.
3. Here we have an example of the disciples of Jesus misinterpreting the words of
Jesus to mean something he did not mean to convey, and this teaches us that the best
of godly people can be wrong in their interpretation of Scripture. We need to be
constantly looking at the text to make sure the interpretation matches the purpose
for which the words are spoken or written. In John 21:22-23 we have another
excellent example of this. The disciples interpreted some words of Jesus to mean
that the Apostle John would not die, but it is a misunderstanding, for he only meant
that if that was his will, that is his business and not theirs. If the Apostles can
misunderstand Jesus, then it is possible for anyone to do so, and that is why we do
not hold any man as infallible in Bible interpretation, as some people hold the Pope
to be. It is legitimate to question anyone when you suspect that their own prejudice
or personal views are being imposed on the Biblical text.
13
Jesus had been speaking of his death, but
his disciples thought he meant natural
sleep.
1. Communication is not an easy thing to accomplish, for people tend to read into
words the meaning they want them to mean rather than the meaning the speaker
wants to convey. This has been demonstrated many times, and it was a common
problem for the disciples of Jesus. Even though he spoke of his own death they never
really got the message, and it would have been so helpful had they done so. They
suffer so much sorrow after the death of Jesus because they did not get his message
that he would die and the rise again. Much of what Jesus taught them was going
over their heads, and that is why Jesus needed to send the Holy Spirit into the world
to bring to remembrance the things that he taught.
14
So then he told them plainly, "Lazarus is
dead,
1. Barclay points out that their is a pattern in how Jesus communicated with people.

He wrote, "John here uses his normal method of relating a conversation of Jesus. In
the Fourth Gospel, Jesus' conversations always follow the same pattern. Jesus says
something which sounds quite simple. His saying is misunderstood, and he goes on
to explain more fully and unmistakably what he meant. So it is with his conversation
with Nicodemus about being born again (Jn. 3:3-8); and his conversation with the
woman at the well about the water of life (Jn. 4:10-15)."
2. We do not know how old Lazarus was. Tradition says he was 30 and lived to 60.
He died twice before many died once. It is important for young people to realize
that Christians can also die young and so they need to discover a purpose for their
life early so they can fulfill the will of God in the time that they have. It is
superficial to say that death is natural, for falling out of a tree is also natural
because of the law of gravity, but that does not make it good or acceptable. It is still
something we want to avoid as long as possible, for only as long as we are alive can
we do the will of God on earth as it is in heaven. Death ends our opportunities to be
a tool of God in history. Until we draw out last breath we need to have the fighting
spirit of this poem:
Sir Andrew Barton said, I'm hurt,
I'm hurt, but I'm not slain.
I will lay me down and bleed awhile,
Then rise and fight again.
3. Gill wrote, "Then said Jesus unto them plainly,.... Without a figure, when he
perceived they did not understand him, and yet it was a very easy and usual
metaphor which he had made use of; but such was the present stupidity of their
minds, that they did not take in his meaning: wherefore, without reproaching them
with it, he said to them in so many words, Lazarus is dead. The Persic version reads,
"Lazarus is dead indeed", as he really was. Jesus’ open statement to the disciples
about the death of Lazarus is best understood as another example (compare 2:25
and 4:18) of his supernatural knowledge, since the messengers only brought word
that Lazarus was sick."
15
and for your sake I am glad I was not
there, so that you may believe. But let us
go to him."

1. Jesus says some shocking things that have to be seen in the total context of the
complete story or they can be seen as very negative and heartless. "Lazarus is dead,
and I am glad I was not there" coveys a very negative message by itself. It has to be
seen in the light of the purpose Jesus is fulfilling in the raising of Lazarus. It is going
to give the disciples a display of the deity of Jesus as nothing they have ever seen. It
is going to give them the most solid ground for their belief in him as the Son of God.
The sisters also will be lifted to a higher plain of love for him when he restores their
brother from such a hopeless death. It is all wonderful in the end, but only Jesus can
see that end at this point, and so only he can be glad, when all others are sad.
2. Barnes wrote, “The meaning of this verse may be thus expressed: If I had been
there during his sickness, the entreaties of his sisters and friends would have
prevailed with me to restore him to health. I could not have refused them without
appearing to be unkind. Though a restoration to health would have been a miracle,
and sufficient to convince you, yet the miracle of raising him after four days dead
will be far more impressive, and on that account I rejoice that an opportunity is thus
given so strikingly to confirm your faith."
3. Henry wrote, " If he had been there time enough, he would have healed his
disease and prevented his death, which would have been much for the comfort of
Lazarus's friends, but then his disciples would have seen no further proof of his
power than what they had often seen, and, consequently, their faith had received no
improvement; but now that he went and raised him from the dead, as there were
many brought to believe on him who before did not (Joh_11:45), so there was much
done towards the perfecting of what was lacking in the faith of those that did, which
Christ aimed at: To the intent that you may believe. [3.] He resolves now to go to
Bethany, and take his disciples along with him: Let us go unto him. Not, “Let us go
to his sisters, to comfort them” (which is the utmost we can do), but, Let us go to
him; for Christ can show wonders to the dead. Death, which will separate us from all
our other friends, and cut us off from correspondence with them, cannot separate us
from the love of Christ, nor put us out of the reach of his calls; as he will maintain
his covenant with the dust, so he can make visits to the dust. Lazarus is dead, but let
us go to him; though perhaps those who said, If he sleep there is no need to go, were
ready to say, If he be dead it is to no purpose to go."
4. Barclay wrote, "The final proof of Christianity is the sight of what Jesus Christ
can do. Words may fail to convince, but there is no argument against God in action.
It is the simple fact that the power of Jesus Christ has made the coward into a hero,
the doubter into a man of certainty, the selfish man into the servant of all. Above all,
it is the plain fact of history that again and again the power of Christ has made the
bad man good. That is what lays so tremendous a responsibility on the individual
Christian. The design of God is that every one of us should be a living proof of his
power. Our task is not so much to commend Christ in words--against which there is
always an argument, for no one can ever write Q.E.D. after a Christian verbal
proof--but to demonstrate in our lives what Christ has done for us. Sir John Reith
once said: "I do not like crises; but I like the opportunities which they supply." The

death of Lazarus brought a crisis to Jesus, and he was glad, because it gave him the
opportunity to demonstrate in the most amazing way what God can do. For us every
crisis should be a like opportunity."
5. Intervarsity Commentary, "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."
6. Calvin wrote, "And I rejoice, on your account, that I was not there. He means
that his absence was profitable to them, because his power would have been less
illustriously displayed, if he had instantly given assistance to Lazarus. For the more
nearly the works of God approach to the ordinary course of nature, the less highly
are they valued, and the less illustriously is their glory displayed. This is what we
experience daily; for if God immediately stretches out his hand, we do not perceive
his assistance. That the resurrection of Lazarus, therefore, might be acknowledged
by the disciples to be truly a Divine work, it must be delayed, that it might be very
widely removed from a human remedy."
7. Pink, "And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may
believe; nevertheless let us go unto him" (John 11:15). But why should Christ be
glad for the disciples’ sake that He was absent from Bethany at the time Lazarus
was sinking? Because the disciples would now be able to witness a higher
manifestation of His glory, than what they otherwise would had He been present
while Lazarus was sick. But what difference would His presence there have made?
This: it is impossible to escape the inference that had the Lord Jesus been there,
Lazarus had not died—impossible not only because His words to the disciples
plainly implied it, but also because of what other scriptures teach us on that point.
The implication is plain: what the Lord unmistakably signified here was that it was
inconsistent with His presence that one should die in it. It is a most striking thing
that there is no trace of any one having died in the presence of the Prince of Life."
How perfect are the ways of God! If Martha and Mary had had their wish granted,
not only would they (and Lazarus too) have been denied a far greater blessing, but
the disciples would have missed that which must have strengthened their faith. And
too, Christ would have been deprived of this opportunity, which allowed Him to give
the mightiest display of His power that He ever made prior to His own death; and
the whole Church as well would have been the loser! How this should show us both
the wisdom and goodness of God in thwarting our wishes, in order that His own
infinitely better will may be done."

8. Pink adds another lesson: "This verse also teaches a most important lesson as to
how the Lord develops faith in His own. The hearts of the disciples were instructed
and illuminated gradually. There was no sudden and violent action made upon
them. They did not attain to their measure of grace all at once. Their eyes were
slowly opened to perceive who and what Christ was; it was by repeated
manifestations of Divine power and human compassion that they came to recognize
in Him a Messiah of a far higher order than what they had been taught to expect.
John 2:11 illustrates the same principle: "This beginning of miracles did Jesus in
Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him."
And God deals with us in the same way. There is, in the development of our faith,
first the blade, then the ear, then the full corn in the ear. Compare the development
of Abraham’s faith through the increasingly severe trials through which God caused
him to pass."
9. It was a paradox of love that He was glad for the sorrow they all felt because He
knew their joy would be greater than ever. Spurgeon put it like this: "How
surprising! He does not say, "I regret that I have tarried so long." He does not say,
"I ought to have hastened, but even now it is not too late." Hear, and marvel!
Wonder of wonders, He says, "I am glad that I was not there." Glad! the word is out
of place? Lazarus, by this time, stinketh in his tomb, and here is the Savior glad!
Martha and Mary are weeping their eyes out for sorrow, and yet their friend Jesus
is glad! It is strange, it is passing strange! However, we may rest assured that Jesus
knoweth better than we do, and our faith may therefore sit still and try to spell out
His meaning, where our reason cannot find it at the first glance. "I am glad," saith
He, "for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe." Ah! we see it
now: Christ is not glad because of sorrow, but only on account of the result of it. He
knew that this temporary trial would help His disciples to a greater faith, and He so
prizes their growth in faith that He is even glad of the sorrow which occasions it. He
does as good as say, "I am glad for your sakes that I was not there to prevent the
trouble, for now that it is come, it will teach you to believe in me, and this shall be
much better for you than to have been spared the affliction."
Spurgeon goes on to give this descriptive value of affliction in driving us to God.
"Furthermore, trial is of special service to faith when it drives her to her God. I
make a sad confession, over which I mourn, that when my soul is happy and things
prosper, I do not as a rule live so near to God as I do in the midst of shame and
contempt, and casting down of spirit. O my God, how dear Thou art to my soul in
the night; when the sun goeth down, Thou Bright and Morning Star, how sweetly
dost Thou shine. When the world's bread is sugared and buttered, then we devour it
till we grow sick; but when the world changes our diet, fills our mouth with vinegar,
and makes our drink gall and wormwood, then we cry for the breasts of our dear
God again. When the world's wells are full of sweet but poisonous water, we pitch
our tents at the well's mouth, and drink again and again and forget the well of
Bethlehem which is within the gate; but when earth's water becomes bitter like the
stream of Marah, then we turn away all sick and faint, and cry after the water of
life, "Spring up, O well!" Thus afflictions fetch us to our God, as the barking dog
drives the wandering sheep to the shepherd's hand."

16
Then Thomas (called Didymus) said to
the rest of the disciples, "Let us also go,
that we may die with him."
1. Barclay wrote, "All Jews in those days had two names--one a Hebrew name by
which a man was known in his own circle, the other a Greek name by which he was
known in a wider circle. Thomas is the Hebrew and Didymus the Greek for a twin.
So Peter is the Greek and Cephas is the Hebrew for a rock; Tabitha is the Hebrew,
and Dorcas the Greek for a gazelle. In later days the apocryphal Gospels wove their
stories around Thomas, and they actually in the end came to say that he was the
twin of Jesus himself." Guzik wrote, " Church tradition says that Thomas was
called "The Twin" because he looked like Jesus, putting him at special risk. If any
among the disciples of Jesus were potential targets of persecution, it would be the
one who looked like Jesus."
2. This is the first time Thomas says anything in the New Testament, and what he
says only shows that he misunderstands Jesus. Thomas was the doubter after the
resurrection, but here he is the over-believer. He is reading into the words of Jesus
that which he is not saying. Jesus is not saying that he is going back to Judea to die.
Thomas is jumping the gun here, and for some reason is ready to go and face
stoning with Jesus. He assumes that Jesus will walk into a trap and this will be his
final hour, and he is ready to go all the way with him, even unto death.
The way it plays out is that Jesus really did walk into a trap, for his raising Lazarus
was the last straw that led the Pharisees to bring about his death on the cross. But
strangely there was no Thomas on the cross next to him. He was gung ho for dying
with Jesus until Jesus was really dying, and then we see him no where to be found.
All of the Apostles fled when Jesus was arrested, and none were ready to die with
him at that point. All eventually did die for Christ, but at this stage of their growth
they were all cowards. It is good to recognize that we all can be in an emotional state
where we are ready to make great commitments, and then in the reality of the
situation not have the courage to go through with the commitment. Beware of
making bold statements in times when you are for any reason moved emotionally,
for they may not stand up in the calmer times when dealing with reality.
3. An unknown author gives us two possible ways to see this text: Die with him. It
has been much doubted by critics whether the word him refers to Lazarus or to
Jesus. They who refer it to Lazarus suppose this to be the meaning:

"Let us go and die, for what have we to hope for if Jesus returns into
Judea? Lately they attempted to stone him, and now they will put him
to death, and we also, like Lazarus, shall be dead."
This expression is supposed to be added by John to show the slowness with which
Thomas believed, and his readiness to doubt without the fullest evidence. See John
20:25. Others suppose, probably more correctly, that it refers to Jesus:
"He is about to throw himself into danger. The Jews lately sought his
life, and will again. They will put him to death. But let us not forsake
him. Let us attend him and die with him."
It may be remarked that this, not less than the other mode of interpretation,
expresses the doubts of Thomas about the miracle which Jesus was about to work.
4. The fact is, Thomas is at this point the most faithful and loyal of the 12, for he is
ready to go with Jesus and risk his life. We tend to lock Thomas into his doubting
role, and forget that it is not fair to label a person for any one event in their lives.
Here he is the hero with a brave spirit that makes him superior to the others.
Unfortunately he does not get labeled because of this event. His doubting is what
stuck to him and gave him a permanent reputation. We need to be honest, however,
and recognize that just because he was the doubter on that occasion, does not mean
that doubt characterized his life in general any more than it did the other disciples.
It is just a fact of life, that people get labeled by one particular event in their life,
and they can never shake it off, and they have to live with that image. You will never
read a sermon on Thomas the courageous, but there are endless sermons on Thomas
the doubter, and it will never change just because this text gives us a totally different
image of the man.
5. Pink wrote, "Thomas was a man who looked on the dark side of things. Lazarus
is dead, Christ is going to die, let us go and die too! And this, after the Lord had
said, "I go, that I may awaken him out of sleep" (John 11:11)! How difficult is it for
man to enter into the thoughts of God! Christ was going to Bethany to give life.
Thomas speaks only of dying. Evident is it that he had quite failed to understand
what Christ had said in John 11:9. How much of unbelief there is even in a believer!
And yet we must not overlook the spirit of devotion which Thomas’ words breathed:
Thomas had rather die than be separated from the Savior; Though he was lacking
in intelligence, he was deeply attached to the person of the Lord Jesus."
6. Bishop Ryle wrote, "This was the language of a despairing and despondent mind,
which could see nothing but dark clouds in the picture. The very man who
afterwards could not believe that his Master had risen again, and thought the news
too good to be true, is just the one of the twelve who thinks that if they go back to
Judea they must all die! Things such as these are deeply instructive, and are
doubtless recorded for our learning. They show us that the grace of God in
conversion does not so re-mold a man as to leave no trace of his natural bent of
character. The sanguine do not altogether cease to be sanguine, nor the desponding
to be despondent, when they pass from death to life, and become true Christians.

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