"Take Away the Stone!"
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Introduction: John’s Gospel & Jesus’ Ministry
Introduction: John’s Gospel & Jesus’ Ministry
John’s gospel tells the story of Jesus, as do the other gospel accounts, but he does so in a very unique way. The emphasis of John’s gospel is:
The emphasis of John’s gospel is: Jesus is the Son of God, the eternal Word made flesh in order to reveal God’s glory, bringing light and life to men. This thesis is laid out in his prologue ().
Thus, the way John formats his eye-witness testimony is around this theme. Roughly half of his book (ch. 1-11) tell the story of Jesus’ public ministry, while the second half is all about the final week of Christ’s life.
The synoptic gospels record many of Jesus’ teachings, parables, and miracles. John also tells us what Jesus taught and did, but with a different format. The first eleven chapters focus on seven discourses (some private, some public) and seven signs, or miracles. All of these discourses and signs point to Jesus’ divinity and purpose.
is the culmination of Jesus public ministry, and the gateway to the cross. In this chapter, John records the seventh of Jesus’ “signs” - the raising of Lazarus. This was arguably the most impressive sign; it fully revealed His nature and His purpose; and it paved the way to His death and foreshadowed His own resurrection.
Hostility Towards Jesus
Hostility Towards Jesus
The raising of Lazarus takes place between the feast of dedication (~Dec.) and Christ’s crucifixion. In the months leading up to this, hostility towards Jesus was increasing.
“…the Jews were seeking to kill him.”
“So they picked up stones to throw at him...” (Feast of Tabernacles)
“The Jews picked up stones again to stone stone him ” (Feast of Dedication)
Verses 1-6
Verses 1-6
1 Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. 3 So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” 4 But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” 5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.
This is the first time Mary, Martha, and Lazarus are mentioned in John’s gospel.
John explains who Mary is. He will tell the story of her anointing Jesus in the next chapter, but perhaps he expects his readers to already know about that story. If he’s writing to a Christian audience late in the first century, they almost certainly know that story.
13 Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”
The sisters send word to Jesus about their brother’s condition. Jesus is somewhere across the Jordan. He could be a day’s travel away or maybe even 3 or 4 days travel away. Where He is exactly we aren’t sure.
Sisters do not specifically ask Jesus to return. Do they hope He will? Do they hope He’ll heal Jesus from a distance? Do they just want to let Jesus know?
Jesus is close with them and Lazarus - “The one whom you love...” Lazarus is not just a man in need of help; he is one of Jesus’ dear friends.
Jesus’ responds to the news. This is likely said to the disciples, but also to the messenger who would take the message back to Martha and Mary.
“This illness does to lead to death...” - Jesus means (as some translations say…) “this illness will not end in death.
In the end, Lazarus’ illness will be for God’s glory and the Son of God’s glory.
Glory is not just praise. It’s not just about God getting praised more. It is about revealing God’s glory (frequently what John means). Through the miracle Jesus is about to perform, He will reveal even further He is the Son of God. He will reveal not only His power, but His love and true purpose (to give life!). This revealing reveals His glory. Whatever glorifies the Son glorifies the Father.
John reiterates Jesus’ love for the family - this quashes any idea that Jesus’ next action is rude, careless, or selfish in any way.
Jesus remains where they are two more days.
Depending on where Jesus is, Lazarus may have already died by the time the messenger reached Jesus; He may have died shortly after but before Jesus could have travelled to Bethany. Since Jesus arrives when Lazarus has been dead 4 days, however, it is unlikely that it is Jesus’ delay that causes Him to arrive “too late.”
Still, Jesus’ delay seems strange. Why not head straight there if He’s going to go? It is precisely because He loved them! He is going to work a far greater miracle than simply healing Lazarus. His actions may seem perplexing, especially to Martha and Mary, and yet it’s for their benefit!
Jesus withheld His blessing that He might enlarge it… (J.W. McGarvey & James E. Smith)
We should learn to simply trust in the Lord. He know what is best, and wants what is best. When thinks don’t go as we should when we think they should, perhaps the Lord is working something better for our benefit (spiritual, not material!). Perhaps the Lord is withholding a blessing that He might enlarge it!
Verses 7-10
Verses 7-10
7 Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” 8 The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?” 9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. 10 But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.”
The disciples likely thought Jesus wan’t going to return. He had stated the sickness “wasn’t unto death...” so they trust Jesus knows somehow Lazarus won’t die. So why walk back into dangerous territory?
The latest stoning attempt is still on their mind. It’s dangerous for Jesus to return to Judea where Jewish leaders are angry enough to try and kill Him.
Jesus answers in a parabolic way
12 hours is roughly the daylight hours, and thus the hours for working. It’s the common time for a laborer to labor. Jesus has a job to do - the Father’s will - and as long as He is alive He will be working. He is not afraid of His mission being derailed by the Jewish leaders. As long as He is doing the Father’s will, that will is going to be accomlished. It is when men shrink in fear or laziness, or when men work contrary to God’s will that they are “walking in the night” and thus in grave danger.
Are we working during our “12 hours?” Our life is the “12 hours” that God has given us to work for Him. Are we working?
Verses 11-16
Verses 11-16
11 After saying these things, he said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.” 12 The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” 13 Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep. 14 Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died, 15 and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” 16 So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”
Jesus says “let us go to Judea....Our friend Lazarus...” but then “I go to awaken him.”
1Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. 3So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” 4But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” 5Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. go to awaken him.”
Jesus speaks of Lazarus sleeping, but the disciples take Him literally, and thus misunderstand. Thus, Jesus must tell them bluntly, “Lazarus has died”
Jesus is not glad that Lazarus has died or gleeful at the pain his death caused. But Jesus’ joy is rooted much deeper than the physical things of life. This will be an opportunity for His disciples to strengthen their faith and grow. For that, Jesus rejoices, despite the painful road they must traverse.
Thomas’ Response: Thomas is often dubbed “Doubting Thomas” for his post-resurrection disbelief. But the picture we see here (much like Peter) is one of love and commitment. He mistakenly things Jesus may die by returning to Judea. But he is willing to go and face that danger with Jesus!
33When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. 34And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” 35Jesus wept. 36So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” 37But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?” often dubbed “Doubting Thomas” for his post-resurrection disbelief. But the picture we see here (much like Peter) is one of love and commitment. He mistakenly things Jesus may die by returning to Judea. But he is willing to go and face that danger with Jesus!
Verses 17-19
Verses 17-19
17 Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. 18 Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, 19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother.
Lazarus has been dead and in the tomb four days. There was a belief among many Jews that a person’s spirit “hovered” around the body for 3 days, but on the fourth day, as decomposition set in, the spirit left, and the body was fully dead. Whether Mary and Martha believed that we don’t know.
What we do know is this will be a different level of miracle in the eyes of everyone. Jairus’ daughter and the widow of Nain’s son had been dead for a few hours. Lazarus has been dead for days - long enough for the body to begin decomposing. Yet Jesus will still raise him.
Jerusalem is less than 2 miles from Bethany, and many Jews (possibly even some of the Pharisees) have come to visit Martha and Mary. Not only will Jesus perform a powerful miracle, He will do so in Jerusalem’s backyard!
The leaders may have discounted stories from backwater parts of Galilee about Jesus supposedly raising a girl from the dead who had only been dead for a few hours. They won’t be able to dismiss the story of Jesus raising a prominent man to life in Bethany after having been dead and buried for 4 days!
Verses 20-27
Verses 20-27
20 So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. 21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”
How do we take Martha’s statement? I think it best to not take it as accusatory toward Jesus, but taking all her words together we see that despite her loss, she still believes in Jesus.
Jesus’ promise is intentionally vague. The disciples had mistaken Jesus’ figurative language for literal language. Here Martha mistakes an immediate, specific statement for a spiritual, general statement!
Martha thinks of the general resurrection. This surely is a comfort, but not an immediate one (as all who’ve lost a loved one know)
Jesus utters the 5th of the seven “I am...” statements found in John’s gospel: “I am the resurrection and the life.”
Jesus is not just still the Messiah - He still offers life, light, and hope! All this, despite her tragic loss.
Jesus asks if she believes - not the first time He’s asked such a question of His followers. Her confession of faith is on par with Peters! Her three-fold confession of who she knows Jesus to be emphasis the strength and depth of her belief in Jesus!
Verses 28-32
Verses 28-32
28 When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying in private, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” 29 And when she heard it, she rose quickly and went to him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha had met him. 31 When the Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary rise quickly and go out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there. 32 Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
-32
We apparently don’t have the entire conversation that takes place between Martha and Jesus, for Martha comes and tells Mary that Jesus is asking for her.
When Mary meets Jesus, John says she “fell at his feet...” The feet of Jesus seems to be a place Mary sought out.
In we find Mary learning at the feet of Jesus
Here in we find Mary grieving at the feet of Jesus
In (as wel as & ) we will find Mary serving and worshipping at the feet of Jesus.
How much time and in how many situations do we find ourselves at the feet of Jesus?
Like her sister, Mary is heart-broken, yet her faith is still in Jesus. Her words are not accusatory, but a confession of trust and faith.
Verses 33-37
Verses 33-37
33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. 34 And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus wept. 36 So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” 37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?”
The Greek that is translated “deeply moved” (ESV) or “groaned” (NKJV) actually refers to anger, even indignation. Jesus is not just sad, He’s indignant. Why?
“…Jesus approached the grave of Lazarus in a state, not of uncontrollable grief, but of irrepressible anger…the emotion which tore at His breast and clamored for utterance was just rage…The spectacle of the distress of Mary and her companions enraged Jesus because it brought poignantly home to His consciousness the evil of death, its unnaturalness, its violent tyranny.
It is death that is the object of His wrath, and behind death him who has the power of death, and whom He has come into the world to destroy. Tears of sympathy may fill His eyes, but this is incidental. His soul is held by rage.
What John does for us in this particular statement is to uncover to us the heart of Jesus, as He wins for us our salvation. Not in cold unconcern, but in flaming wrath against the foe, Jesus smites in our behalf. He has not only saved us from the evils which oppress us; He has felt for and with us in our oppression, and under the impulse of these feelings has wrought out our redemption.” (B.B. Warfield)
“Jesus wept” - Jesus’ emotions in this scene highlight His humanity. Yet they also highlight His divinity. Our God and our Savior is not cold and indifferent. He understands how we feel, and further He feels for us!
Jesus’ mixture of grief and anger is a perfect balance, and an example for us.
“the same sin and death...that prompted outrage, also generated grief...[We] do well to learn the same tension – that grief and compassion without outrage reduce to mere sentiment, while outrage without grief hardens into self-righteous arrogance....” (D.A. Carson, PNTC)
Onlookers misunderstood Jesus’ tears to a degree. They also wonder at the apparent tragedy. They knew Jesus had healed a man born blind. Couldn’t He have healed Lazarus? What a tragic loss it seemed to be that Jesus hadn’t arrived sooner. Yet again - God’s ways are higher than ours!
Verses 38-40
Verses 38-40
38 Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. 39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.” 40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?”
In a poignant way, the stone was a fit picture of their problem and their unbelief. While all believed Jesus could have healed Lazarus while he was alive, none expected Him to resurrect the dead man. Despite Jesus’ promise that the illness wasn’t unto death, even the disciples and apparently Martha and Mary don’t expect this.
Jesus can (and will) give life to Lazarus, but a literal stone is in the way. It must be removed, as must their unbelief.
Jesus could easily have moved the stone with even a word, yet He required them to do so. Moving the stone was something they could do. What came next, only Jesus could do.
Miracles only begin where human power ends - J.W. McGarvey (The Fourfold Gospel)
“Did I not tell you...” When did Jesus say this? Is He referring to His initial response to the messenger or part of His conversation with Martha that isn’t recorded?
Either way, Martha should continue to trust in Jesus. If she will, then great things are ahead!
When we are faithful and truly trust in Jesus, we are in store for more blessing and wonder than we can imagine!
Verses 41-44
Verses 41-44
41 So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.” 43 When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” 44 The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”
This miracle had already been granted by God. Jesus’ will and the Father’s were one.
Jesus “cried out.” Why? To be heard? For show? Could it be this is an image of the final resurrection cry?
16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.
The graveclothes point towards Christ’s own resurrection - a resurrection of yet an even higher caliber. Jesus raised Lazarus, but only to physical life. Lazarus would die again. When Jesus rose, however, His would be the true resurrection, and the firstfruits of our true resurrection - a resurrection to eternal life.
Verses 45-53
Verses 45-53
45 Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what he did, believed in him, 46 but some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. 47 So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the council and said, “What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. 48 If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” 49 But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all. 50 Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.” 51 He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, 52 and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. 53 So from that day on they made plans to put him to death.
The Jewish leaders are more concerned about their position and power than serving and honoring God!
In the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus, Jesus had taught that for some, even if one rose from the dead they wouldn’t believe. How true that was! Lazarus was raised from the grave, and some Jewish leaders still rejected Jesus!
Raising of Lazarus is the miracle that finally pushes the Jewish leader’s hands. Impassioned attempts at Jesus’ life had been made, but now they resolve to kill Jesus and begin active planning.
In giving Lazarus life, Jesus condemned Himself to die. A fit picture of His purpose. To give us life, Jesus had to die. But through His death and Resurrection, we can hope in the resurrection of life too!
Conclusion
Conclusion
Jesus’ raising of Lazarus was an enacted example of something Jesus had already taught. Jesus had taught in of His power over life and death, and His role as judge.
28 Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice 29 and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.
Physical death is painful and terrifying, but it is not the end. Jesus has power to give new, eternal life. If time continues, we will all die physically. The question is, what then? What about when Christ returns? If we were to die today, would we be lost to a resurrection of judgment, or would we have the hope of the resurrection to life?
Are you ready to roll away the stone of unbelief? Are you ready to trust in and be faithful to the one that has come to reveal the Father and offer you light and life?
Are you ready to turn from the way of sin and death?
Are you ready to confess, as Martha did, what you believe about precious Lord?
Are you ready to die with Christ in Baptism, having your sins washed away and rising as a new creation?