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Texts -- John 11:1-54 (NET)

Context
The Death of Lazarus
11:1 Now a certain man named Lazarus was sick . He was from Bethany , the village where Mary and her sister Martha lived . 11:2 (Now it was Mary who anointed the Lord with perfumed oil and wiped his feet dry with her hair , whose brother Lazarus was sick .) 11:3 So the sisters sent a message to Jesus , “Lord , look , the one you love is sick .” 11:4 When Jesus heard this, he said , “This sickness will not lead to death , but to God’s glory , so that the Son of God may be glorified through it .” 11:5 (Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus .) 11:6 So when he heard that Lazarus was sick , he remained in the place where he was for two more days . 11:7 Then after this , he said to his disciples , “Let us go to Judea again .” 11:8 The disciples replied , “Rabbi , the Jewish leaders were just now trying to stone you to death! Are you going there again ?” 11:9 Jesus replied , “Are there not twelve hours in a day ? If anyone walks around in the daytime , he does not stumble , because he sees the light of this world . 11:10 But if anyone walks around at night , he stumbles , because the light is not in him .” 11:11 After he said this , he added , “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep . But I am going there to awaken him .” 11:12 Then the disciples replied , “Lord , if he has fallen asleep , he will recover .” 11:13 (Now Jesus had been talking about his death , but they thought he had been talking about real sleep .) 11:14 Then Jesus told them plainly , “Lazarus has died , 11:15 and I am glad for your sake that I was not there , so that you may believe . But let us go to him .” 11:16 So Thomas (called Didymus ) said to his fellow disciples , “Let us go too , so that we may die with him .”
Speaking with Martha and Mary
11:17 When Jesus arrived , he found that Lazarus had been in the tomb four days already . 11:18 (Now Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem , 11:19 so many of the Jewish people of the region had come to Martha and Mary to console them over the loss of their brother .) 11:20 So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming , she went out to meet him , but Mary was sitting in the house . 11:21 Martha said to Jesus , “Lord , if you had been here , my brother would not have died . 11:22 But even now I know that whatever you ask from God , God will grant you .” 11:23 Jesus replied , “Your brother will come back to life again.” 11:24 Martha said , “I know that he will come back to life again in the resurrection at the last day .” 11:25 Jesus said to her , “I am the resurrection and the life . The one who believes in me will live even if he dies , 11:26 and the one who lives and believes in me will never die . Do you believe this ?” 11:27 She replied , “Yes , Lord , I believe that you are the Christ , the Son of God who comes into the world .” 11:28 And when she had said this , Martha went and called her sister Mary , saying privately , “The Teacher is here and is asking for you .” 11:29 So when Mary heard this , she got up quickly and went to him . 11:30 (Now Jesus had not yet entered the village , but was still in the place where Martha had come out to meet him .) 11:31 Then the people who were with Mary in the house consoling her saw her get up quickly and go out . They followed her , because they thought she was going to the tomb to weep there . 11:32 Now when Mary came to the place where Jesus was and saw him , she fell at his feet and said to him , “Lord , if you had been here , my brother would not have died .” 11:33 When Jesus saw her weeping , and the people who had come with her weeping , he was intensely moved in spirit and greatly distressed . 11:34 He asked , “Where have you laid him ?” They replied , “Lord , come and see .” 11:35 Jesus wept . 11:36 Thus the people who had come to mourn said , “Look how much he loved him !” 11:37 But some of them said , “This is the man who caused the blind man to see ! Couldn’t he have done something to keep Lazarus from dying ?”
Lazarus Raised from the Dead
11:38 Jesus , intensely moved again , came to the tomb . (Now it was a cave , and a stone was placed across it .) 11:39 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 .” 11:40 Jesus responded , “Didn’t I tell you that if you believe , you would see the glory of God ?” 11:41 So they took away the stone . Jesus looked upward and said , “Father , I thank you that you have listened to me . 11:42 I knew that you always listen to me , but I said this for the sake of the crowd standing around here, that they may believe that you sent me .” 11:43 When he had said this , he shouted in a loud voice , “Lazarus , come out !” 11:44 The one who had died came out , his feet and hands tied up with strips of cloth , and a cloth wrapped around his face . Jesus said to them , “Unwrap him and let him go .”
The Response of the Jewish Leaders
11:45 Then many of the people , who had come with Mary and had seen the things Jesus did , believed in him . 11:46 But some of them went to the Pharisees and reported to them what Jesus had done . 11:47 So the chief priests and the Pharisees called the council together and said , “What are we doing ? For this man is performing many miraculous signs . 11:48 If we allow him to go on in this way , everyone will believe in him , and the Romans will come and take away our sanctuary and our nation .” 11:49 Then one of them , Caiaphas , who was high priest that year , said , “You know nothing at all! 11:50 You do not realize that it is more to your advantage to have one man die for the people than for the whole nation to perish .” 11:51 (Now he did not say this on his own , but because he was high priest that year , he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the Jewish nation , 11:52 and not for the Jewish nation only , but to gather together into one the children of God who are scattered .) 11:53 So from that day they planned together to kill him . 11:54 Thus Jesus no longer went around publicly among the Judeans , but went away from there to the region near the wilderness , to a town called Ephraim , and stayed there with his disciples .

Pericope

NET

Bible Dictionary

  • Lazarus

    [ebd] an abbreviation of Eleazar, whom God helps. (1.) The brother of Mary and Martha of Bethany. He was raised from the dead after he had lain four days in the tomb (John 11:1-44). This miracle so excited the wrath of the Jews th...
    [isbe] LAZARUS - laz'-a-rus (Lazaros, an abridged form of the Hebrew name Eleazar, with a Greek termination): Means "God has helped." In Septuagint and Josephus are found the forms Eleazar, and Eleazaros. The name was common among ...
    [smith] (whom God helps), another form of the Hebrew name Eleazar. Lazarus of Bethany, the brother of Martha and Mary. (John 11:1) All that we know of him is derived from the Gospel of St. John, and that records little more than the...
    [nave] LAZARUS 1. Brother of Mary and Martha. Sickness and death of, John 11:1-14. Resurrection of, John 11:38-44; 12:17, 18. Dined with Jesus, John 12:1, 2, 9. Plotted against by the chief priests, John 12:10, 11.

  • Bethany

    [ebd] house of dates. (1.) The Revised Version in John 1:28 has this word instead of Bethabara, on the authority of the oldest manuscripts. It appears to have been the name of a place on the east of Jordan. (2.) A village on the s...
    [isbe] BETHANY - beth'-a-ni (Bethania): (1) A village, 15 furlongs from Jerusalem (Jn 11:18), on the road to Jericho, at the Mount of Olives (Mk 11:1; Lk 19:29), where lived "Simon the leper" (Mk 14:3) and Mary, Martha and Lazarus ...
    [smith] (house of dates, or house of misery), a village which, scanty as are the notices of it contained in Scripture, is more intimately associated in our minds than perhaps any other place with the most familiar acts and scenes of ...
    [nave] BETHANY A village on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives, John 11:18. Mary, Martha, and Lazarus dwell at, Luke 10:38-41. Lazarus dies and is raised to life at, John 11. Jesus attends a feast in, Matt. 26:6-13; John 1...

  • Martha

    [ebd] bitterness, the sister of Lazarus and Mary, and probably the eldest of the family, who all resided at Bethany (Luke 10:38, 40, 41; John 11:1-39). From the residence being called "her house," some have supposed that she was a...
    [isbe] MARTHA - mar'-tha (Martha, "mistress," being a transliteration of the feminine form of mar, "Lord"): Martha belonged to Bethany, and was the sister of Lazarus and Mary (Jn 11:1 f). From the fact that the house into which Jes...
    [smith] (a lady), the sister of Lazarus and Mary. [LAZARUS] The facts recorded in Luke 10 and John 11 indicate a character devout after the customary Jewish type of devotion, sharing in Messianic hopes and accepting Jesus as the Chri...
    [nave] MARTHA Sister of Mary and Lazarus, John 11:1. Ministers to Jesus, Luke 10:38-42; John 12:2. Beloved by Jesus, John 11:5. See: Lazarus; Mary.

  • Thomas

    [ebd] twin, one of the twelve (Matt. 10:3; Mark 3:18, etc.). He was also called Didymus (John 11:16; 20:24), which is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew name. All we know regarding him is recorded in the fourth Gospel (John 11:15,...
    [isbe] THOMAS - tom'-as (Thomas; ta'om, "a twin" (in plural only): 1. In the New Testament: One of the Twelve Apostles. Thomas, who was also called "Didymus" or "the Twin" (compare Jn 11:16; 20:24; 21:2), is referred to in detail b...
    [smith] (a twin), one of the apostles. According to Eusebius, his real name was Judas. This may have been a mere confusion with Thaddeus, who is mentioned in the extract. But it may also be that; Thomas was a surname. Out of this nam...
    [nave] THOMAS, called Didymus. One of the twelve apostles, Matt. 10:3; Mark 3:18; Luke 6:15. Present at the raising of Lazarus, John 11:16. Asks Jesus the way to the Father's house, John 14:5. Absent when Jesus first appeared to ...

  • JOHN, GOSPEL OF

    [isbe] JOHN, GOSPEL OF - || I. INTRODUCTORY 1. Scope of Gospel 2. State of Opinion as to Date of Appearance, etc. II. EXTERNAL EVIDENCE fOR THE FOURTH GOSPEL 1. At the End of 2nd Century 2. Irenaeus--Theophilus 3. Middle of 2nd Cen...
    [smith] This Gospel was probably written at Ephesus about A.D. 78. (Canon Cook places it toward the close of John?s life, A.D. 90-100. --ED.) The Gospel was obviously addressed primarily to Christians, not to heathen. There can be li...

  • Prayer

    [nave] PRAYER. Index of Sub-topics Miscellany of Minor Sub-Topics; Unclassified Scriptures Relating to; Answer to, Promised; Answered, Instances of Answered; Confession in; Importunity in, Instances of Importunity in; Intercessor...

  • Mourn

    [ebd] Frequent references are found in Scripture to, (1.) Mourning for the dead. Abraham mourned for Sarah (Gen. 23:2); Jacob for Joseph (37:34, 35); the Egyptians for Jacob (50:3-10); Israel for Aaron (Num. 20:29), for Moses (Deu...

  • Jesus, The Christ

    [nave] JESUS, THE CHRIST. Index of Sub-topics History of; Miscellaneous Facts Concerning; Unclassified Scriptures Relating to; Ascension of; Atonement by; Attributes of; Compassion of; Confessing; Creator; Death of; Design of His...

  • OLIVES, MOUNT OF

    [isbe] OLIVES, MOUNT OF - ol'-ivz, (har ha-zethim (Zec 14:4), ma`aleh ha-zethim, "the ascent of the mount of Olives" (2 Sam 15:30, the King James Version "the ascent of (mount) Olivet"); to oros ton elaion, "the Mount of Olives" (M...

  • Miracles

    [nave] MIRACLES. Index of Sub-topics Catalog of, and Supernatural Events, Of Jesus, in Chronological Order, Of the Disciples of Jesus; Convincing Effect of; Design of; Miraculous Gifts of the Holy Spirit; Miscellany of Minor Sub-...

  • Readings, Select

    [nave] READINGS, SELECT. Judah's Defense Gen. 44:18-34 Joseph Revealing His Identity Gen. 45:1-15 The Deliverance of the Israelites from Pharaoh Ex. 14:5-30 Song of Moses When Pharaoh and His Army Were Overthrown Ex. 15:1-1...

  • Friendship

    [nave] FRIENDSHIP. Deut. 13:6-9; Job 6:14, 15; Job 16:2, 20; Job 19:13-22; Psa. 35:13, 14; Psa. 41:9; Psa. 55:12-14; Psa. 88:8, 18; Prov. 11:13; Prov. 17:9, 17; Prov. 18:24; Prov. 22:24-27; Prov. 25:17, 19; Prov. 27:6, 9, 10, 14, ...

  • Dead

    [isbe] DEAD - ded (muth; nekros): Used in several senses: (1) as a substantive, denoting the body deprived of life, as when Abraham speaks of burying his dead (Gen 23); (2) as a collective noun including all those that have passed ...
    [nave] DEAD Raised to life, instances of: Son of the widow of Zarephath, 1 Kin. 17:17-23; Shunammite's son, 2 Kin. 4:32-37; young man laid in Elisha's sepulchre, 2 Kin. 13:21; widow's son, Luke 7:12-15; Jairus' daughter, Luke 8:49-...

  • Sorrow

    [nave] SORROW God takes notice of Hagar's, Gen. 21:17-20; Israelites, Ex. 3:7-10. For sin, 2 Cor. 7:10, 11. See: Repentance; Sin, Confession of. No sorrow in heaven, Rev. 21:4. "Sorrow and sighing shall flee away,'' Isa. 35:10....

  • JESUS CHRIST, 4D

    [isbe] JESUS CHRIST, 4D - D. LAST JOURNEY TO JERUSALEM--JESUS IN PERAEA Departure from Galilee: An interval of two months elapses between John 10:21 and 22--from the Feast of Tabernacles (October) till the Feast of the Dedication (...

  • Condolence

    [nave] CONDOLENCE. Instances of David, to Hanun, 2 Sam. 10:2. King of Babylon, to Hezekiah, 2 Kin. 20:12, 13. The three friends of, to Job, Job 2:11. Jesus, to Mary and Martha, John 11:23-35. See: Afflictions and Adversities,...

  • Caiaphas

    [ebd] the Jewish high priest (A.D. 27-36) at the beginning of our Lord's public ministry, in the reign of Tiberius (Luke 3:2), and also at the time of his condemnation and crucifixion (Matt. 26:3,57; John 11:49; 18:13, 14). He hel...
    [isbe] CAIAPHAS - ka'-a-fas, ki'-a-fas (Kaiaphas; Caiaphas = Kephas (compare Dods in Expositor's Greek Test, I, 803), and has also been interpreted as meaning "depression"): Caiaphas was the surname of Joseph, a son-in-law of Annas...
    [nave] CAIAPHAS High priest, Luke 3:2; son-in-law of Aas, John 18:13. Prophesies concerning Jesus, John 11:49-51; 18:14. Jesus tried before, Matt. 26:2, 3, 57, 63-65; John 18:24, 28. Peter and other disciples accused before, Act...

  • Mary

    [ebd] Hebrew Miriam. (1.) The wife of Joseph, the mother of Jesus, called the "Virgin Mary," though never so designated in Scripture (Matt. 2:11; Acts 1:14). Little is known of her personal history. Her genealogy is given in Luke ...
    [isbe] MARY - ma'-ri, mar'-i (Maria, Mariam, Greek form of Hebrew miryam): I. DEFINITION AND QUESTIONS OF IDENTIFICATION The Name Mary in the New Testament II. MARY, THE VIRGIN 1. Mary in the Infancy Narratives 2. Mary at Cana 3. M...
    [nave] MARY 1. The mother of Jesus, Matt. 1:16; Luke 1:26-38; 2:5-19. Visits her cousin Elisabeth, Luke 1:39-56. Attends the feast at Jerusalem with her husband and her son, starts on the return, misses Jesus, seeks and finds him...

  • Faith

    [nave] FAITH. 2 Sam. 22:31; Psa. 5:11; Psa. 7:1; Psa. 9:9, 10; Psa. 18:30; Psa. 32:10; Psa. 33:18, 19; Psa. 34:8, 22 vs. 1-8;; Psa. 2:12. Psa. 36:7; Psa. 40:4; Psa. 64:10; Psa. 78:7 vs. 5-7.; Psa. 84:5, 12; Psa. 112:5, 7, 8; Psa. ...

  • JESUS CHRIST, THE ARREST AND TRIAL OF

    [isbe] JESUS CHRIST, THE ARREST AND TRIAL OF - || 1. Jewish and Roman Law 2. Difficulties of the Subject 3. Illustrations of Difficulties I. THE ARREST 1. Preparatory Steps 2. The Arrest in the Garden 3. Taken to the City II. THE J...
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Arts

Hymns

(Note: In "active" or "on" condition, the hymns music will be played automatically when mouse hover on a hymns title)
  • Dikau Yang Bangkit, Mahamulia [KJ.194]
  • Haruskah Hanya Penebus [KJ.430]
  • Kristus Bangkit! Soraklah' [KJ.188]
  • Yesus, Kau Kehidupanku [KJ.179]
  • [Joh 11:11] If Death My Friend And Me Divide
  • [Joh 11:23] Within The Churchyard, Side By Side
  • [Joh 11:25] All Hail, Thou Resurrection!
  • [Joh 11:27] God The Father’s Only Son
  • [Joh 11:28] Master Hath Come, The
  • [Joh 11:28] We Have A Message
  • [Joh 11:35] Jesus Wept! Those Tears Are Over
  • [Joh 11:39] Roll The Stone Away
  • [Joh 11:43] One Named Lazarus
  • [Joh 11:52] Come Again
  • [Joh 11:52] We Gather Together

Questions

Sermon Illustrations

A Transformed Body; Who Is Jesus Christ?; Accounts of People Raised from the Dead; Four Principles of Prayer:; Jesus and Anger; Mark 16:16; Mark 16:16; Immortality and Resurrection; Raised from the Dead; Matthew 11:28; John 11:30-44; A Sign for Unbelievers; God Never …; The Invitations of Christ; The Invitations of Christ

Resources/Books

Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • Isaiah, speaking for the sinful Israelites (cf. 6:5), first acknowledged the consequences of their behavior (vv. 9-11) and then confessed their guilt (vv. 12-15a).59:9 Because they had denied justice and righteousness to othe...
  • This pericope concludes the sections on the culmination of Israel's future (65:17-66:24), Israel's future transformation (chs. 56-66), Israel's hope (chs. 40-66), and the whole book, Yahweh's salvation. As 56:1-8, it clarifie...
  • The composition and structure of Jeremiah, discussed below, have led many scholars to conclude that an editor or editors (redactors) probably put the book in its final form. Many conservatives, however, believe that Jeremiah ...
  • 9:18-19 This incident evidently happened shortly after Jesus and His disciples returned from Gadara on the east side of the lake (cf. Mark 5:21-22; Luke 8:40-41). The name of this Capernium synagogue ruler was Jairus (Mark 5:...
  • 9:27-28 This is the first time in Matthew's Gospel that someone called Jesus the "Son of David"(cf. 1:1; 12:23; 15:22; 20:30, 31; 21:9, 15). This was a messianic title, and the blind men's use of it undoubtedly expressed thei...
  • 26:1-2 These verses record the fourth major prediction of Jesus' death that He gave His disciples (cf. 16:21; 17:22-23; 20:18-19). Matthew just finished recording Jesus' claim to judge humankind (25:31-46). Now he wrote that ...
  • Matthew's emphasis in his account of Jesus' crucifixion was on the mocking of the onlookers.27:32 Jesus was able to carry the crosspiece of His cross until He passed through the city gate (cf. Mark 15:21 John 19:17). Normally...
  • This is one of the sections of Mark's Gospel that has a chiastic structure (cf. 3:22-30; 6:14-29; 11:15-19).A The appeal of Jairus for his daughter 5:21-24B The healing of the woman with the hemorrhage 5:25-34A' The raising o...
  • The appearance of Elijah on the mountain led to a discussion of his role as Messiah's forerunner. This conversation developed as the disciples followed Jesus down the mountain.9:9 Jesus again commanded secrecy (cf. 1:34, 43-4...
  • Though Mark did not record it, Jesus gave His disciples much additional instruction as they travelled from Capernaum in Galilee toward Jerusalem (cf. Matt. 8:19-22; 18:15-35; Luke 9:51-18:14; John 7:2-11:54). Evidently Jesus ...
  • 8:49-50 Jesus' words of encouragement as well as His recent demonstration of power prepared Jairus for what followed. He had just witnessed Jesus overcome ceremonial defilement and disease. He needed to believe that Jesus cou...
  • This is another incident involving women who became disciples of Jesus (cf. 8:1-3; et al.). Like the parable of the good Samaritan it shows Jesus overcoming prejudice. As the former parable illustrated the meaning of the seco...
  • In this parable the rich man and his brothers who did not listen to Moses and the prophets (vv. 29-31) represent the Pharisees (vv. 16-17). The Pharisees believed in a future life and a coming judgment, but they, as the rich ...
  • The superficial connection between this pericope and the preceding one is that they both contain parables about prayer. However the more significant link is the people of faith (v. 8). This parable graphically contrasts the r...
  • This material occurs in no other Gospel. The destruction of Jerusalem that Jesus predicted here was an important event for Luke. It showed God's judgment on Israel for rejecting His Son and provided evidence that God had turn...
  • Luke's account of the events following Jesus' resurrection stresses the reality of that event and the reactions of the witnesses to it. All these people felt depressed because of Jesus' death, but when they learned of His res...
  • John's presentation of Jesus in his Gospel has been a problem to many modern students of the New Testament. Some regard it as the greatest problem in current New Testament studies.15Compared to the Synoptics that present Jesu...
  • In one sense the Gospel of John is more profound than the Synoptics. It is the most difficult Gospel for most expositors to preach and to teach for reasons that will become evident as we study it. In another sense, however, t...
  • I. Prologue 1:1-18A. The preincarnate Word 1:1-5B. The witness of John the Baptist 1:6-8C. The appearance of the Light 1:9-13D. The incarnation of the Word 1:14-18II. Jesus' public ministry 1:19-12:50A. The prelude to Jesus' ...
  • John began his Gospel by locating Jesus before the beginning of His ministry, before His virgin birth, and even before Creation. He identified Jesus as co-existent with God the Father and the Father's agent in providing creat...
  • John's return to the Word in verse 14 from verse 1 introduces new revelation about Him. Though still part of the prologue, the present section focuses on the Incarnation of the Word.1:14 The Word, who existed equal with God b...
  • The writer recorded John the Baptist's witness to Jesus' identity as preparation for his narration of Jesus' public ministry. He was the first of the Apostle John's witnesses to the Incarnation.Previously the writer had menti...
  • John now presented evidence that Jesus knew people as no others did and that many believed in His name (2:23). This constitutes further witness that He is the Son of God. John summarized several conversations that Jesus had w...
  • This pericope explains why Jesus must become greater. It also unites several themes that appear through chapter 3. John the Apostle or John the Baptist may be the speaker. This is not entirely clear.3:31-32 The incarnate Son ...
  • There are several connections between this section and the preceding ones that provide continuity. One is the continuation of water as a symbol (cf. 2:6; 3:5; 4:10-15). Another is the continuation of conversation in which Jes...
  • This third sign in John's Gospel signaled Jesus' identity and created controversy that followed. Particularly it testified to Jesus' authority over time.2095:1 Some time later Jesus returned to Jerusalem to celebrate one of t...
  • The preceding controversy resulted in Jesus clarifying His relationship to His Father further. Jesus proceeded to reply to His enemies' charge that He was not equal with God the Father. This is the most thoroughgoing statemen...
  • 6:35 Jesus now identified Himself as the bread about which He had been speaking (cf. v. 47; Isa. 55:1). He did not say He hadthe bread of life but that He wasthat bread. He claimed to be able to satisfy completely as bread an...
  • "John 7 has three time divisions: before the feast (vv. 1-10), in the midst of the feast (vv. 11-36), and on the last day of the feast (vv. 37-52). The responses during each of those periods can be characterized by three word...
  • Having announced His departure Jesus proceeded to offer the Holy Spirit for those who believed on Him (cf. chs. 14-16).7:37 The feast of Tabernacles lasted seven days (cf. Deut. 16:13). However the day following the feast was...
  • Jesus began to contrast Himself and His critics.3108:21 Evidently what follows continues Jesus' teaching in the temple when He spoke the words that John recorded in the preceding verses. The Greek word palin("again"or "once m...
  • 8:48 Since the Jews could not refute Jesus' challenge they resorted to verbal abuse (cf. 7:52). Perhaps they called Him a Samaritan because He had questioned their ties to Abraham. This may have been a Samaritan attack agains...
  • The difference between this teaching and Jesus' parables in the Synoptics now becomes clearer. Jesus proceeded to compare Himself to the pen gate as well as to the Shepherd. He also described Himself leading His sheep into th...
  • The major theme of the Gospel, Jesus' identity as the Son of God, continues dominant. It was just as important for Jesus' disciples to grow in their understanding of who He was and to grow in their faith in Him as it was for ...
  • 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...
  • In this pericope John stressed Jesus' deliberate purpose in allowing Lazarus to die and the reality of his death.11:1-2 "Lazarus"probably is a variant of "Eleazar"meaning "God helps."379The Synoptic writers did not mention hi...
  • The scene now shifts from the region near Bethany of Perea (1:28; 10:40) to the Bethany in Judea. Both towns became sites where people believed on Jesus.11:17 There is some evidence that the later Jewish rabbis believed that ...
  • The emphasis in this pericope is on Jesus' compassion in the face of sin's consequences.11:30-32 Mary's physical response to Jesus was more emotional that Martha's had been, perhaps reflecting her temperament. Again we find M...
  • Jesus proceeded to vindicate His claim that He was the One who would raise the dead and provide life (v. 25).11:38 Jesus again felt the same angry emotion as He approached Lazarus' tomb (cf. v. 33). Tombs cut into the limesto...
  • Even this most powerful miracle failed to convince many that Jesus was God's Son. Many who had come to console Mary believed on Him, but the depth of their faith undoubtedly varied. A faith based on miracles is not the highes...
  • The raising of Lazarus convinced Israel's leaders that they had to take more drastic action against Jesus. John recorded this decision as the high point of Israel's official rejection of God's Son so far. This decision led di...
  • This pericope summarizes the situation at this stage of Jesus' ministry. The leaders had determined to kill Him, and Jesus withdrew to the town of Ephraim.11:54 Jesus may have learned of the Sanhedrin's decision from a sympat...
  • In contrast to the hatred that the religious leaders manifested stands the love that Mary demonstrated toward the One she had come to believe in. Her act of sacrificial devotion is a model for all true disciples. This is the ...
  • To make the contrast between belief and unbelief even more striking, John returned from Mary's love to the chief priests' hatred (cf. 11:47-57).12:9 Jesus had disappeared after Lazarus' resurrection and had not yet showed Him...
  • The importance of this incident in Jesus' ministry is evident from the fact that all four Gospel evangelists recorded it. Matthew and Mark placed this event before Mary's anointing of Jesus in Simon's house (vv. 1-8). However...
  • 12:27 Anticipation of the death that had to precede the glory troubled Jesus deeply (Gr. tataraktai, cf. 11:33; 14:1; Mark 14:32-42). It troubled Him because His death would involve separation from His Father and bearing God'...
  • Jesus had spoken only briefly about His betrayal until now (cf. 6:70; 13:10, 18). Now He gave the Twelve more specific information.13:21-22 The prospect of His imminent betrayal and death upset Jesus visibly (Gr. etarachthe, ...
  • Peter next declared his love for Jesus indirectly.13:36 Peter returned to the subject of Jesus' departure (v. 33; 8:21). He was unclear about where Jesus meant He would go. Jesus did not answer him unambiguously probably beca...
  • 14:5 Thomas voiced the disciples' continuing confusion about Jesus' destination. Apparently the "Father's house"did not clearly identify heaven to them. Without a clear understanding of the final destination they could not be...
  • 14:8 The Eleven regarded Jesus very highly. Notwithstanding they did not yet realize that He was such an accurate and full revelation of God the Father that to see Jesus was to see the Father. Philip asked for a clear revelat...
  • Jesus realized that the Eleven did not fully understand what He had just revealed. He therefore encouraged them with a promise that they would understand His words later.14:25-26 Jesus had made these revelations to His discip...
  • 16:25 "These things I have spoken unto you"(NASB) indicates another transition in the discourse (cf. 14:25; 16:1, 4, 33; 17:1). Jesus acknowledged that He had not been giving direct answers to His disciples' questions. He had...
  • 17:1 "These things Jesus spoke"(NASB, Gr. tauta elalesen Iesous) clearly connects what follows with what Jesus had just been saying (cf. 14:25; 16:1, 4, 25, 33). Lifting up the eyes to heaven indicated prayer, as did Jesus' w...
  • 17:11b The title "Holy Father"appears only here in the fourth Gospel and is a reminder of both aspects of God's nature. It balances ideas of ultimate purity with intimate paternity and so prepares for what lies ahead, namely ...
  • 18:1 "These words"evidently refer to all of what Jesus had said in chapters 13-17 all of which He probably spoke in the upper room. The Kidron Valley formed the eastern boundary of Jerusalem. The Kidron was also a wadior dry ...
  • John began his account of Jesus' trials with a brief description of His arrest and by identifying the chief religious leaders who examined Him.18:12 The commander (Gr. chiliarchos, cf. Acts 22:24, 26, 27, 28; 23:17, 19, 22) i...
  • John's version of Peter's denial is quite similar to those of the other Gospel writers, but His revelation of Jesus' interrogation by Annas is unique. None of the other evangelists mentioned it.18:19 Clearly Annas was the (un...
  • John omitted the earthquake, the angel rolling away the stone that covered the tomb entrance, and his sitting on the stone (Matt. 28:2-3). He also did not include the appearance of two angels to the women who visited the tomb...
  • This is the first of four of Jesus' post-resurrection appearances that John included in his Gospel.Jesus' Post-resurrection Appearances627Easter morningto Mary Magdalene (Mark 16:9-11; John 20:10-18)to other women (Matt. 28:9...
  • John did not mention when this conversation happened. It could have taken place anytime between Easter evening and the following Sunday. None of the evangelists recorded post-resurrection appearances between these two Sundays...
  • 20:26 John located this post-resurrection appearance eight days after Easter Sunday, namely the following Sunday. His "eight days"(Gr. hemeras okto) evidently included both Sundays. Perhaps he identified the day because, by t...
  • John followed the climactic proof that Jesus is God's Son with an explanation of his purpose for writing this narrative of Jesus' ministry. This explanation constitutes a preliminary conclusion to the book.20:30 "Therefore"ti...
  • 4:5 The "Council"(v. 15) before which soldiers brought Peter and John the next day was the Sanhedrin, which was the senate and supreme court of Israel. It consisted of the high priest, who served as its presiding officer, and...
  • Stephen's understanding of Moses was as orthodox as his view of God, but his presentation of Moses' career made comparison with Jesus' career unmistakable. As in the previous pericope, there is a double emphasis in this one, ...
  • Stephen's speech caused a revolution in the Jews' attitude toward the disciples of Jesus, and his martyrdom began the first persecution of the Christians.Luke recorded the Sanhedrin's response to Stephen's message to document...
  • "Paul's farewell address to the Ephesian elders is the nearest approximation to the Pauline letters in Acts. Its general content recalls how in his letters Paul encouraged, warned, and exhorted his converts. Moreover, its the...
  • "The irregular structure of Luke's account of Paul's defense before the Sanhedrin evidently reflects the tumultuous character of the session itself. Three matters pertaining to Luke's apologetic purpose come to the fore: (1) ...
  • Paul began his explanation of the believer's relationship to sin by expounding the implications of our union with Christ (6:1-14). He had already spoken of this in 5:12-21 regarding justification, but now he showed how that u...
  • 3:8 Paul had regarded his advantages over other people as what put him in a specially good position with God. However, he had come to realize that absolutely nothing apart from Jesus Christ's work on the cross was of any valu...
  • Paul gave his readers five other brief positive exhortations all of which are vitally important for individual and corporate Christian living. They all result in the maintenance of peace in the body so the saints can work tog...
  • Paul next turned to another subject on which his readers needed instruction in view of their newness in Christ (cf. 3:10). He outlined the immediate hope of his readers. He did this to explain that those of their number who h...
  • This pericope furnishes the plot for the drama that unfolds in the rest of the chapter.12:1 John saw a "sign,"something that signified or represented something else (cf. v. 3; 13:13-14; 15:1; 16:14; 19:29). Usually John used ...
  • ". . . it is not difficult to see why the early church understood John to be teaching a millennium in Revelation 20. Three arguments support this interpretation: (1) the teaching of two resurrections, (2) the binding of Satan...

Expositions Of Holy Scripture (Maclaren)

  • If a man die. shall he live again?'--Job 14:14.I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: 26. And whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die.'--John 11:25-2...
  • Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus. When He had heard therefore that he was sick, He abode two days still in the same place where He was.'--John 11:5-6.WE learn from a later verse of this chapter that Lazarus...
  • Believest thou this! She saith unto Him, Yea, Lord.'--John 11:26-27.As each of these annual sermons which I have preached for so long comes round, I feel more solemnly the growing probability that it may be the last. Like a m...
  • Now Jesus was not yet come into the town, but was in that place where Martha met him. 31. The Jews then which were with her in the house, and comforted her, when they saw Mary, that she rose up hastily and went out, followed ...
  • The repetition by Mary of Martha's words, as her first salutation, tells a pathetic story of the one thought that had filled both sisters' hearts in these four dreary days. Why had He not come? How easily He could have come! ...
  • But his arrival there brought calm and majesty. Now the time has come which He had in view when He left his refuge beyond Jordan; and, as is often the case with ourselves, suddenly tremor and tumult leave the spirit when face...
  • The Raising Of LazarusAnd when Jesus thus had spoken, He cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, Come forth. 44. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes; and his face was bound about with a napkin.'--...
  • And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them. Ye know nothing at all, nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish...
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