In this chapter we will find:
I) Lazarus is sick, and Jesus delays His coming (vv. 1-18)
II) Mary & Martha, and their interaction with Jesus (vv. 19-40)
III) Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead and the consequences (vv. 41-57)
PART I: VERSES 1-18
Part I: Verses 1-18
The Facts
We know several things from this part of the chapter that are explicitly stated:
- Jesus knows this family, and loves Lazarus and his two sisters-Martha and Mary.
- The sisters sent word to Jesus that Lazarus was sick. They had hopes He would come and heal him.
- Jesus purposely delayed going to the family. He actually waited until after Lazarus died, even though He was only about 1.7 miles away.
- Jesus had just had His life threatened, but this was not the cause of His delay.
The Take-Aways
First and foremost, we can learn from this brief passage that two opposite realities can harmoniously coexist without contradiction. They are: (1) Jesus loves us just as He loves Lazarus and his sisters, and (2) suffering is still a very real reality in all of our lives. This is true for Lazarus, Martha, Mary, Jesus, and even us.
Second, just like in the previous chapter of John, we are reminded of the mysterious truth that sometimes God is glorified, and His works manifest, through human suffering. Matthew Henry, a Christian theologian from the late 1600’s to early 1700’s, wrote the following in his commentary on John 9:3, “The sentences in the book of providence are sometimes long, and you must read a great way before you can apprehend the sense of them.” In other words, we are not likely to understand what God is doing when we are in the midst of the storm. We may very well have to wait and trust in Him until the very end to make sense of it. We should also keep in mind, just like in this story, that Jesus does in fact love Lazarus and his sisters, but He also loves His disciples, the people mourning with the family, strangers, neighbors, casual onlookers, as well as the religious leaders of the day that were antagonistic towards Him, as well as the countless multitudes that would hear about and read about this account for the past 2,000 years and into the future. Looking at it in this context helps to demonstrate that you and I never have the whole story or see the grand design. Our task is to faithfully and patiently endure.
Jeremiah 29:11 is a popular verse that is often abused and misused out of context. It reads, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end” (KJV). When the lord spoke this to Jeremiah, He was speaking in the context of His ‘plan’ to send His people into exile into Babylon as punishment for their sin. They would lose their Temple, way of life, national identity, and freedom and remain there for decades. And yet God still says that He has good plans for His people. God didn’t say the 70 years would be easy, but He promised to give them a hope, a future, and an expected end. This is what we need to resolve in our hearts and minds as well…we must commit to stand firm in our faith no matter what comes our way, trusting that God has promised an eternal hope and expected end. He has not promised a problem-free life or to have all of our prayer / requests / demands fulfilled how and when we want.
Part II: Verses 19-40
The Facts
For the purpose of limiting the scope of this study, this section will focus on comparing and contrasting the words, actions, and attitudes of the 2 sisters: Mary & Martha
| Event | Martha | Mary |
| How they came to Jesus | v20 says that when she heard Jesus was coming, Martha went out and ‘met’ Him. This word translated as ‘met‘ is a military word that refers to a hostile / adversarial encounter | By comparison, v29 states that Mary ‘came’ to Jesus as one that was summoned. Also, v 32 adds that when she arrive where Jesus was, she fell at His feet and worshipped. |
| The words the sisters initially spoke to Jesus | v21 “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.“ (identical words) | v32 “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.“ (identical words) |
| Jesus’ initial verbal response to the sisters | vv 23-28. Jesus essentially gave Martha a theology lesson that did not seem to help Martha nor did it seem to be compassionate | vv 33-35. Jesus was groaning in His Spirit and He wept |
| Jesus’ initial physical response to the sisters | vv 20, 30 Jesus was on His way to do a great work – to raise Lazarus from the dead. But verse 30 tells us that “Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him.” It would seem that Martha’s confrontation of Jesus had indeed stopped Him in His tracks. He had not moved from that spot. | vv 33-39 Jesus weeps with Mary. He asks her where the tomb is. He goes there to raise Lazarus from the dead. |
The Take-Aways
First and foremost, we can learn that the manner in which we approach Jesus matters just as much (if not more) as the words we speak to Him. Next, let us consider the individual narratives from both sister’s perspectives. Let’s start with Martha:
- Martha, in conjunction with her sister, sends word to Jesus about Lazarus (v3). They appealed to Him to come and heal their brother. Possibly to increase their chances of attaining their request, they remind Jesus ‘this is the Lazarus that you love and care about.’
- It would appear from the story in John 11, that Martha was likely fixated on Jesus not coming in time. At this time in history, their was a popular Jewish belief that “death was irrevocable three days after a person dies.” 1 So we can only imagine that while her brother was alive, she had hope he could be healed. When Jesus delayed, and Lazarus died, we can imagine that her faith in Jesus waned and while her anger with Jesus increased. Yet, maybe she and others held out hope Jesus could still raise him from the dead before the third day. Maybe this is one of the reasons that Jesus delayed until the 4th day Lazarus was in the grave… to demonstrate that it is never to late for God to intervene. “With God, all things are possible” 2.
- With all hope lost, hearing that now Jesus was nearby, Martha heads to confront Jesus with both barrels loaded. She was going to give her “Lord” a piece of her mind and chastise Him for letting her and her family go through this.
- Even though her opening salvo includes, “But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You” 3, I am not sure she really believes it. Jesus responds to her and lets her know that indeed, her brother will rise again. And yet still, she wants to continue to argue and debate with Him.
- Sadly, in verse 27, she has such a clear and amazing acknowledgment of Jesus being the Christ, the very Son of God, whom the whole nation had been waiting for…and then just walked away?!?!? Martha had the right theology, but not the right heart, mindset or attitude.
- The result of her chastising her very “Lord” (v21), and lecturing the Christ the Son of God was…halting the very work of God. Jesus was on track to go and raise Lazarus and work the works of God, but Martha’s treatment and confrontation of Christ left Him at that very spot. She said her peace, but in the process had stopped the Prince of Peace from doing the very thing that she wanted Him to do.
- Even after Mary comes before the King and moves Him both to tears and the tomb, when Jesus begins to raise Lazarus, Martha again objects (v39).
Now let us look at the storyline from Mary’s perspective.
- Mary, with Martha, sent for Jesus to come and help (v3).
- Yet, when she heard that Jesus was coming, she sat still in the house mourning (v20). Although she was hurt, upset, and grieving…her mind was not to confront Jesus in her grief, rather to wait patiently on the salvation of her Lord. It was not until Martha told her that Jesus was calling for her (we do not know if that is true or not) that she arose and went to Him as one summoned (v29).
- When she arrived where Jesus was, she fell at His feet and worshipped Him (32). Also note that when Martha went out to confront Jesus, no one followed. However, when Mary fled the house in haste to go to Jesus, people mourning with her accompanied her (v31). Again, she spoke the exact same words as did her sister. Only this time, Jesus responded quite differently. He was deeply troubled. He wept. He wanted to know where Lazarus’ tomb was. He went with her. He was now back on track to continue His mission and raise Lazarus from the dead. He was no longer stopped where Martha had confronted Him.
There are many challenges in this story for believers. As we reflect on this passage, we should ask ourselves a few questions:
- When I suffer or do not have my prayers, pleas, and requests answered when or how I want, how do I respond? More like Martha or Mary?
- In my thoughts and conversations with God, am I like Martha (prideful, arrogant, demanding, blinded by a hardened heart) or Mary (humble, submissive, worshipful in all things, and respectful to the King of kings and Lord of lords)?
- Like Mary, is there some situation in my life that I may have stopped God from working in due to how I approached Him? Is there something I need to repent of?
- Have I treated Jesus, the Christ, my Lord, my Savior, the very Son of God, Lord of all creation as Someone who is subject to my will and my demands, Who should place my needs and demands as priority over all creation (like Martha)? Or have I come before His throne, fallen at His feet, and treated Him with all of the reverent fear, awe, love, and submissive obedience as someone who has been saved by His infinite love and immeasurable sacrifice (like Mary)?
Part III: Verses 41-57
The Facts
There is much in this section that could be focused on and mined out for a plethora of applications. For brevity sake, I want to close out this section by primarily noticing the different reactions by the crowds that had come to mourn with the family. But first, a quick outline of the content of this section:
- Jesus speaks out loud to The Father so that people will know beyond a shadow of doubt where His authority comes from. This was a topic of heated and divisive arguments in the previous chapter.
- Jesus speaks and Lazarus is raised from the dead.
- In v45 we encounter our first group of witnesses. Here we read that the people who were comforting Mary saw the miracle and believed on Jesus.
- V46 says that others went and told the religious leaders…as if Jesus had done something deserving of punishment.
The Take-Aways
One thing that amazes me as I read throughout the Gospels is that Jesus was very polarizing. It would seem that everyone He encountered either loved Him and worshipped Him as Lord and Savior, or they hated Him and wanted Him dead. While there are likely people who may have been indifferent or undecided, ultimately we all effectively stand on one side or the other. We must either make Him Lord once and for all, and settle it in our hearts that He is deserving of our loving worship and surrendered obedience or we by word or deed will hate Him, rejecting Him as Lord over our lives – refusing to give up control.
Article Footnotes