John 11 (selected verses)
There are four main groups in the narrative:
- Jesus and His Disciples
They were forced to move away both for rest and their safety. During this time of rest He gets an urgent message from Lazarus’ sisters, that he was ill (v2). The Disciples were more concerned about Jesus’ safety than His friend’s well-being (v8). Jesus then told them plainly that Lazarus had died. - Lazarus and his Family
Both sisters believed that Jesus could make a difference. They greeted Him in the same way, having their hope in that Jesus would have arrived before their brother died. But they, like us need to learn the lesson that God doesn’t always act in the way we expect. Martha sees the bigger picture, but not the even bigger one. She believed that her brother would rise in the end-time resurrection and focussed on the future. Jesus said “I am the resurrection and the life” – only to be found in a relationship with Him, requiring a personal trust in the “I AM” – appearing 7 times in the Gospel of John. He then said “And everyone who believes in Me shall never die but live in all eternity!” (not in English translations, but found in Afrikaans Bible). Every Sunday reminds of the resurrection of the body and of eternal life.
Do you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ?
Where was Mary? Her life was dominated by regret and that Jesus was not there to heal her brother. Many people today are also caught up in the regrets of ‘if only’. - His Jewish Friends
Jesus, by weeping with the mourners, showed that it is not wrong to weep when loved ones die, but that believers do not grieve as others who do not have hope. Jesus called Lazarus by name, and he came out, his body and head wrapped in linen strips (verse 33). What was the people’s reaction? They witnessed the most dramatic turn of events – the dead man Lazarus was raised to life in front of their eyes. In the midst of this amazing setting, we see some who now believe, but others, with hardened hearts reflect the tragedy of sin – hearts so hardened that they went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. They had witnessed the most dramatic event. One would think that it would unite the people, but that’s not always the way of the Gospel – it divides people in two groups – those who believe and those who refuse to believe in spite of what they have seen – a man being dead for four days being raised to life again! - Religious Leaders of the day
“From that day on, they made plans to put Jesus to death (verse 53). What irony in it all: The Jewish leaders took a decision to have Him killed for the sake of the nation, their reason being that it was better for one man to die than all the Jews to be wiped out by the Romans. They felt that they were acting as responsible leaders, but who was actually in control? – the very Man whom they were seeking to arrest and kill! His plan of salvation was far bigger than the High Priest or Pharisees could ever imagine – it included the salvation of all the nations of the world – not just the Jews (see v51)!
One of the key messages of the Gospel of John is that us Gentiles are also included in God’s great plan of salvation (see John 10:16).
One day all of us will have to face the death of a loved one (unless Jesus returns). What is your hope in such a situation? Do you believe that Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life?