John 11 Commentary: "The Resurrection and the Life"

This chapter shows the power of Christ from beginning to end. It shows His fearlessness. It shows His awareness of His identity and His authority by the power of God. From the beginning to the end it shows Jesus as our fearless Leader. He leads the disciples to Martha, Mary and Lazarus’ house in Bethany.

Jesus receives a message that Lazarus is sick and about to die, but He stays where He is for a couple more days. He allows Lazarus to die so He can show His power, and bring glory to God by raising Him from the dead.

(Sometimes God allows things to happen to us that seem bad but He does it to be able to show us His great strength and power. In our weakness, He is strong and powerful.)

Bethany is in Judea. Jesus and His disciples had been staying beyond the Jordan River away from the Jewish leaders who were trying to kill Him. When He suggests going back to Judea one of the disciples (Thomas) says: “Yes, let’s go there so we can die with Jesus too.” Jesus shows His fearlessness by saying that as long as one walks in the light of day (Himself) one will never stumble but only if one walks in darkness (evil) will they stumble. He is strengthening the disciples by trying to explain that they have nothing to fear as long as they walk with Him.

Martha and Mary both come to Jesus separately. Jesus has not entered the town yet, but is still outside of it.

(Sometimes God seems far away and un-involved but He is working according to His plan and not ours, so we must trust His plan.)

The next part is contrasting Martha and Mary who were two very different people and at two different levels of faith.

Martha comes to where Jesus is and tells Him: “Lord if You had been here, my brother would not have died.”

(Many times we cannot understand why God would sit back and allow bad things to happen to us. We cannot understand the mind of God and how He is working things that seem bad to us to work together for good.)

Jesus uses this situation as a demonstration of the way He works.

Martha does not see at this point that Jesus is truly the Christ. He needs to demonstrate it to her by speaking plainly to her. He assures her Lazarus will rise again. She doesn’t understand He means now. She says: “Yes he will rise again in the resurrection in the last day.”

Jesus then makes a stunning statement to her. He says: “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” He says this with such conviction and authority in order for the words sink straight into Martha’s spirit. She says she believes, yet she still has trouble believing. When Jesus told them to roll the stone away from the tomb she objects. Jesus says lovingly but firmly to her: “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?”

Mary seems too be a more sensitive person, and Jesus deals with her tenderly, just as He did with Martha. Mary stays in the house forlorn when Jesus approaches the town. She is hurt at the situation, and does not go with Martha. She stays behind. She is upset that Jesus let her brother die. Then Martha comes back and tells her Jesus is calling for her.

Mary goes and seeks the Lord. She says the same thing to Jesus “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” Jesus hears this and groans within Himself. She is saying this out of hurt and pain but also from a place of faith and love. Jesus was grieved over her sadness and wept. He asks where they have laid Lazarus.

They arrive at the tomb. Jesus prays to the Father, and then cries out with a loud voice: "Lazarus, come forth!" Lazarus rises up and walks out of the grave covered in grave clothes.


(I have felt spiritually close to death at times in my life and felt God saying to me: "Get up!"I have felt God raise me up in the same way when I feel I cannot go on, He helps me get up.  He doesn't expect me to do it on my own but gives me the strength to rise up again. I may be covered with rubble, bruised, broken and half dead, but when Jesus calls my name I rise: renewed, empowered and able to go on. Jesus still has the power to make us rise from the dead and save us from spiritual death. When we become born again we have literally been resurrected spiritually from being dead in our sins. We become alive in Christ, and will live forever.)

Genuine faith moves Jesus, but even mistrust and doubting do not keep Him from moving and being able to work.

Even after some of the people around see Jesus perform this miracle, they still do not believe in Him because of the hardness of their hearts.

We must have a soft and tender heart towards Jesus like Mary of Bethany, and we must trust Him no matter what. We must obey Him no matter what, even if we do not agree.  We all have different levels of faith, but even weak faith does not limit how mightily God can work.

After this spectacle, it makes the Jewish authorities more determined to kill Jesus. He does not avoid walking plainly among the Jews because He is afraid, but because the time had not yet come to give His life as a sacrifice. He had more ministering to do before that happened.