The Gospel of John
Sisters in Christ
The Moody Church
Lesson 31
as presented by Mary Whelchel
John 11:28 – 44
Jesus Weeps
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.” 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?”
Jesus Raises Lazarus
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?” 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.”
Quiz:
1. What are the synoptic gospels?
2. Jesus said true worshipers will worship in and in
3. Jesus’ favorite description of himself was
4. How did Jesus defend himself against the accusations that he violated the Sabbath law?
5. How many of the seven “I am” statements of Jesus in the Gospel of John can you name?
6. How may of the seven signs (miracles) in the Gospel of John can you name?
Mary and Martha are in the midst of grieving, the formal grieving that was customary in that day. We have our mourning traditions today, but it’s always good to remind ourselves that when people are mourning, they do need others to mourn with them.
Ecclesiastes 7:4: The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.
Romans 12:15: Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.
Do you find it awkward to “weep with those who weep”? Remember, you don’t have to have words, just tears.
How would you describe the relationship between Martha and Mary at this point, compared to the story in Luke 10:38 – 42?
Mary—and Martha—both say to Jesus: “Lord if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” What do you think was their attitude toward Jesus at this point?
Notice Jesus’ reaction when Mary falls at his feet:
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.
The original word for “deeply moved” would include the connotation of ,
, and . Why did Jesus have such a strong, emotional reaction when he saw Mary and her friends weeping?
“Jesus wept.” This word would indicate that he silently burst into tears, unlike the typical funeral mourners.
But why is he weeping?
Isaiah 53:3: He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief. . .”
Notice the two different reactions of those Jews who came along with Mary. Some remarked at his compassion and how much he . But others were critical of him for not coming in time to .
Jesus was a polarizing personality. There was no middle ground then and there is none now. They would dare question the Son of God and accuse him of not caring enough about Lazarus to come soon enough to heal him.
Ephesians 1:11 – Jesus works “all things according to the counsel of his will.”
Job 33:13: “Why do you complain against Him, that He does not give an account of all His doings? (ASV)
Again deeply moved, Jesus comes to the cave where Lazarus is buried and orders the stone to be removed. Can you even imagine the consternation not only of Martha and Mary, but of all who were present? What person would have the audacity to demand that the stone be moved away from a grave?
The amazing thing is that they follow Jesus’ instructions to remove the stone. His voice, his presence exuded such authority, that even at this really outrageous command, they do it.
After the stone is removed, Jesus prays an interesting prayer:
“Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 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.”
Why did he pray this prayer?
He then cried out with a loud voice, and John intentionally mentions this. Why did he cry with a loud voice?
One day in the future there will be a resurrection of all the dead:
John 5:28 – 29: Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.
Three words, “Lazarus, come out!” No hyped up dramatic scene. No showmanship or theatrics. He robs the grave of its victory, and it is a preview of the victory he will win on the cross.
1 Corinthians 15:54-57: “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
John doesn’t report on Lazarus’s experience after the resurrection. What questions would you have asked Lazarus? We’re given no details.
John wrote his gospel for one reason:
John 20:31: But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that be believing you may have life in his name.
It was all about Jesus, not about Lazarus.
Yet this pales in comparison to the resurrection of Jesus Christ, because Lazarus rose with a mortal, corruptible body that would one day die again. But Jesus rose with an incorruptible body as the conqueror of death.
1 Corinthians 15:21-22: For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.
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