The Gospel of John – Chapter 11 – The Death of Lazarus

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Among the many things that are highlighted in the Gospel of John, Chapter 11, is the death of Lazarus. As the mourning community gathered to grieve the loss of their loved one, Jesus spoke to the dead body as if he were alive, and cried out for Lazarus to come out of the grave.

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Opening Prayer

God of unfailing light,
in your realm of glory
the poor are blessed,
the hungry filled,
and every tear is wiped away.
Strengthened by this vision,
may we follow in the way of holiness
that your Son made known in life and death. Amen

The Gospel of John – Chapter 11 – The Death of Lazarus

Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.) So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.”

When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”

“But Rabbi,” they said, “a short while ago the Jews there tried to stone you, and yet you are going back?”

Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Anyone who walks in the daytime will not stumble, for they see by this world’s light. 10 It is when a person walks at night that they stumble, for they have no light.”

11 After he had said this, he went on to tell them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.”

12 His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.” 13 Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.

14 So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, 15 and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”

16 Then Thomas (also known as Didymus[a]) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

Jesus Comforts the Sisters of Lazarus

17 On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. 18 Now Bethany was less than two miles[b] from Jerusalem, 19 and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. 20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.

21 “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”

23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”

24 Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”

25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

27 “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”

28 After she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. “The Teacher is here,” she said, “and is asking for you.” 29 When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. 31 When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there.

32 When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. 34 “Where have you laid him?” he asked.

“Come and see, Lord,” they replied.

35 Jesus wept.

36 Then 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 have kept this man from dying?”

Jesus Raises Lazarus From the Dead

38 Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. 39 “Take away the stone,” he said.

“But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”

40 Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”

41 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”

43 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.

Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”

The Plot to Kill Jesus

45 Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him. 46 But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. 47 Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin.

“What are we accomplishing?” they asked. “Here is this man performing many signs. 48 If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our nation.”

49 Then one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, spoke up, “You know nothing at all! 50 You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.”

51 He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, 52 and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one. 53 So from that day on they plotted to take his life.

54 Therefore Jesus no longer moved about publicly among the people of Judea. Instead he withdrew to a region near the wilderness, to a village called Ephraim, where he stayed with his disciples.

55 When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, many went up from the country to Jerusalem for their ceremonial cleansing before the Passover. 56 They kept looking for Jesus, and as they stood in the temple courts they asked one another, “What do you think? Isn’t he coming to the festival at all?” 57 But the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that anyone who found out where Jesus was should report it so that they might arrest him.

Intercessory Prayer

All blessing, honor, and glory,
all wisdom, praise, and thanks be yours,
O God of our salvation!
We pray in communion with all the saints on earth and heaven,
with the martyrs and the faithful in all ages,
and in the name of the Lamb who was slain,
who alone is worthy of worship.

Prayers of the People

Bless us with your healing presence;
make us hungry for justice;
strengthen our faith;
and increase our love for others,
especially those we find it most difficult to love. Amen.

Sermon: The Death of Lazarus

Jesus shares in the grief of those who mourn

Besides being a perfect example of God’s power, the Lazarus story also illustrates how Jesus shares in the grief of his mourners. He was deeply moved by the loss of a friend, and he did what only God could do.

While it is not uncommon to be moved by a death, the fact that the deceased person was a dear friend or loved one is even more significant. When a person dies, it is an opportunity to show their loved ones how much they are loved.

While the death of Lazarus was not a common event in Jesus’ life, the fact that he shared in the mourning of his grieving friends is a sign of how much he understood their pain. The Bible also states that Jesus “was greatly troubled by the things that happened.”

The story of Lazarus provides a good example of how Jesus’ heartfelt grief is not a lack of faith. He knew that Lazarus would be raised from the dead, and that his resurrection is a foreshadowing of his own resurrection. He also knows that his death on the cross was the first step in defeating death.

Jesus spoke to a dead body as if it were alive

Throughout His earthly ministry, Jesus made predictions about His resurrection. At the very beginning of His ministry, He predicted that he would rise in bodily form.

After his resurrection, He appeared to his disciples. He also appeared to many people in the crowd. He answered their questions about Scripture. He told them that the kingdom of the Father is like a merchant who found a pearl. He also said that a sower must scatter seeds. He showed them his hands and side.

During His first appearance, He spoke to a young man on a bier. The young man’s mother looked at Him. She wanted to know more about His teachings. He was a wise man, and he knew that death was not the end of a person’s life. He also had great sympathy for the mother.

Jesus cried out for Lazarus to come out of the grave

During the early part of the Gospel of John, Lazarus is mentioned a few times. Jesus’ relationship with the Lazarus family is clear. He loved them as much as Mary and Martha. And He was aware of the fact that Lazarus was sick.

Before Jesus arrived, Lazarus was in the grave for four days. Jewish superstition said that after four days, there was no hope for resuscitation. However, Jesus had the power to resurrect Lazarus. And he proved it by raising him from the dead.

Many Jews believed that Jesus was the Son of God. They also believed that he could heal Lazarus. After seeing Jesus’ miracles, they decided to believe in Him. They were afraid that Jesus would be killed when he returned to Judea.

Jesus’ plan to heal Lazarus before he succumbs

During his earthly ministry, Jesus was known to heal many people. Lazarus was one of these people. He was also one of Jesus’ closest friends.

When he was sick, Lazarus lived in the town of Bethany, two miles outside of Jerusalem. His sisters sent a messenger to Jesus to ask him to come to their home and help their brother. When Jesus heard the message, He delayed his trip for two days.

In the meantime, Jesus’ disciples were reluctant to go near Jerusalem. They thought that Jesus’ actions would be a threat to the authority of the religious leaders. However, their hesitation did not deter Jesus from his duty to glorify God.

After a few more days of waiting, Jesus and His disciples arrived in Bethany. He was still traveling around Judea. He stopped at the home of Lazarus’ sisters, Martha and Mary.

Jesus’ push further into Judea will lead to his cross

During his ministry, Jesus of Nazareth fulfilled the Messianic prophecy of the Suffering Servant of the Lord. His death on the Cross is a fulfillment of this prophecy.

Jesus of Nazareth was crucified between two criminals. His execution was in Judea, outside Jerusalem. This is an important event because it demonstrates that Jesus was not a king of the Romans, and the Romans did not allow Jewish leaders to execute criminals. Nevertheless, Pilate believed that Jesus was a perverting nation, and so he was willing to put him to death.

The Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, was a Roman who ruled over Judea. He was a ruthless man who did not consider the moral feelings of the people. The religious leaders accused him of leading an insurrection.


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