Lesson for August 24, 2025
The Book of John
Lesson 29
Chapter 11:1-46
Jesus Raises Lazarus from the Dead
John 10:31-33, 40, “The Jews picked up stones again to stone Him. 32 Jesus replied to them, ‘I showed you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?’ 33 The Jews answered Him, ‘We are not stoning You for a good work, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God.’ 39 Therefore they were seeking again to arrest Him, and He eluded their grasp.40 And He went away again beyond the Jordan…”
John 11:1, 11, 17, 21-26, 33-35, 38-43, “Now a certain man was sick: Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 11 This He said, and after this He said to them, ‘Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going so that I may awaken him from sleep.’ 17 So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days. 21 Martha then said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 “Even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.” 23 Jesus said to her, ‘Your brother will rise from the dead.’ 24 Martha said to Him, ‘I know that he will rise in the resurrection on the last day.’ 25 Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life; the one who believes in Me will live, even if he dies, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?’” 32 So when Mary came to the place where Jesus was, she saw Him and fell at His feet, saying to Him, ‘Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.’33 Therefore when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and was troubled. 34 and He said, ‘Where have you laid him?’ They said to Him, ‘Lord, come and see.’ 35 Jesus wept. 38 So Jesus, again being deeply moved within, came to the tomb. 39 Jesus said, ‘Remove the stone.’ Martha said to Him, ‘Lord, by this time there will be a stench, for he has been dead four days.’ 40 Jesus said to her, ‘Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?’ 41 So, they removed the stone. And Jesus raised His eyes, and said, ‘Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. 42 But I knew that You always hear Me; nevertheless, because of the people standing around I said it, so that they may believe that You sent Me.’ 43 And when He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out!’ 44Out came the man who had died…”
Jesus left the area and had gone to Bethany, two miles east of Jerusalem, when He heard about His friend Lazarus being ill. Mary was the younger sister of Lazarus, and Martha was the older sister. The message to Jesus was to come quickly, but Jesus delayed. This was a purposeful delay, so that Jesus could raise Lazarus from the dead. John 11:14-15, “So, Jesus then said to them plainly, ‘Lazarus died, and I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may believe; but let’s go to him.’”
Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going so that I may awaken him from sleep.’ The Greek word for friend is “philos,” the strongest word for personal love. Lazarus was one of the closest friends that Jesus had during His earthly ministry. The Greek word for sleep is “koimaomai,” referring to the death of the body. It means the body “sleeps,” not the soul. At resurrection, the soul of a believer returns to a new glorified body that will live forever. Resurrection for believers is different from resuscitation, in that the body lives forever when it is reunited with the soul and the human spirit. (Matthew 27:52; Acts 7:60; 13:36-37; I Corinthians 11:30; 15:51; I Thessalonians 5:10; II Peter 3:4)
So, when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days. Jesus said to her, ‘Your brother will rise from the dead.’ Lazarus was going to wake up from the dead, referring to resuscitation. Jesus had to wait two days after the death of Lazarus so that He would be there four days after his death. Four days in the tomb verified the fact that Lazarus was dead.
Even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You. Jesus said to her, ‘Your brother will rise from the dead.’ Martha said to Him, ‘I know that he will rise in the resurrection on the last day.’ Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life; the one who believes in Me will live, even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?’ Martha wanted Jesus to perform a miracle and raise Lazarus from the dead. In the future, Lazarus would be resurrected. Martha understood that even if Lazarus did remain dead, he would be resurrected in the future. Lazarus was an Old Testament believer and will receive a resurrection body at the end of the Tribulation. Martha knew that Lazarus would come back in a resurrection body but did not think Lazarus could be raised from the dead.
So, when Mary came to the place where Jesus was, she saw Him and fell at His feet, saying to Him, ‘Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.’ Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and was troubled, and He said, ‘Where have you laid him?’ They said to Him, ‘Lord, come and see.’ Jesus wept. The Greek word for deeply moved is “embriaomai,” meaning righteous indignation or to groan. If it was righteous indignation from Jesus, then His anger could have been directed toward Martha and Mary or toward the professional mourners who came with Mary and who only faked bereavement. “Professional grief “was one thing, but the grief of Mary and Martha had seemingly degenerated into despair, which was inexcusable for them as believers. Jesus was also troubled seeing Martha and Mary in deep grief, and it caused Jesus to weep for them. Jesus shared the sorrow of Martha and Mary, and He took upon Himself their sorrows and their griefs. (Isaiah 53:4) This phrase actually expresses a deep compassion and at the same time indignation. Jesus could understand their sorrow and be compassionate, but He was indignant that, of all people, Mary (who had travelled with Jesus and learned at His feet) should be crying like a person with no doctrine.
He said, ‘Where have you laid him?’ Jesus interrupted all of the weeping and wailing. There were many Jews there and everyone was weeping and wailing. His question shut it all down for a minute. Jesus asked a question, not for information but to divert their attention from all of the weeping.
But some of them said, ‘Could this Man, who opened the eyes of the man who was blind, not have also kept this man from dying?’ So, Jesus, again being deeply moved within, came to the tomb. Now it was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. Jesus said, ‘Remove the stone.’ Jesus became righteously indignant at this criticism from the religious Jews for not being there when Lazarus was sick and dying. But God had a plan to demonstrate His power and authority over physical death, which caused many who observed this miracle to believe in Him as Savior. John 11:45, “Therefore many of the Jews who came to Mary, and saw what He had done, believed in Him.”
Martha, the sister of the deceased, said to Him, ‘Lord, by this time there will be a stench, for he has been dead four days.’ Martha assumed that Jesus simply wanted to open the tomb so that He could look at the body of Lazarus, which was human viewpoint. It never occurred to Martha that Jesus was going to raise Lazarus from the dead. Martha was saying it’s too late, his body is beyond viewing. But that was human viewpoint, not divine viewpoint!!
Jesus said to her, ‘Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?’ So, they removed the stone. Jesus emphasized the necessity of faith if Martha was to see the glory of God demonstrated by a miracle. The more doctrine you have, the more you see the glory of God in the events surrounding you!!
And Jesus raised His eyes, and said, ‘Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. But I knew that You always hear Me; nevertheless, because of the people standing around I said it, so that they may believe that You sent Me.’ Father was the correct address of prayer, as demonstrated by Jesus. You have heard Me is Jesus’ trust in the plan of God, based on the doctrine in His soul. In eternity past, God the Father knew what Jesus would say in His humanity. Jesus prayed out loud so that everyone could hear Him and realize He was acting on the authority of God, so that they would believe in Him. John 11:43-44
“He cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out!’ Out came the man who had died, bound hand and foot with wrappings, and his face was wrapped around with a cloth. Jesus said to them, ‘Unbind him, and let him go.’ “
Lazarus being raised from the dead was an illustration of salvation. We share the life of Christ – eternal life. Spiritual death has everyone “bound” at birth. It is only by believing in Jesus Christ, and the payment He made for our sin, that we can be “unbound” from spiritual death and have eternal life. (Romans 6:23; Galatians 5:1)