John 11
TFGJohn 11:1-46
J 1-46. [For Bethany and the sisters, see ] [The anointing had not yet taken place, as John himself shows. For a similar anticipation see . There are five prominent Marys in the New Testament: those of Nazareth, Magdala and Bethany; the mother of Mark, and the wife of Clopas.] [The message and its form both indicate the close intimacy between this family and Christ. They make no request, trusting that Jesus’ love will bring him to Bethany.] [The sickness of Lazarus was for the purpose or design of a resurrection, so that death was a mere preceding incident. By this resurrection the Son of God would be glorified by manifesting more clearly than ever before that death came under his Messianic dominion, and by gathering believers from amongst his enemies. In all this the Father would also be glorified in the Son.] [In this passage we have two Greek words for love.
In , we have which expresses natural affection such as a parent feels for a child. In this verse we have an affection resulting from moral choice, loftier and less impulsive.
We are told of the Lord’s love that we may understand that his delay was not due to indifference.] [519] [It is urged that the exigencies of his ministry delayed Jesus in Peræa. But the import of the texts is that he kept away because of his love for the household of Lazarus and his desire to bless his disciples. He delayed that he might discipline and perfect the faith of the sisters and disciples. He withheld his blessing that he might enlarge it. Strauss pronounces it immoral in Christ to let his friend die in order to glorify himself by a miracle. In the vocabulary of Strauss, glorification means the gratification of personal vanity, but in the language of Christ it means the revelation of himself as the divine Saviour, that men may believe and receive the blessing of salvation.] [The word “again” refers back to .
Jesus does not propose to them to return to Bethany, where he has friends, but to go back to Judæa, the land of hostility. In so doing he caused them to think of his death, of which he had some time been seeking to accustom them to think.] [ ] [This parabolic expression resembles that at John ix. 4.
See ), and then the further prosecution of the work would lead to death, for death was part of the work, and had its allotted time and place.] [520] [Jesus had before this spoken of death under the figure of sleep (Luke viii. 52, see . As it was, they looked upon the mentioned sleep as marking the crisis of the disease, as it so often does in cases of fever. They were glad to urge it as an evidence of complete recovery, and thus remove one of the causes of the dreaded journey into Judæa.] [Had Jesus been present during the sickness of Lazarus, he would have felt constrained to heal him, and so would have lost the opportunity of presenting to his disciples a more striking proof of his divine power, a proof which has been the joy of each succeeding age. The disciples were soon to learn by sad experience how little belief they really had– , , , , .] [see . They could not die with Lazarus, as some have foolishly supposed, for he was already dead. This mention of Thomas is closely connected with the thought in .
Jesus was about to work a miracle for the express purpose of inducing his disciples to believe in him, especially as to his power over death. In this despairing speech Thomas shows how little faith he had in Christ’s ability to cope with death.
Thomas sadly needed to witness the miracle of the resurrection of Lazarus, and even after seeing it, it proved insufficient to sustain his faith in the ordeal through which he was about to pass– .] [If Lazarus was buried on the [521] day he died, as is the custom in the East, and in hot climates generally , he probably died on the day that the messengers brought word to Jesus about his sickness. If so, Jesus set forth for Bethany on the third day and arrived there on the fourth. The resurrections wrought by Jesus are progressional manifestations of power. Jairus’ daughter was raised immediately after death, the young man of Nain was being carried to his grave, and Lazarus was buried four days. All these were preparatory to that last and greatest manifestation of resurrectional power–the raising of his own body.] [the furlong, or stadium, was six hundred feet, so that the distance here was one and seven-eighths miles] [These Jews were present four days after the death because Jewish custom prolonged the season of mourning . The Mishna prescribed seven days for near relatives, and the rules as laid down by rabbis, required seven days’ public and thirty days’ private mourning for distinguished or important personages.] [Jesus evidently paused on the outskirts of the town.
He probably wished to avoid the noisy conventional wailing, the hypocrisy of which was distasteful to him . It comports with the businesslike character of Martha as depicted by Luke to have heard of our Lord’s arrival before Mary.
She was probably discharging her duty towards the guests and new arrivals, as was her wont. See . We must therefore look upon her hope as more vague than her [522] words would indicate. Such vague and illusive hopes are common where a great expectation, such as she had before indulged, had but lately departed.] [Instead of saying “I will raise Lazarus,” Jesus uses the wholly impersonal phrase “thy brother shall rise again,” for it was this very impersonal feature of faith which he wished to correct. Martha assents to it at once. The doctrine of a resurrection was commonly held by all the Jews except the Sadducees.
It was in their view, however, a remote, impersonal affair, a very far distant event powerless to comfort in bereavement. From this comparatively cheerless hope, Jesus would draw Martha to look upon as both resurrection and life.
Where he is there is life, and there also is resurrection at his word without limitation. No mere man, if sane, could have uttered such words. They mean that Jesus is the power which raises the dead and bestows eternal life– , .] [She could not say she believed it, for Lazarus had believed in Jesus and yet he had died. So, evading the question, she confessed her faith in him. Believing him, she accepted whatever he might say. She responds in the words of that apostolic creed which, in its ultimate application, embraces all that is true and discards all that is false . See , ). According to Eastern custom, the Jews followed her as friends, to assist in the demonstration of mourning.
This frustrated the effort of Martha to keep secret the Lord’s coming, and caused the miracle to be wrought in the presence of a mixed body of spectators.] [in grief and dependence, but with less self-control than Martha] [That both sisters used this phrase, shows that it is an echo of the past feelings and conversations of the sisters. It is clear that they felt hurt at his not coming sooner, as he could have done.] [The verb translated “groaned” carries in it the idea of indignation. But the fact that sin had brought such misery to those he loved was enough to account for the feeling] [This question was designed to bring all parties to the tomb; it was not asked for information. See ), but here, as a friend, he mingled his quiet tears with the two broken-hearted sisters, thus assuring us of his sympathy with the individual grief of each lowly disciple . Nor did the nearness of comfort prevent his tears. They were tears of sympathy. “A sympathetic physician,” says Neander, “in [524] the midst of a family drowned in grief,–will not his tears flow with theirs, though he knows that he has the power of giving immediate relief?”] [Knowing the miracle which he had performed upon a blind man , they could therefore see no reason why he should not have performed one here.] [These stones were frequently in the shape of large grindstones resting in a groove, so that they could be rolled in front of the door of the tomb.
Tombs had to be closed securely to keep out jackals and other ravenous beasts.] [Miracles only begin where human power ends.] [She evidently thought that Jesus wished to see the remains of his friend, and her sisterly feeling prompted her to conceal the humiliating ravages of death. Her words show how little expectation of a resurrection she had.] [Jesus reminds her of his words which are recorded in , , and of the message which he sent, found in , thus removing her objections.] [Jesus, dwelling in constant communion with the Father, knew that the Father concurred in his wish to raise Lazarus.
He therefore makes public acknowledgment, and offers a prayer of thanksgiving, for the Father’s gracious answer to this and all his petitions. He states, too, that the prayer is publicly made [525] that it may induce faith in the bystanders. He wished all present to know that the miracle about to be wrought is not the work of some independent wonder-worker, but is performed by him as one commissioned and sent of God. In other words, the miracle was wrought to prove the concord between the Son and the Father, the very fact which the Jews refused to believe. Rationalists criticize this prayer as a violation of the principle at , , and Weisse called it “prayer for show.” But it shows on its face that it is not uttered by Jesus to draw admiration to himself as a praying man, but to induce faith unto salvation in those who heard.] [The loud cry emphasized the fact that the miracle was wrought by personal authority, and not by charms, incantations, or other questionable means. His voice was as it were an earnest of the final calling which all shall hear .
It has been happily said he called Lazarus by name, lest all the dead should rise.] [It is thought by some that Lazarus walked forth from the tomb, and the fact that the Egyptians sometimes swathed their mummies so as to keep the limbs and even the fingers separate is cited to show that Lazarus was not so bound as to prevent motion. But the grave-clothes were like a modern shroud, wrapped around arms and legs, and mummies also were thus wrapped after their limbs were swathed.
It was part of the miracle that Lazarus came out bound hand and foot, and John puts emphasis upon it.] [some of the class mentioned in ] [By the miracle Jesus had won many from the ranks of his enemies, but others, alarmed at this deflection, rush off to tell the Pharisees about this new [526] cause for alarm. Farrar argues that these may have gone to the Pharisees with good intentions toward Jesus, but surely no friend of Jesus could have been so hasty to communicate with his enemies. But the way in which the Evangelist separates these from the believers of , stamps their action as unquestionably hostile.] [FFG 519-527]
John 11:47-54
(Jerusalem and Ephraim in Judæa.) J 47-54. [called a meeting of the Sanhedrin] [Thus they reproach one another for having done nothing in a present and urgent crisis. As two of their number (Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathæa) were afterwards in communications with Christians, it was easy for the disciples to find out what occurred on this notable occasion.] [They did not deny the miracles, therefore their conduct was the more inexcusable.] [they found that despite the threat of excommunication, Jesus was still winning disciples under the very shadow of Jerusalem] [The course of Jesus seemed to undermine Judaism, and to leave it a prey to the innovations of Rome. It is uncertain what is meant by the noun “place.” Meyer says it refers to Jerusalem; Luecke to the temple; while Bengel says that place and nation are a proverbial expression, meaning “our all;” but the Greek language furnishes no example of such proverbial use. It is more likely that place refers to their seats in the Sanhedrin, which they would be likely to lose if the influence of Jesus became, as they feared, the dominant power. They [527] feared then that the Romans would, by removing them, take away the last vestige of civil and ecclesiastical authority, and then eventually obliterate the national life.] [that notable, fatal year; he was high priest from A. D. 18 to A.
D. 36] [His words are a stinging rebuke, which may be paraphrased thus: “If you had any sense you would not sit there asking, ‘What do we?’ when there is but one thing to do; viz.: Let Jesus die and save the people.” Expediency, not justice, is his law.] [ , ] [The expression “not of himself” is a very common Hebrew idiom for “not of himself " God had a meaning in his words different from his own. In earlier, better days the high priest had represented the divine headship of the nation, and through him, by means of the Urim and Thummin, the inspired oracles and decisions had been wont to come.
This exalted honor had been lost through unworthiness. But now, according to the will of God, the high priest prophesies in spite of himself, as did Balaam and Saul, performing the office without the honor.] [Thus, acting on the advice of Caiaphas the Sanhedrin condemned Jesus without a hearing and sought means to carry their condemnation to execution. Quieting their consciences by professing to see such political dangers as made it necessary to kill Jesus for the public welfare, they departed utterly from justice, and took the course which brought upon them the very evils which they were professedly seeking to avoid.] [528] [Ephraim is supposed to be the city called Ophrah at and Ephraim at . Dr. Robinson and others identify it with the village now called et Taiybeh, which is situated on a conical-shaped hill about sixteen miles northeast of Jerusalem and five miles east of Bethel. It is on the borders of a wilderness, and commands an extensive view of the Jordan valley. Here Jesus remained till shortly before his last Passover.] [FFG 527-529]
John 11:55-200
(From Friday afternoon till Saturday Night, March 31 and April 1, A. D. 30.) J 55-57; 1-11; M 6-13; M 3-9. [These Jews went up before the Passover that they might have time to purify themselves from ceremonial uncleanness before the feast. They were expected to purify before any important event , and did so before the passover , for those who were ceremonially unclean were excluded from it– .] [The decree of the Sanhedrin ordering the arrest of Jesus led the people to question as to whether he would dare to approach the city. But this mention of it and the stir and question which it created have a dark significance. It shows that the Jews generally were forewarned of the evil purpose of the Sanhedrin, and the dangers which surrounded Jesus. They were not taken unawares when their rulers told them to raise the cry “Crucify him!” And they raised it after they had due notice and time [568] for deliberation.] [The word “therefore” refers to the decree and consequent dangers just mentioned. Because his “hour” had come, Jesus went to face these dangers.
We are told that he came to the house of Lazarus and that he kept near Lazarus because these facts emphasized the great miracle which roused the hatred of the Jews, and caused them more earnestly to seek the death of Christ. Jesus appears to have arrived in Bethany Friday afternoon, March 31, A.
D. 30. It is likely that he spent the Sabbath day at that place, and that the supper mentioned below was given him after sunset on Saturday, which, according to Jewish reckoning, would be the beginning of Sunday. This supper is mentioned later by Matthew and Mark, but without any note of time to show that it belongs specifically where they put it. But John does give us a note of time. The shows that it was the night before the triumphal entry, and therefore we follow the chronology of John.] [Who Simon the leper was is not known. It is not unlikely that he was one whom Jesus had healed, and that he united with the household of Lazarus in a joint effort to show gratitude unto the Lord for his goodness to this group of his friends.] [there] [a a Greek weight containing nearly twelve ounces avoirdupois] [Nard was a liquid perfume distilled from some odorous plant or plants and mingled with oil.
It was sealed in flasks or alabaster boxes and imported from the far East] [569] [The cruse seems to have been a long-necked flask sealed with wax so tightly as to necessitate it being broken to extract the nard. These flasks were tasteful and costly objects such as women delight to possess.
Many of them were so delicate that Pliny compares them to closed rosebuds, and the same writer, speaking of nard, reckons it as an instance of excessive luxury to anoint the feet or ankles with it] [Thus the liberality of Mary contributed to the pleasure of all the guests. The odor of a good deed is generally diffusive.] [It seems very likely that this murmuring was started by Judas Iscariot, for the murmurers fall in with his notions that the price of the ointment should be deposited in the poor fund. It is a singular thing that Jesus permitted a thief to occupy the office of treasurer. It is probable that Judas was honest when he was called to serve, but that same management and spirit of economy which made him fit for the place ruined him when he got it. Thus our strong points are often our weakest. The price of the pound of nard would be about fifty-one dollars of our money, but the purchasing power of money was then nearly ten times as great as it is now.
The price here named agrees almost exactly with the figures at which Pliny rates the most costly nard.] [570] [The expression “Suffer,” etc., used by John, is taken by some as implying that all the ointment was not poured out, and that some of the apostles were endeavoring to persuade Mary to keep and sell what was left, and that Jesus ordered it kept to finish the embalming of his body which Mary had already begun. But there is nothing in the language to require such an interpretation.
Jesus meant, “Let her use it rightly,” using the word “keep” as in the expression, “keep the feast;” observe the ceremony. The words of Jesus about the ointment taken as a whole may be construed thus: “The sorrows of my coming passion oppress me , and Mary, conscious of that sorrow, wishes to cheer me with the evidence of love and gratitude. She sympathizes with me as I approach the shadow of death, and anoints me beforehand for the burial. You do not begrudge what is given to the dead. You do not censure as extravagant what is spent for the embalming of a dear one. You yourselves would be ready enough to anoint me in this same manner after I am dead.
So do not censure her because in the fullness of her sympathy she has anticipated the coming catastrophe and has anointed me beforehand.”] [ ] [There would be plenty of opportunities in which to do good to the poor, but the time for conferring a personal benefit upon Christ in the flesh was now limited to seven days. Thereafter gifts could only be given to Christ by bestowing them upon the poor.] [Jesus here makes [571] prominent the different estimates which God and man place upon the same acts.
That which the disciples had censured as a waste and that which they had regarded as worthy of rebuke was in his sight an action fit to be kept in everlasting remembrance as a model for the conduct of future generations throughout the whole earth, and he accordingly decreed that it be so kept in mind.] [in Simon’s house] [withdrew from the party headed by the Jewish rulers] [The presence of the resurrected man and the Christ who had resurrected him both at one table greatly excited the curiosity of the multitudes who had come up to Jerusalem to attend the passover. When word of this supper spread among the people it was natural that they should slip out to Bethany to see the sight, and it was equally natural that seeing it they should believe in Jesus. This deflection of the common people gave a keener venom to the hatred of the rulers.] [FFG 568-572]