John 11:1-6

A MAN DIES FOR A PURPOSE

Text 11:1-6

1

Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, of the village of Mary and her sister Martha.

2

And it was that Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.

3

The sisters therefore sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick.

4

But when Jesus heard it, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified thereby.

5

Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus.

6

When therefore he heard that he was sick, he abode at that time two days in the place where he was.

Queries

a.

When did Mary anoint the head of Jesus?

b.

Why say the sickness was not unto death?

c.

Why wait two days after receiving the bad news?

Paraphrase

Now there was a certain man who became seriously ill; this man was Lazarus of Bethany, the village where Mary and her sister Martha lived. (This is the same Mary who would anoint the Lord with perfume and wipe his feet with her hair, and Lazarus, the man who was ill, was her brother.) So the sisters sent word to Jesus saying, Lord, look! the one whom you love is seriously ill. When Jesus heard this message he replied, Death will not be the final result of this sickness. This sickness will ultimately end in the glory of God and especially will the glory of the Son of God be shown through it. Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. But after he heard of Lazarus-' illness he stayed two more days where he was in Perea.

Summary

Lazarus, of whom Jesus was especially fond as a friend, is seriously ill even at the point of death. But Jesus, with His divine foreknowledge, knows that although Lazarus will die he will be resurrected to the glory of the Father and the Son.

Comment

The gospel writer, John, is careful to identify the people involved in this glorious event. The Lazarus is distinguished from others (cf. Luke 16:20) of the same name. The name Lazarus means he whom God helped. Even this village of Bethany is distinguished from the Bethany beyond the Jordan. This village is the Bethany where Mary and Martha livedthe small village on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives, a suburb of Jerusalem. There are so many Marys in the gospels that John must also identify this Mary as the one who anointed the Lord with perfume. The word anointed is in the aorist tense in the Greek. The aorist tense is the snap-shot tense and does not necessarily mean the anointing happened in the past. We believe John simply uses an anachronism (statement of an event out of its historical sequence) here as he does with the betrayal of Judas later. The anointing by Mary took place just before the Triumphal Entry (John 12:1-50) but John, writing years later, mentions it out of sequence to identify Mary. This anointing is not to be confused with the event of the sinful woman who wiped Jesus-' feet with her hair (cf. Luke 7:36-50), but is the same anointing that is described by Matthew (Matthew 26:6-13), and Mark (Mark 14:3-9).

The emphatic nature of the language used and the sending of the messenger the long distance into Perea indicates urgency. Lazarus was seriously ill and probably not expected to recover unless the Great Healer came at once! The messenger was instructed to be emphatic so he said, Behold! the one whom you dearly love is at the point of death! The word the sisters use for love is phileo which has a different shade of meaning in some instances than agapao. The words are also used interchangeably. We shall discuss them further in John 20:1-31.

The brevity of the Lord's answer (at least the brevity with which it is recorded) seems to be a cold shrugging-off of the urgency of the sisters. No doubt the disciples understood Him to mean that the illness was not as serious as the messenger believed. But the Son of God was never more in command of the situationnever more tender and compassionate in His plans for all concerned. All that He will offer at the moment in the way of consolation is the prediction that the sickness of Lazarus will not end finally in death (although Jesus knew Lazarus would die), but in the ultimate glory of God the Father and God the Son.

John now inserts the important parenthetical statement, Jesus loved Martha and Mary and Lazarus. This is to inform the reader of his gospel record that Jesus was not turning His back upon their plea for help by His brief answer and intentional delay in Perea for two days. Something of significance seems to be inferred from the emphasis on Jesus-' love for Lazarus, Mary and Martha here. Jesus was both divine and human. On the human side He had very few really close friends in whom He might confide, and trust. Members of His own family were unbelievers and not even His disciples seems to have been sympathetic with all His needs for such close friendship. Mary had some deep intimations within her of His approaching death (which is more than the disciples understood) when she anointed Him. What a great source of comfort this family must have been to the One with the shadow of the cross upon Him.

As Foster points out, the verse (John 11:5) may mean that because Jesus loved them, He tarried, having something greater in store for them all than the mere healing of a sick man.

The primary objective in His delay was that upon Lazarus-' death the Father and the Son would be glorified when the Son should raise him from the tomb (especially after the body had begun to deteriorate). But another purpose is stated in John 11:15, the strengthening of the faith of the disciples. This resurrection, of course, would result also in the strengthening of the faith of the family of Lazarus. As Hendriksen says, Hence, what may have looked like a cruel delay was in reality the tenderest concern for the spiritual welfare of true disciples. What would be the best way to give all concerned a faith and hope in Him as the resurrection and life?to heal a sick man or to raise one from the dead whose body was already decaying? Which would give more glory to God? Raising of Lazarus from the dead, of course!

God moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform;
His purposes will ripen fast,
Unfolding every hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste,
But sweet will be the flower.

Quiz

1.

Why does John mention the anointing by Mary out of its historical sequence?

2.

What does the repetition of the fact that Jesus loved Lazarus, Mary and Martha indicate as to Jesus-' human nature?

3.

What two things did Jesus have in mind by waiting until Lazarus was dead before He answered the plea of the sisters?

4.

What may we learn from these recorded instances of the mysterious ways in which the Lord works?