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John Chapter
Eleven
I. Content of the Chapter
The Son of God the Savior Raised Lazarus up
A. When He heard that Lazarus
was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was (v.1-6).
B. He
revealed that He would go and wake Lazarus up (v.7-16).
C. He
talked about the resurrection with Martha (v.17-27).
D. He sympathized
with Mary (v.28-37).
E. He
raised Lazarus up (v.38-44).
F. The
reactions of the chief
priests and the Pharisees (V.45-57).
II. Verse by Verse commentary
John. 11:1 “Now a certain man was
sick, Lazarus of
YLT:
“And there was a certain one
ailing, Lazarus, from
Meaning of Words: “Lazarus”: God is my help; “
Literal Meaning: “
Spiritual Meaning: “the house of
John. 11:2 “It was that Mary who
anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose
brother Lazarus was sick.”
YLT:
“and it was Mary who did
anoint the Lord with ointment, and did wipe his feet with her hair, whose
brother Lazarus was ailing --”
Literal Meaning: “it was that Mary who
anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair.” ---- The detailed description was
recorded in the next chapter (v.1-8).
Enlightenment in the Word: the Holy Spirit takes delight in Mary’s love and
devotion to the Lord. The Lord likes men who are of Him to pour their love to
Him.
John. 11:3 “Therefore the sisters
sent to Him, saying, "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick."”
YLT:
“therefore sent the sisters
unto him, saying, `Sir, lo, he whom thou dost love is ailing;'”
Literal Meaning: “behold, he whom You love is
sick”, it can be seen from these words that the
Lord Jesus have deep fellowship with the three ones of
Spiritual Meaning: “behold, he whom You love is
sick”, it typifies the necessary prayer of
believers: (1) when we pray to the Lord, we shall tell Him our state and need
rather than how to deal with it. (2) We pray to Him because of His love to us
---- He loves us, so He cares about us. (3) Prayer means entrusting something
to the Lord, and He has the authority to decide whether he will come and what
He will do for our matter.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.” ---- Obviously, the one
whom the Lord loves may sometimes get ill. The believers’ sickness may not be
so bad, for it is sometimes for the sake of edifying us.
2) The Lord asks from
all those whom the Lord loves for more than that from others. The Lord makes
them learn things more difficult than others. And the Lord may do greater
things on them than on others.
3) When believers meet
troubles, we are able to approach to the Lord who loves us to pour out heart
before Him, thus receiving mercy from Him and finding grace for seasonable help
(see Heb 4:16).
4) Let your requests
be made known to God in everything, by prayer and supplication with
thanksgiving (see Phil 4:6). We can pour out heart before Him, but should not supply
ideas for the Lord.
John. 11:4 “When Jesus heard that, He
said, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the
Son of God may be glorified through it."”
YLT:
“and Jesus having heard,
said, `This ailment is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son
of God may be glorified through it.'”
Literal Meaning: “this sickness is not unto death.” ---- It did not mean that He would not
die, but death was not the final outcome of this sickness.
“But for the glory of God”, the glory of God
would be manifested though this matter (see v.40), i.e. having seen the
wonderful works of God, men would praise, believe and worship God.
“That the Son of God may be glorified
through it.” ---- God answered the Lord’s prayer to convince men that God sent
Him (see v.42).
If the Lord only healed the sickness of
Lazarus like what He had done to others sick person, God would receive but
little glory. However, though the Lord allowed the death of Lazarus, Lazarus
would never be always confined in the death ---- it had greatly manifested the
glory of God.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) “This sickness is not unto death.” ---- It remarks that the risen Christ
surpasses the fact. Though the death was set before Him (see v.14), His vision
went beyond the fact and saw the resurrection after death. We shall also have
this surpassing insight when we see in Christ.
2) Troubles that
believers have met are not meaningless at all, for they may usually be disguising
blessings from God. Through troubles, our faith will be increased and the works
of God will be manifested, thus glorifying God.
3) Death seems like a disaster
in the view of men. However, the glory of God will be truly manifested in such
a desperate way. Therefore, when we believers come into a blind alley, we shall
remember that it may be the very chance to manifest the glory of God.
John. 11:5 “Now Jesus loved Martha
and her sister and Lazarus.”
YLT:
“And Jesus was loving Martha,
and her sister, and Lazarus,”
Meaning of Words: “love”: agapao (in
the original);
Literal Meaning: “Jesus loved…” the tense in the original shows the love
of the Lord is a continual one ---- he had not only ever loved, but also loves
continually now.
Enlightenment in the Word: if our families has encountered some
unfavorable things (e.g. sickness), we should not think that is because the
Lord dislikes us. On the contrary, He makes us endure chastening (see Heb 12:6)
just for He loves us.
John. 11:6 “So, when He heard that he
was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was.”
YLT:
“when, therefore, he heard
that he is ailing, then indeed he remained in the place in which he was two
days,”
Literal Meaning: “He stayed two more days in
the place where He was.” ---- The whereabouts
of the Lord is not at will, but of special purpose. “Stayed two more days”, He waited intentionally for a suitable
chance to set out. Otherwise, the effect of His works might be weakened if He
went earlier.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The two days that
the Lord “stayed” were not “delayed”. The Lord has His time when He works. He
will do nothing until the time comes.
2) The Lord always
works according to the will of God, not men’s expectation. Therefore, though we
should pray to the Lord when something has happened to us, we should not expect
that the Lord has to answer us according to what we have asked Him.
3) If our prayer have
not been answered immediately, it shall be possible that the Lord teaches us to
wait. If we wait patiently, we will find that the Lord is able to do far
exceedingly above all which we ask or think (see Eph 3:20).
John. 11:7 “Then after this He said
to the disciples, "Let us go to
YLT:
“then after this, he saith to
the disciples, `We may go to
Literal
Meaning: the word “again”
connects this journey with the previous conflict (see v.8; 10:31-39).
John. 11:8 “The disciples said to
Him, "Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone You, and are You going there
again?"”
YLT:
“the disciples say to him,
`Rabbi, now were the Jews seeking to stone thee, and again thou dost go
thither!'”
Literal Meaning: this verse indicated
that obviously there would be danger if they went to
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Having been fully
aware of the danger, the Lord Jesus still went there for the sake of the one
whom He loves. We shall also be willing to do the dangerous works for the Lord
we love.
2) The Lord does not
consider His own safety, but cares about the glory of God (see v.4) and the
faith of men (see v.15).
John. 11:9 “Jesus answered, "Are
there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not
stumble, because he sees the light of this world.”
YLT:
“Jesus answered, `Are there
not twelve hours in the day? if any one may walk in the day, he doth not
stumble, because the light of this world he doth see;”
The
Background: according to the
Roman’s measure of time, there are 12 hours from the rising of the sun unto the
going down of the same in the day. There are four watches at night, and each
has three hours.
Literal Meaning: “are there not twelve hours
in the day?” ---- There is
ample time for men’s actions and works.
“If anyone walks in the day, he does
not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.” ---- If one walks in the “day” when there is
light, he will not stumble because of seeing unclearly.
Spiritual Meaning: “are there not twelve hours
in the day?” ---- The Lord
Jesus use “day” to symbolize the period when God sent Him to work on the earth
(see 9:4).
“If anyone walks in the day, he does
not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.” ---- Before the completion of the Lord’s days on
the earth which was ordained by God the Father, He is the light of the world.
Therefore, He should seize the opportunity to work, and will surely not
confront any danger.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) “Are there not twelve hours
in the day?” ---- Every
believer has his daytime, we have sufficient time to do what we should do, but
have not time for us to fiddle away.
2) “If anyone walks in the day,
he does not stumble.” ---- The Lord
tells us that: (1) if we believers walk with Him in the world, we will never
stumble. (2) Once we leave the Lord and do not walk in His light, we will possibly
stumble.
3) If we walk with the
Lord, we will do what He has ordered us. None authority in the world can do
harm to us before the completion of the hour that God has made.
John. 11:10 “But if one walks in the
night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him."”
YLT:
“and if any one may walk in
the night, he stumbleth, because the light is not in him.'”
Spiritual Meaning: “but if one walks in the
night”, “night” refers to
lose the presence of the Lord, thus losing that guiding “light” (see 1John
2:10-11).
For the Lord Jesus Himself,
this verse indicated that His suffering “night” would come after the period
that God had ordained for the Lord’s works.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The mystery of
believers’ being preserved is walking in the light, so we should diligently
hold the light.
2) If we do not want
to lose the light, we should: (1) love the Lord’s words, for His words are the
light (see Ps 119:105); (2) have fellowship with the Lord constantly (see 1John
1:5-6); (3) follow the Lord, and then obtain the light of life (see 8:12).
John. 11:11 “These
things He said, and after that He said to them, "Our friend Lazarus
sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up." ”
YLT: “These things he said, and after
this he saith to them, `Lazarus our friend hath fallen asleep, but I go on that
I may awake him;'”
Spiritual
Meaning: “our friend Lazarus sleeps”, “sheep” means “die”. Though those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished, their spirit will not die, but sheep (see
1Cor 15:18).
“I go
that I may wake him up.” ---- It means the
Lord will make him rise from the dead. When Christ comes again, He shall
descend from heaven with trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first
(see 1The 4:16).
Note: the resurrection of Lazarus this time
was a resurrection in the flesh, and he would be die again ---- which was
different from the resurrection of us in the future, for we shall be raised
incorruptible and be changed (see 1 Cor 15:52).
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) “Our friends”, the Lord’s friends are
our friends. Let this mind be in you which also in the Lord and let the delight
be in us which also in the Lord.
2) Many times, we
think the Lord have not cared for us because of His deferment. Actually, He is
caring about us, and never forgets us.
John. 11:12 “Then
His disciples said, "Lord, if he sleeps he will get well." ”
YLT: “therefore said his disciples,
`Sir, if he hath fallen asleep, he will be saved;'”
Meaning
of Words: “get well”: heal, preserve;
Literal
Meaning: having
misapprehended the Lord’s words, the disciples thought the Lord meant Lazarus
was normally “asleep” (see v.13). If so, it would indicate that he had passed
the danger and his state of illness was improved, then they would not necessarily
go to
John. 11:13 “However,
Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking
rest in sleep.”
YLT: “but Jesus had spoken about his death, but
they thought that about the repose of sleep he speaketh.”
Meaning
of Words: “taking rest”: repose;
Literal
Meaning: “Jesus spoke of his death”, it refers to His words in verse 11.
John. 11:14 “Then
Jesus said to them plainly, "Lazarus is dead.”
YLT: “Then, therefore, Jesus said to
them freely, `Lazarus hath died;”
Meaning
of Words: “plainly”:
freely, openly, frankly, boldly;
Spiritual
Meaning: “Lazarus is dead.” ---- It typifies that: (1) the
John. 11:15 “And I
am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe. Nevertheless
let us go to him." ”
YLT: “and I rejoice, for your sake,
(that ye may believe,) that I was not there; but we may go to him;'”
Literal
Meaning: “I am glad that I was not there”, it indicated that the Lord was not on the spot
when Lazarus was dead, and He was glad for His absence here. The Lord did not
glad for the death of Lazarus, but for the greater profit for those who were of
Him because His coming.
“For
your sakes…you may believe”, the Lord Jesus did not come in season to
heal Lazarus, for He was going to reveal that He could raise the dead up, thus
convincing His disciples that He is the Son of God. In fact, His disciples had
early believed Him (see 2:11; 6:68-69; Matt 16:16), but had not been assured in
the faith firmly (see
“Nevertheless
let us go to him.” ---- Note that the
Lord’s words indicated that He still regarded Lazarus as a living person.
Enlightenment
in the Word: “that you may believe”, though we have believed the Lord, our
faith still need to be strengthened and established.
John. 11:16 “Then
Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also
go, that we may die with Him." ”
YLT: “therefore said Thomas, who is
called Didymus, to the fellow-disciples, `We may go -- we also, that we may die
with him,'”
Meaning
of Words: “Thomas”:
the twin; “Twin”: a Syrian word;
Literal
Meaning: “Thomas, who is called the
Twin”, many Bible exegetes thought he was
probably the twin brother of Matthew (see Matt 10:3; Mark 3:18; Luke 6:15).
“Let us
also go, that we may die with Him.”
---- They went along with the Lord Jesus to go to
John. 11:17 “So
when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days.”
YLT: “Jesus, therefore, having come, found him
having been four days already in the tomb.”
Literal
Meaning: “had already been in the
tomb four days”, two matters can
be inferred therein: (1) there was one day’s walk from
John. 11:18 “Now
YLT: “And
Literal
Meaning: “about two miles away”:15 stadions in the original (one
stadion equals to 185 meters). So it was approximately 3 kilometers, or 2
miles.
John. 11:19 “And
many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to comfort them
concerning their brother.”
YLT: “and many of the Jews had come unto Martha
and Mary, that they might comfort them concerning their brother;”
The Background: according to the ancient Jewish customs, after
the family who held the funeral
affairs
had buried the dead, the mourning would last about thirty days. Neighbors and
relatives would come to visit and condole this family. The first three days
were in the deepest sorrow. Besides the family members, they still hired other
women to help to wail. Three days later, the atmosphere of condolence would be
weakened.
Literal
Meaning: “many of the Jews had joined
the women around Martha and Mary”,
“the Jews” here referred to the inhabitants of the
Jews in
Enlightenment
in the Word: the consolation of
men is of no avail. Only the Lord’s consolation will truly serve to encourage the afflicted souls (see Matt 11:28; 2Cor
1:4).
John. 11:20 “Now
Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary
was sitting in the house.”
YLT: “Martha, therefore, when she
heard that Jesus doth come, met him, and Mary kept sitting in the house.”
Literal
Meaning: “but Mary was sitting in the
house”, for she did not
know the Lord Jesus was coming (see v.28-29).
John. 11:21 “Now
Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not
have died.”
YLT: “Martha, therefore, said unto
Jesus, `Sir, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died;”
Literal
Meaning: it seemed that
Martha believed the Lord could heal her brother and deliver him from death if
He was at present. It suggested the two thoughts of Martha: (1) the Lord could
heal only when He was on the spot. (2) Since man had been dead, the Lord could
do nothing. Actually, both of them were wrong (see Luke 7:7, 14-15).
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) Our faith in the
Lord is, more or less, limited by our thoughts. We often believe He can do
things that are possible in our perspective, but dare not to believe He can do
what we think impossible.
2) With men this is
impossible; but with God all things
are possible (see Matt 19:26).
Though we are in utter despair, we should also still be bold in believing God.
3) When we are in
grief, we may also speak randomly like Martha, e.g. if some certain medicine
was discovered earlier, our beloved one would not have died. However, we should
believe that all
things work together for good to
us (see Rom 8:28).
John. 11:22 “But
even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You." ”
YLT: “but even now, I have known that whatever
thou mayest ask of God, God will give to thee;'”
Literal
Meaning: “whatever You ask of God”, the word “ask” Martha used here was
usually employed to describe the case that a creature asked the Creator.
Obviously, Martha then did not fully know the Lord Jesus, thinking that He was
merely a great prophet or a man of God
John. 11:23 “Jesus
said to her, "Your brother will rise again." ”
YLT: “Jesus saith to her, `Thy brother shall rise
again.'”
Literal
Meaning: the Lord Jesus
meant that her brother would rise at once (see v.11).
John. 11:24 “Martha
said to Him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the
last day." ”
YLT: “Martha saith to him, `I have
known that he will rise again, in the rising again in the last day;'”
Literal
Meaning: the resurrection
that Martha knew was not the “immediate resurrection” (see v.23) that the Lord had
referred to here, but “the
resurrection at the last day”. “The last day”
refers to the day when Christ comes again (see 6:39).
Enlightenment
in the Word: the old knowledge
and prejudiced concepts may veil us and hinder us from understanding new
revelation.
John. 11:25 “Jesus
said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me,
though he may die, he shall live. ”
YLT: “Jesus said to her, `I am the
rising again, and the life; he who is believing in me, even if he may die,
shall live;”
Literal
Meaning: the Lord did not
say “I promise” or “I reward” men the resurrection and the life. Instead, He said “I am” the resurrection and the life. The resurrection and the life are not a matter beside the Lord, so they
can not be separated from the Lord. Once we have obtained the Lord, we have
also obtained the resurrection and the life at the same time.
Some Bible exegetes think there will be two kinds of believers when the
Lord comes again: one is the dead one, and the other is the living one.
Therefore, “resurrection” is on account of the dead believers,
making them rise. “Life” is on account of the living believers, making them
never die (see v.26).
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) “I am the resurrection.”
Resurrection is not a matter which will happen in the
last day, but the Lord Himself. When we have experienced the Lord, we have
experienced the resurrection.
2) The Lord Himself is
the resurrection, for He is life and mortal may be swallowed up by life (see 2Cor 5:4). Whenever we live in the
Lord, we will live in the state of the resurrection.
John. 11:26 “And
whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?" ”
YLT: “and every one who is living and
believing in me shall not die -- to the age;”
Literal
Meaning: “shall never die”, it does not mean one’s flesh but one’s
spirit shall never die, and lives forever. Death has no place in believers, for
their life is
hid with the Christ in God (see
“Do you
believe this?” ---- If a man
wants to experience the resurrection in his spiritual life, he should believe
this truth.
Enlightenment
in the Word: “whoever lives and believes
in Me”, one should
believe the Lord when he still lives in the world, for it will be too late
after his death (see Luke 16:22-26).
John. 11:27 “She
said to Him, "Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of
God, who is to come into the world." ”
YLT: “believest thou this?' she saith
to him, `Yes, sir, I have believed that thou art the Christ, the Son of God,
who is coming to the world.'”
Literal
Meaning: “I believe that You are the
Christ, the Son of God.” ---- This is a
declaration of faith, which is exactly necessary for every believer (see
20:31).
“Who is
to come into the world”, what the Jews had
expected was the savior sent by God.
The confession of Martha had verily manifested her knowledge about the
ministry of the Messiah. However, judging from the Lord’s words concerning
Himself, such knowledge was still imperfect.
Enlightenment
in the Word: Martha had
objective faith, but lacked real, living and triumphant faith.
John. 11:28 “And
when she had said these things, she went her way and secretly called Mary her
sister, saying, "The Teacher has come and is calling for you." ”
YLT: “And these things having said,
she went away, and called Mary her sister privately, saying, `The Teacher is
present, and doth call thee;'”
Meaning
of Words: “secretly”:
privately;
John. 11:29 “As
soon as she heard that, she arose quickly and came to Him.”
YLT: “she, when she heard, riseth up
quickly, and doth come to him;”
John. 11:30 “Now
Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met
Him.”
YLT: “and Jesus had not yet come to
the village, but was in the place where Martha met him;”
John. 11:32 “Then,
when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying
to Him, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died."”
YLT: “Mary, therefore, when she came where Jesus was, having seen him, fell at
his feet, saying to him, `Sir, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not
died;'”
Literal
Meaning: the
Scripture recorded that Mary had done “two” good things (see 12:3; Luke 10:39, 42) and
had said “a” wrong sentence in her life. If she only “fell down at His feet” this time ---- hear only, but not speak
----how perfect it would be!
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) When we confront
difficulties, we should be diligent to “fall down at His feet”.
2) We believers should
give heed to our words, for fear of speaking unsuitable words unheedingly.
John. 11:33 “Therefore,
when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned
in the spirit and was troubled.”
YLT: “Jesus, therefore, when he saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her
weeping, did groan in the spirit, and troubled himself, and he said,”
Meaning of
Words: “weep”: wail aloud,
bewail;
Literal
Meaning: “He groaned in the spirit”, in the original, it referred to the
extreme fluctuation of one’s
emotion, and it also implicated an unpleasant or indignant feeling. There were
three perspectives concerning the sentiment of the Lord Jesus here: (1) He identified with men’s bitterness, so He sympathized with them
here (see Heb 4:15). (2) He was much indignant at the enemy of death (see 1Cor
15:26), especially the one who
had the might of death and hid behind death, that was,
the devil (see Heb 2:14). (3)
He was antipathetic to the hypocritical mourning of the “professional criers” and the insincere consolation of the Jews.
John. 11:34 “And He
said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to Him, "Lord, come
and see."”
YLT: “`Where have ye laid him?' they
say to him, `Sir, come and see;'”
John. 11:35 “Jesus wept.”
YLT: “Jesus wept.”
Meaning of
Words: “weep”: shed tears
without voice;
Literal
Meaning: the
“weep” here meant one’s eyes were welled up with tears, which were different from “wail” in verse 33 ---- their “situation” and “motivation” were distinct. The world wailed for the
death of flesh, but the Lord wept for the death of men’s spirit (men were insensitive to sins).
Enlightenment in the Word: it is not wrong that Christians may weep
when seeing the departure of their beloved ones. But the sadness of Christians
is not different from that of men who have no hope in the world.
John. 11:36 “Then
the Jews said, "See how He loved him!"”
YLT: “The Jews, therefore, said, `Lo, how he was loving him!'”
John. 11:37 “And
some of them said, "Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind,
also have kept this man from dying?"”
YLT: “and certain of them said, `Was not this one, who did open the eyes of the
blind man, able to cause that also this one might not have died?'”
Literal
Meaning: “this Man who opened the eyes of the
blind”, it referred to the
matter in chapter nine (see 9:1-7).
John. 11:38 “Then
Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone
lay against it.”
YLT: “Jesus, therefore, again groaning in himself, cometh to the tomb, and it
was a cave, and a stone was lying upon it,”
The Background: there were two kinds of tombs of the Jews:
one was chiseled in a cave, and there was a huge rock blocking at the mouth of
the cave. The other one was dug underground, and there was a slate covering on.
The tomb of Lazarus was apparently the former one.
Literal
Meaning: “Jesus again groaning in Himself”, the cynically doubtful attitude of the
Jews (see v.37) again evoked His righteous wrath.
John. 11:39 “Jesus
said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of him who was dead,
said to Him, "Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead
four days."”
YLT: “Jesus saith, `Take ye away the stone;' the sister of him who hath died --
Martha -- saith to him, `Sir, already he stinketh, for he is four days dead;'”
The Background: “he has been dead four days”, it was said that the Jews generally
believed one’s soul would remain
around his body after death, so it was possible that he might revive again
within three days. Four days later, his soul would depart, and his body began
to rot, thus having no possibility of revival at all.
Spiritual Meaning: “take away the stone”, “stone” typifies all the obstructions in one’s natural life, especially the opinions of
various men in this chapter.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The Lord likes to
work together with Him and He asks us to learn and take part in His works.
Moreover, learning to obey the words of the Lord is the first step of working
with the Lord together.
2) We should get rid
of all the natural concepts and perspectives (“take away the stone”), if we want to experience the power of the
Lord’s resurrection.
John. 11:40 “Jesus
said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see
the glory of God?"”
YLT: “Jesus saith to her, `Said I not to thee, that if thou mayest believe,
thou shalt see the glory of God?'”
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Men in the world
see first, and believe afterwards. However, we believers believe first, and see
hereafter (see 2Cor 5:7; Heb 11:1).
2) The fact in sight
is not the real end, for only what one has seen in faith is true.
3) We are usually
restricted by the surrounding conditions, but God surpasses every condition. If
we receive His works in faith, we will “see the glory of God”. There is nothing too hard for God (see Jem
32:17). Once one has contacted with God by faith, the glory of God will
immediately be manifested.
John. 11:41 “Then
they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus
lifted up His eyes and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.”
YLT: “They took away, therefore, the stone where the dead was laid, and Jesus
lifted his eyes upwards, and said, `Father, I thank Thee, that Thou didst hear
me;”
Spiritual Meaning: the “stone” blocking at the mouth of the tomb
symbolizes the religious concept of the natural men, which are manifested in
every “man’s opinion” in this chapter. If it has not been moved
away, one will not experience the risen power of the Lord.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) “Then they took away the
stone from the place”.
---- Men should express their obedience to the Lord through the action of
faith. If we can believe and obey the words of the Lord, His surpassing power
will be revealed.
2) “Father, I thank You that
You have heard
John. 11:42 “And I
know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I
said this, that they may believe that You sent Me."”
YLT: “and I knew that Thou always dost hear me, but, because of the multitude
that is standing by, I said , that they may believe that Thou didst send me.'”
Enlightenment in the Word: when we pray before the public, we not only
pray to God, but also let the prayer be heard by others, thus encouraging them
and making them believe the Lord.
John. 11:43 “Now
when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come
forth!"”
YLT: “And these things saying, with a loud voice he cried out, `Lazarus, come
forth;'”
Enlightenment in the Word: “Lazarus, come forth!” ---- If He did not call the name, all the
dead would rise up.
John. 11:44 “And he
who had died came out bound hand and foot with grave clothes, and his face was
wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go."”
YLT: “and he who died came forth, being bound feet and hands with
grave-clothes, and his visage with a napkin was bound about; Jesus saith to
them, `Loose him, and suffer to go.'”
The Background: according to the funeral custom of the Jews, the corpse
should be bound up in linen with the spices, and the head should be wrapped by
napkin.
Literal
Meaning: “bound hand and foot with grave clothes”, “clothes” refer to the strips of clothes.
Spiritual Meaning: “bound hand and foot with
grave clothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth”, both “grave clothes” and “cloth” symbolize the imprisonment of death in men.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) “Loose him, and let him go.” ---- The Lord’s salvation of life not only makes men live,
but also deliver men out of every bond completely.
2) “Loose him, and let him go.” ---- He, who uses some additional knowledge
to confine the believers, does not obey the commandment of the Lord, and the
Lord will definitely judge him.
3) All those who have
received the provision of the risen Christ will experience the glorious
deliverance from every sin, the world, moral, religion, letters and customs
---- “loose”, and go forward in the power of
resurrection ---- “go”.
4) The life does not
carry any scent of death. The resurrection will not remain any stamp of death.
John. 11:45 “Then many of the Jews who
had come to Mary, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him.”
YLT:
“Many, therefore, of the Jews
who came unto Mary, and beheld what Jesus did, believed in him;”
John. 11:46 “But some of them went
away to the Pharisees and told them the things Jesus did.”
YLT:
“but certain of them went
away unto the Pharisees, and told them what Jesus did;”
Literal Meaning: the Lord’s works
always divides the world into two kinds ---- the belief and the unbelief, like
the consequence of the resurrection of Lazarus. Many of the Jews believed Him,
and some other ones who harbored malicious intentions told it to the Pharisees.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Men show different reactions to
the same matter: some believes (v.45), and some only regards it as merely news.
One’s attitude to the Lord decides whether He will become our personal savior.
2) If a man is
unwilling to repent, even the greatest sign is difficult to touch his heart
(see Luke 16:30-31).
John. 11:47 “Then the chief priests
and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, "What shall we do? For this
Man works many signs.”
YLT:
“the chief priests,
therefore, and the Pharisees, gathered together a sanhedrim, and said, `What
may we do? because this man doth many signs?”
Literal Meaning: “the chief priests and the
Pharisees”, during the Lord’s
ministration of that three years and a half, the Pharisees were always playing
the leading role of opposing Him, but they had none political authority. Before,
the Lord’s crucifixion, the chief priests appeared in the scene and cooperated
with the Pharisees. Obviously, it was supervised by the authority of God.
“Gathered
a council”, it could be inferred
from the original that they gathered a temporary council, rather than an official
one.
“What
shall we do? For this Man works many signs.” ---- “This man”, it carried a despising tone. They
did not deny the authenticity of the signs done by the Lord Jesus, but they did
not believe Him because of their unbelieving.
John. 11:48 “If we let Him alone like
this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both
our place and nation."”
YLT:
“if we may let him alone
thus, all will believe in him; and the Romans will come, and will take away
both our place and nation.'”
Literal
Meaning: “If
we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him”. ---- It meant that if they let Him preach
or do signs all the time, the people would believe that He is the Messiah so
that they
would go against the
“And the Romans will come and take
away both our place.” ---- “Our place” might refer to
“Our nation”, the “nation” refers to
the Jewish nation.
This verse meant: if the people
believed the Lord Jesus was the Messiah, there would create a great riot. The
Roman government would take the repressive measures ---- ruined the
What they cared for actually became true in 70 AD, but it was not
because the Jews received the Lord Jesus, but rejected Him.
John. 11:49 “And one of them,
Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, "You know nothing at
all”
YLT:
“and a certain one of them,
Caiaphas, being chief priest of that year, said to them, `Ye have not known
anything,”
Literal Meaning: “Caiaphas”, he held the position of the high priest
during 18-36 AD, about 18 years.
“Being high priest
that year”, high priest was not appointed by annual election, but the system of
life tenure. So it can be interpreted “being high priest that year during his tenure
of office”. “That year”, the word “that” was emphatic in the original, for that
year was possibly worthy of remembrance ---- because in that year the savior
had fulfilled the great salvation on the cross.
“You know nothing at all.” ---- It was not polite. It
was said that such style was a typical speaking style of the Sadducees (most of
the chief priests and high priests were the Sadducees.)
John. 11:50 “nor do you consider that
it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the
whole nation should perish."”
YLT:
“Jesus, therefore, when he
saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, did groan in the
spirit, and troubled himself, and he said,”
Literal Meaning: “nor do you consider that one man should die for the
people”, one man dying for us would rather good than all the people suffering
the disaster. Here, he proposed to deliver the
Lord Jesus to the Roman government, thus making Jesus be condemned in place of
the people.
“And not that the whole nation should
perish”, so that the whole nation would not be attacked by the army of Roman, thus
avoiding the whole Jewish nation from the crisis of being destroyed. In the
viewpoints of Caiaphas, Jesus must be condemned to
death, if the Jewish nation wanted to be preserved.
“It is expedient for us”, this
proposal was good, doing the whole people good, and not evil. However, the
scheme would eventually be of void, for the Lord’s death was not on account of
delivering the Jewish nation from the dominance of
John. 11:51 “Now this he did not say
on his own authority; but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus
would die for the nation,”
YLT:
“And this he said not of
himself, but being chief priest of that year, he did prophesy that Jesus was
about to die for the nation,”
Literal
Meaning: “but being high priest that
year”, “high priest”, who represented God before
the people, was therefore employed by God unconsciously, speaking profound
words.
“He prophesied that Jesus
would die for the nation”, “prophesy”: a man under the power of Holy Spirit
speaks the things that will be fulfilled. The words of Caiaphas indicated that
the individual death of the Lord Jesus would deliver the whole nation from
destruction. However, he had never expected that his words coincided with the
council of salvation administered by God, only prophesying for God unconsciously.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) A false man may
speak right words, so we shall neither “refuse the words because of the speaker”,
nor “believe the speaker simply through his words”.
2) In the assembly, we
should not only hear one’s words, but also observe one’s walks. Many preachers
can speak “clearly and logically” on the platform, but have none testimonies in
their life.
John. 11:52 “and not for that nation
only, but also that He would gather together in one the children of God who
were scattered abroad.”
YLT:
“and not for the nation only,
but that also the children of God, who have been scattered abroad, he may
gather together into one.”
Literal Meaning: “the children of God who
were scattered abroad”, it referred to
the gentile believers (see 10:16; 17:21).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The death of Christ
on the cross broke down the middle wall of enclosure, making us unto one (see
Eph 2:14-18).
2) We should only
deliver our natural life unto death, thus coming into one with others.
John. 11:53 “Then, from that day on,
they plotted to put Him to death.”
YLT:
“From that day, therefore,
they took counsel together that they may kill him;”
Literal Meaning: “they plotted to put Him to
death”, they schemed to
condemn the Lord Jesus after their council but without causing uproar among the
people (see Matt 26:4-5).
John. 11:54 “Therefore Jesus no longer
walked openly among the Jews, but went from there into the country near the
wilderness, to a city called Ephraim, and there remained with His disciples.”
YLT:
“Jesus, therefore, was no
more freely walking among the Jews, but went away thence to the region nigh the
wilderness, to a city called Ephraim, and there he tarried with his disciples.”
Literal Meaning: “went from there”, although the Lord Jesus knew that He
would be crucified on the cross, He never acted rashly before the hour of God. Therefore,
when the Lord perceived that the opponents schemed to kill Him, He left them
thereafter.
“To a city called Ephraim”, some Bible exegetes thought this city was at the north
side of Jerusalem, seven or eight kilometers away from the northeast part of Bethel (see 2Sam 13:23).
John. 11:55 “And the Passover of the
Jews was near, and many went from the country up to
YLT:
“And the passover of the Jews
was nigh, and many went up to
Literal Meaning: “before the Passover, to
purify themselves”, the unclean Jews
can not have the Passover (see 18:28).
John. 11:56 “Then they sought Jesus,
and spoke among themselves as they stood in the temple, "What do you
think--that He will not come to the feast?"”
YLT:
“they were seeking,
therefore, Jesus, and said one with another, standing in the temple, `What doth
appear to you -- that he may not come to the feast?'”
Literal Meaning: “He will not come to the
feast?” ---- According to
the idiomatical grammar, he who raised such question was expecting a negative
answer.
John. 11:57 “Now both the chief
priests and the Pharisees had given a command, that if anyone knew where He
was, he should report it, that they might seize Him.”
YLT:
“and both the chief priests
and the Pharisees had given a command, that if any one may know where he is, he
may shew , so that they may seize him.”
III. Outlines of the Spiritual
Lessons
I. Death in the First,
and Resurrection Afterwards
A. The House of
1.
Martha serves the
Lord, and Mary loves the lord and Lazarus manifests the Lord’s life of resurrection (v.1-2).
2.
The Lord loves those
who are of Him (v.3, 5).
3.
“Sickness” symbolizes the abnormal state of believers’ spiritual life (v.3).
4.
The Lord shall
glorify God through those who are of Him (v.4).
B. The Lord Will not Work Until Men Has Totally
Died:
1.
The Lord remained
two days when hearing Lazarus’s
sickness (v.6).
2.
The Lord usually
does not heal “insignificant” disease, but the “dead” one (v.11-14).
3.
The Lord did not act
until man was dead, thus establishing men’s faith (v.15).
C. Men Did Not Know the Will of the Lord:
1.
The disciples saw
only the environment, but could not be in one mind with the Lord (v.8-16).
2.
Martha and Mary
murmured that the Lord did nothing to save Lazarus from death (v.21-32).
3.
Martha had only
objective knowledge about “resurrection” (v.22-27).
4.
The Jews doubted the
Lord’s power (v.37).
D. The Lord is the Resurrection and the Life:
1.
One will experience
that the Lord is the resurrection and the life only through “faith” (v.25-26).
2.
Men should have been
“dead” and have even “stunk” (v.29).
3.
The dead shall hear
the voice of the Son of God (v.43-44; 5:25).
E. The Lord Needs the Cooperation of Men:
1.
Men shall pray to
the Lord for others (v.3).
2.
They took away the stone (v.41) ---- hear and obey.
3.
Loose
him, and let him go (v.44) ---- help
the weak.
F. The Scheme of Religion Fulfilled the Will of
God:
1.
The will of God is
that one man
should die for the people (v.50-51).
2.
The Lord gave His
life through life, thus establishing those who were of Him into one in life
(v.52).
3.
The religionists
schemed to kill Him (v.53).
II.
The Experiences of Lazarus
A. Lazarus was sick (v.3) ---- which symbolized that a believer had
sickness in his spiritual life.
B.
Lazarus was dead (v.14) ---- which symbolized a believer’s spiritual death and
being lacking in life.
C. Lazarus had
already been in the tomb (v.17) ---- which
symbolized that
a believers was in despair
D. There is a stench (v.39) ---- which symbolized that a
believer gave out the scent of death.
E. Lazarus,
come forth! (v.43
F. Lazarus was still bound with cloth (v.44b) ---- which symbolized
that a believer was bound with some letters and customs.
H. Lazarus was loosed (v
III.
Functions that Men Had Performed in the
Resurrection of Lazarus
A. Sent the message
and prayed for him (v.3)
B. Took away the stone (v.41).
F. Loosed the graveclothes (v.44).
IV. The Resurrection of
Lazarus Typified the Resurrection of Believers in the Future
A. Believers are the beloved ones of the Lord (v.3).
B. They fall asleep when the Lord delays His coming (v.6, 11).
C. When the Lord comes again, believers who have been dead will rise up
(v.25).
D. When the Lord comes again, believers who still lives will change and
never die (v.26).
E. The Lord will come again with ten thousands of his saints (v.15; Jude 14).
F. There will be an assembling shout (v.43, 5:25; 1The 4:16).
G. Believers who have been dead shall rise and be set free from the
bondage of corruption (v
H. Their body will be redeemed and shall be into the liberty of the
glory of the children of God (v.44b; Rom8:23).
I. They will enjoy the feast with the Lord in the
kingdom (12:2).
V. Men’s Mind Blocked
the Works of the Risen Lord
A. The Lord was not dominated by men’s mind
(v.3-6).
B. The disciples thought the Lord should not go
there (v.7-10).
C. The disciples thought again the Lord was
unnecessary to go (v.11-12).
D. Thomas even thought they might die with the Lord
there (v.13-16).
E. Martha murmured that the Lord came late
(v.17-21).
F. Martha misapprehended the meaning of
resurrection which the Lord had mentioned (v.22-27).
G. Mary also murmured that the Lord’s lateness (v.28-32).
H. The Jews satirized the Lord that He made Lazarus
die (v.33-37).
I. Martha thought it was unnecessary to move the
stone, for he had stunk already (v.38-39).
VII. The “Quick”s of
Martha
A. Quick ears ---- she heard that Jesus
was coming (v
B. Quick legs ---- she went and met Jesus (v.20b).
C. Quick mouth ---- she spoke before the Lord (v.21-22).
D. Quick thoughts ---- she regarded the resurrection that the Lord had
mentioned as the resurrection in the last days (v.23-24).
E. Quick hands ---- when the Lord asked others to take away the stones,
she tried to hold it back (v.39).
VIII.
Martha’s Faith
A. Faith in the past ---- Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have
died (v.21).
B. Faith in the future ---- I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the
last day (v.24).
C. Faith in small matters ---- she believed the Lord could heal the
disease, but dared not believe the Lord would restore the dying to life.
D. Faith in things that had nothing to do with her ---- I know that whatever You
ask of God, God will give You (v.22).
E. Faith in the objective knowledge (which could not be connected with
personal difficulties) ---- I
believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God (v.27).
VIII.
Three Different Kinds of “Weeping”s
A. Mary’s weeping (v
B. The Jew’s Weeping (v.33b) ---- the living wept for the living
C. The Lord’s weeping (v.35) ---- the Lord of life
wept for sinners.
IX. Three Different Kinds
of Responsibilities
A. The responsibility of the Lord ---- He cried with a loud voice,
"Lazarus, come forth!"
(v.43).
B. The responsibility of Lazarus himself ---- He who had died came out (v
C. The
responsibility of others ---- Loose
him, and let him go (v.44b).
──
Caleb Huang《Christian Digest Bible
Commentary Series》
Translated by Mary Zhou