November 1, 2015 John 10:37 – 11:16
Download discussion questions: John 10_37 – 11_16 Lazarus is dead
Jesus insists on bringing almost every conversation back to His intimate relationship with the Father. The tension between Jesus and the hostile Jews escalates. He and His disciples leave the city of Jerusalem and the area of Judea for safer, familiar territory “beyond the Jordan.” John includes several geographic details in the passage. A reasonable question (always good Bible study method) is, Why? What was important about the geography for John to include the information?
Jesus (and at least some of His disciples) had been here before (John 3:26) in the context of the prophetic ministry of John the Baptist (John 1:28). The location is further described in the first chapter of the Gospel of John (by John the Evangelist, not John the Baptist) as “Bethany beyond the Jordan.” A minor but interesting point in the present passage: the location is described simply as “beyond the Jordan” without the location of Bethany being named. Probably there are several reasons for this. John’s main point is that Jesus left and went a considerable distance from His opponents in Jerusalem. He even crossed the Jordan River and was out of Judea, perhaps out of the jurisdiction of the ones “seeking to seize Him.” In addition, the main point of this section of John’s Gospel is the story of Lazarus, who lived with his sisters in Bethany, a suburb of Jerusalem. As a good storyteller, John chose to make the point (distance) without adding to possible confusion over places with the same name. Minor point? Yes, but one of countless examples of John’s skill at communicating the story he is telling.
The distance of Jesus’ destination “beyond the Jordan” is also an important part of the story for another reason. As someone in our discussion group pointed out, when an unidentified messenger (we assume) left Bethany, Lazarus was already seriously ill. His condition was grave enough for his family to send for help to Jesus.
Many of the place names in the Bible are not exactly identified today, since small villages may disappear over thousands of years. But Bible maps can give at least an approximation of locations. For example, the map at http://www.bible-history.com/maps/palestine_nt_times.html suggests that the distance between Bethany and “beyond the Jordan” was 15 to 20 miles, perhaps a day’s walk. So it is not unreasonable to assume that the critically ill Lazarus had died before Jesus even got the message, as confirmed by His clear statement, “Lazarus is dead” (John 11:14). This is another example of a detail that we might overlook, but one which John included as an important part of the story.
A third significance of John’s geographical references and other details is the verifiability of his story. Stories in the form of legends or fables often come only in the form of “once upon a time in a land far away.” John (as well as Luke, Paul, and other New Testament writers) goes to great effort to name dates and places and even individual’s names. Rather than a generic story about Jesus raising someone from the dead in an unspecified location, John gives enough details for anyone who is interested to check his facts. Go to Bethany (not the one beyond the Jordan, the other one) and talk to people who have lived there a while. Do any of them remember someone named Lazarus with two sisters and what happened to him several years back? Any unusual circumstances? John was an eyewitness, so when he wrote his Gospel, it is reasonable that other eyewitnesses would still be alive and remember the facts.
An example I heard years ago (unfortunately I don’t remember the source) is helpful. John is writing, say, fifty or sixty years after the fact. Suppose today someone started making claims about something that happened fifty or sixty years ago, like the assassination of President Kennedy. Dramatic claims such as being raised from the dead could be easily disproved by those who were alive at the time and vividly recall the events (like the present writer). Including dates and names and locations is good story telling only if your story is true. John’s story is true, and he offered the details for anyone to verify what he said.
Enough about John’s geography. Another observation in the passage is the repeated use of words about “believe” or “belief” (three times in verses 37 and 38, again in verse 42, then near the end in 11:15). Our group discussed the question, “What did the different people in the passage believe?”
The “many” (v. 42) were the local residents. They remembered John the Baptist and Jesus, although perhaps they had not seen Jesus for a while. But now they recognize (or remember) that Jesus measured up to everything John (the Baptist) had said:
- This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me. (John 1:15)
- I baptize in water,but among you stands One whom you do not know. 27 It is He who comes after me, the thong of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” (John 1:26)
- “Behold,the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!30 This is He on behalf of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.’ 31 I did not recognize Him, but so that He might be manifested to Israel, I came baptizing in water.” 32 John testified saying, “I have seen the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He remained upon Him. 33 I did not recognize Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, ‘He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.’ 34 I myself have seen, and have testified that this is the Son of God.” (John 1:29 – 34)
Without explaining how, John (the Evangelist) tells us that the local people recognized these lofty pronouncements to be displayed in Jesus. The apparently troubling fact that John (the Baptist) had not done any impressive miracles or signs was offset by the fact that everything John had said was 100% accurate. One member of our discussion group observed that this was the Old Testament test of a true versus a false prophet. John passed the test. The local residents believed what John had said about Jesus.
The sisters, Mary and Martha, believed that Jesus could help, probably that He could heal their brother (as both said to Jesus when He arrived ‘too late’). The sisters believed He was the Lord (11:3), the One who could heal. They believed He loved them and their brother (11:3), and they must have believed that the relationship between Jesus and their family was strong enough for Him to take a risk, to return to the area where He was likely to be arrested or worse.
What did Jesus Himself believe? He was confident that the story of Lazarus, at least this part of it, would not end in death (11:4) but rather in the glory of God and, as a result, in His glory as the Son of God. Jesus uses language reminiscent of an episode not long before this. The death of Lazarus, like the lifetime of blindness (John 9) was terrible and painful, but the pain was not the end of either story. The greater story was the works of God that would display His glory. We often get so caught up in our smaller stories that we lose sight of the bigger and better story God is always telling.
The disciples believed that returning to Judea meant death. Their faith, reinforced by the miracles they had seen and the teaching they had listened to, that faith was limited by practical realities. They probably thought they misunderstood when Jesus matter-of-factly announced His plan to return to dangerous territory. They even tried to reason with Him, “If he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” Jesus used a word for “sleep” that was commonly used as a euphemism for death (the source of the English word “cemetery”), so it is hard to believe the disciples mistook His meaning. They simply wanted to avoid the risk of returning to the area around Jerusalem.
Jesus focused not on the risk, but on the relationship. “Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus” (11:5). Opportunities are limited, like the hours of daylight when it is possible to work and walk without stumbling (11:9-10). Jesus’ words about day and night and light and darkness may have additional symbolism. Our group discussed various possibilities. But the undisputed fact is the emphasis on relationship (“Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep”) regardless of the risk (“but I go, so that I may awaken him out of sleep”). Perhaps even Thomas (who usually is known only for his doubt, John 20:24-25) began to understand that relationship (going with Jesus) was worth the risk of dying with Him (11:16).
Relationships are often risky. Reaching out to someone we don’t know very well risks a lack of response. Trying to reconcile a difficult relationship risks angry rejection. Transparent sharing even in a good relationship risks misunderstanding or humiliation. We seldom risk being stoned. But, like the disciples, our faith is sometimes deterred from relational risks by what we see as those practical realities. Jesus continually emphasized His relationship with His Father. His relationship with Martha, Mary, and Lazarus was worth risks that overwhelmed the disciples. The relationships within the Trinity are the model and motivation for the priority we should have on our human relationships. Those eternal relationships, both divine and human, are worth the risks we may face.