When Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, many believed in him.
However, some did not, and they ran back to the Pharisees and reported
what they had seen Jesus do.  The Pharisees understood that this
latest miracle was so astounding that it could permanently damage
their power in Israel.  The High Priest helped to unite the Pharisees
in their plot to kill Jesus by saying, “It is better for you that one
man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should
perish” (John 11:50).  He said this because he was a smooth
politician, and he wanted the rest of the Pharisees to agree with him.
He wanted them to believe that Jesus should be killed so that they
would be able to remain in control of Israel.

John wants us to see the High Priest’s statement on another level as
well.  It is also an unintentional prophecy.  Jesus would indeed die
for the Jewish nation, taking their sins upon himself and dying in
their place.  Yet the full meaning is even greater than that.  He
would die for all of the “Israel of God” (Gal 6:16), the one, unified
people of God gathered from the nations of the world.

The next section tells us how Mary prepared Jesus for burial.  She
anointed him with expensive perfume and wiped his feet with her hair.
Her act was remarkable for several reasons.  It was an act of
humility, because only the lowest slaves would wash people’s feet.
Also, it was a very expensive jar of perfume.  And, of course, her act
foreshadowed what was about to happen.  Jesus was about to be killed
for the sins of men.

The last section tells us about the plot against Lazarus.  The
Pharisees hatred for Jesus burned so fiercely that it even lashed out
against Jesus’ followers.  Lazarus was a living symbol of Jesus’
power, and so the Pharisees decided that Lazarus needed to be killed
as well, so as to thoroughly extinguish the threat that Jesus posed to
their power.

This entire passage of Scripture emphasizes the plan of God in
salvation.  Though the Pharisees contrived their plots, the death of
Jesus happened according to God’s perfect plan.  This plan is still in
effect today, as people throughout the world are being added to the
people of God, and even as Jesus’ followers are still being persecuted
for their faith.

Though it is the shortest verse in the Bible, it says a lot.  Charles
Spurgeon once said, “There is infinitely more in these two words than
any sermonizer, or student of the Word, will ever be able to bring out
of them.”

Of course, one of the great burdens of John’s gospel is to display
Christ’s divine nature.  This verse shows us clearly that Jesus was
also perfectly human, as well as being God.  He is someone who is wellOK
acquainted with grief.  It shows us that he loved us so much that he
identified with us in our humanity.

It also shows us God’s compassion for us.  God, though he is infinite
and holy, chose to enter into a relationship with men and loves them.
He sheds tears for his his people, and also sees us when we weep.

Last, it shows us how valuable we are in God’s sight.  Though God had
every reason to allow his wrath to rest on all of us forever, he
nonetheless chose to save a people for himself; though the cost would
be tremendous.  God the Father sent God the Son to die in our place.

Though John 11:35 is a short verse, it shows us a great deal about the
love of God for us.

Whenever we see real belief, we know that a significant
resurrection from the dead has already taken place.  Those who have
been raised from the dead spiritually express their new life by
believing in Jesus Christ.  We see that Mary and Martha truly believe
in Jesus Christ, and so we see evidence that they have been raised
from the dead spiritually.  This passage serves to picture what will
happen to them, and to all who believe in Christ, in the future.
Their spiritual resurrection will surely result in a physical
resurrection from the dead.

There is a real change that has taken place in Martha’s life.
Once, she was so anxious about making sure that she was a good hostess
that she failed to sit at her master’s feet (Luke 10:38-42).  Now, we
see that a change has taken place.  She hurries to go get her sister
Mary and bring her to Jesus.

Mary went immediately to go see Jesus, and her friends and
relatives went with her, since they thought she was going to the
graveside to mourn.  The scene that follows is characterized by
hopelessness.  Mary and many of the friends and relatives thought that
the only hope for Lazarus had passed, since Jesus, the healer, did not
arrive prior to Lazurus’ death.

Yet Jesus showed them all that he has power over death.  Even
though Lazarus had been in the grave for four days, Jesus called
Lazarus forth and he came out of the grave.  This miracle showed for
the glory of God the Father and the glory of the one he had sent.
Some of the people that saw this miracle at the graveside believed
that Jesus Christ is the one who sets men free from the bonds of
death, and would one day cause them to rise from their graves as well.

All of us who believe have this same assurance.  Our bodies, which
are sown into the ground like a seed, will someday spring forth from
the ground with new life.  When Jesus returns, our bodies will be
renewed so that they will be imperishable.

“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life.  Whoever
believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who
lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?'” (John
11:25-26)

Jesus did many signs so that people would believe he was the anointed
one and have life through him (John 20:30-31).  Perhaps the most
dramatic sign was when Jesus raised Lazarus, who had been dead for
four days.

When Jesus hears that his friend Lazarus is dead, we expect him to
react immediately, running as fast as possible to be with Mary and
Martha.  Yet, he just sits there for two days.  This is to show that
he is not to be moved by any external forces, but he works entirely on
God’s timetable.  He cannot be rushed.  Also, it helps us to see the
magnitude of this miracle.  He is not reviving a patient who died a
few seconds before, but he is raising a man who has been dead for
quite some time.

If Jesus travels to Judea to go to Lazarus, it seems that he will put
himself and the disciples into great danger.  The disciples remember
vividly the Jews who had picked up stones to kill Jesus, and they
start to become afraid.  They think that they and Jesus will surely be
killed.  Jesus reassures them using an analogy.  Just as there is
always twelve hours of daylight in a day, so his light will shine in
the world for an appointed time.  He will not die before his work is
completed.

Jesus then downplays Lazarus’ death, comparing it with sleep.  Of
course, Lazarus was fully, completely dead.  Jesus knew this perfectly
well (John 11:14).  However, he wants his disciples to understand that
death is not the end for Christians.  Those who believe in him will
have eternal life and hope in a future resurrection.  The miracle that
Jesus is about to perform will be a picture of that hope, just as
Lazarus emerged from the grave, so shall we all.

When Jesus talks with Martha, he tells her that he will raise Lazarus
from the dead.  It does not occur to her to think that he will raise
Lazarus at that very time, but her mind moves forward to the future,
when Jesus will raise all believers from the dead.  Her response to
Jesus is one of faith.  Though she has not seen him raise anyone from
the dead with her eyes, she nonetheless believes that he is “the
Messiah, the Son of God” (John 11:27), who has power over death.