The Gospel of John

The Raising Of Lazarus

Professor: Dr. R.J. Rushdoony

Subject: Conversations, Panels and Sermons

Lesson: 37- 70

Genre:

Track: 037

Dictation Name: RR197V39

Location/Venue:

Year:

Let us worship God. Lord I have loved the habitation of Thy house and the place where Thy honor dwelleth. I was glad when they said unto me let us go into the house of the Lord. Let us pray.

Our Lord and our God we give thanks unto Thee that Thou hast welcomed us into Thy house. Thou hast made us Thy people and Thou hast given us such great promises in and through Jesus Christ our Lord. Make us ever faithful that in all things we may acknowledge Thee to be the Lord, that we may serve Thee with all our heart, mind and being, that we may rejoice in the calling that is ours and the privilege of our kingdom. How great and marvelous Thou art oh Lord and we praise Thee. In Christ’s name, Amen.

Our text is John 11:1-46. Our subject: The Raising of Lazarus, the 7th miracle. The raising of Lazarus, the 7th miracle, John 11:1-46.

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

2 (It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.)

3 Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick.

4 When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.

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

6 When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was.

7 Then after that saith he to his disciples, Let us go into Judaea again.

8 His disciples say unto him, Master, the Jews of late sought to stone thee; and goest thou thither again?

9 Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world.

10 But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him.

11 These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep.

12 Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well.

13 Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep.

14 Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.

15 And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him.

16 Then said Thomas, which is called Didymus, unto his fellowdisciples, Let us also go, that we may die with him.

17 Then when Jesus came, he found that he had lain in the grave four days already.

18 Now Bethany was nigh unto Jerusalem, about fifteen furlongs off:

19 And many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.

20 Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary sat still in the house.

21 Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.

22 But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee.

23 Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again.

24 Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.

25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:

26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?

27 She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.

28 And when she had so said, she went her way, and called Mary her sister secretly, saying, The Master is come, and calleth for thee.

29 As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly, and came unto him.

30 Now Jesus was not yet come into the town, but was in that place where Martha met him.

31 The Jews then which were with her in the house, and comforted her, when they saw Mary, that she rose up hastily and went out, followed her, saying, She goeth unto the grave to weep there.

32 Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.

33 When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled.

34 And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see.

35 Jesus wept.

36 Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him!

37 And some of them said, Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died?

38 Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it.

39 Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days.

40 Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?

41 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.

42 And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me.

43 And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.

44 And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.

45 Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him.

46 But some of them went their ways to the Pharisees, and told them what things Jesus had done.”

We come now to the seventh miracle or sign, the raising of Lazarus from the dead. Lazarus lived in Bethany with his sisters Mary and Martha. John identifies Mary as the woman who anointed Jesus with the precious oil. We come to this very soon after the miracle of the raising of Lazarus. When Lazarus became very ill his sisters sent word to Jesus to come but Jesus delayed going remaining two days more where He was. When Jesus returned to Bethany Lazarus was already dead and buried four days. This means that when the messengers reached Jesus Lazarus was already dead. Jesus was in Galilee where we are not told because Lazarus was dead there was no rush to return so that Jesus finished whatsoever He had come into Galilee to do. What He did say for the benefit of the disciples and the messenger or messengers was that the outcome of this sickness was not death but for the glory of God and that the Son of God might be glorified thereby. We are told that Jesus loved Martha, Mary and Lazarus, the delay had as its purpose the glory of God. In two previous miracles our Lord had raised the dead as Matthew and Mark and Luke tell us, [unknown]’s daughter and the son of the widow of Nun. In these incidences no great time had elapsed after the deaths nor had burial yet taken place.

When Jesus announced His plan to return to Judea the disciples objected because of the threat to His life which was a very serious one. Why would He return to an area where His murder was likely? Our Lord’s answer begins ‘are there not twelve hours in a day? If any man walk in the day he stumbleth not because he seeth the light of the world, but if a man walk in the night he stumbleth because there is no light in him’. This is proverbial and idiomatic language. There are twelve hours that are daylight hours each day, when a man can work without fear of stumbling. I know what I am doing Jesus says because I am returning because I have work to do. The disciples are wrong in assuming that His return to Bethany is a mistake. Our Lord uses the opportunity for a miracle of staggering dimensions. The raising of Lazarus from the dead reveals Jesus to be the Lord over life and death, equal to God in His power and authority and therefore His condemnation becomes all the more clearly evil in its nature. In verses eleven through fourteen Jesus tells them Lazarus is dead and He will awaken him out of his death sleep. The disciples not eager for a return because their lives too may be also at stake choose to misunderstand Him at first. If he is asleep he will recover, they say, and then Jesus says plainly Lazarus is dead. He adds that He is glad for their sakes that Lazarus is dead because they will now see the fullness of the messianic power of Jesus. But the attitude of the disciples is that a return is suicidal so says Thomas let us go also that we may die with Him. Thomas is a Hebrew name, Didymus is its Greek counterpart meaning twin. Who his twin brother was we don’t know although since in the table of the apostles his name is given together with Matthews one or two have said perhaps Matthew was his twin brother, we don’t know.

When Jesus reached Bethany Lazarus was four days in the grave, Bethany was about two miles from Jerusalem so that Jesus was once again close to the religious leaders who plotted to kill Him. Lazarus was apparently an important person, many of the leading people in Jerusalem had come to Bethany to comfort Mary and Martha. So that there were important people present. Martha on hearing that Jesus was nearing went out to meet Him, she said to Jesus Lord if Thou hadst been here my brother had not died. Then she added but I know that even now whatsoever Thou wilt ask of God, God will give it Thee. Jesus’ response was thy brother shall rise again. Martha assumes that Jesus had spoken of the resurrection at the last day but Jesus says:

“, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?”

Martha had affirmed her faith in an event, the resurrection, the general resurrection at the end of the world. Jesus now told her that He, Himself, in His person is the resurrection and the life so that the event was the work of His person. Without His person there can be neither life nor resurrection. Martha’s reaction was to go to her sister Mary telling her that the Master had come and was asking for her. In verse twenty eight the word secretly modifies saying. She so spoke so as not to be overheard by the many people who were present who included enemies of our Lord.

Mary at once arose and went to the place where Martha had left Jesus, perhaps not too far from the grave. However everyone followed Mary as she left assuming that she was going to the grave to mourn. Mary weeping fell at Jesus’ feet and said ‘Lord if Thou hadst been here my brother had not died’. Jesus asked to be led to the tomb and he wept. The people from Jerusalem commented on this, some observing that Jesus obviously had loved Lazarus, others asked why a man who could heal the blind did not prevent the death of a friend. When Jesus came to the grave He ordered that the stone be removed. Graves in that area were of, prominent people in particular, caves. Martha said Lord by this time he stinketh for he had been dead four days. Jesus’ responded saying, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God? The stone was removed from the mouth of the cave. Jesus then prayed a prayer of amazing audacity, in open defiance of the religious leaders. He thanked God for having heard Him already and for hearing Him always. I make this prayer, He says, openly and publicly so that these my enemies may hear me and also witness your answer, the reason that they may believe that Thou hast sent me. Some will be saved but others will perish in their staggering unbelief. Then with a loud voice he called Lazarus, come forth. Then Lazarus still more or less bound with the burial clothes came forth, Jesus ordered them loose him and let him go. Many of the witnesses believed then and there but some even in the fact of this miracle out of hatred went at once to report the miracle to the Pharisees.

The Pharisees were the strictest believers, supposedly, but they surpassed all others in wanting the death of Jesus. The problem of course is this: belief in what? In the name of God and nowadays in the name of Jesus Christ men can and do erect many idols, false gods, which bear a close resemblance to themselves. Their hatred then for the true and living God is very, very great. There is an important aspect to this miracle or sign, both the first miraculous sign, the turning of water into wine at Cana of Galilee, and this the seventh sign, the raising of Lazarus, are in the context of family life, in the context of family life. How dare some people speak derogatorily of the family when the first great sign and the last culminating sign are in the context of family life. God uses a term from family life to describe Himself, our Father. Both signs are declared to be manifestations of glory, any down grading of the family has against it the witness of all scripture. This miracle gives us a resurrection not comparable to our Lords nor to ours at the end of the world, Lazarus arose from the grave but in time he would again face death whereas our general resurrection is to eternal life. But Lazarus knew how total the power of Jesus Christ is and in His resurrection we have a sign of the total power of Jesus Christ over all things.

We see how staggering unbelief is when we realize that the religious leaders actually believed they could kill Jesus. For them obviously the universe was one of brute or meaningless factuality and there was no causality at work, they were substituting their will for Gods and saying in effect as I will so must it be, the ancient proverb of all kinds of occultism. But the Lord reigns, the Lord God reigns and He uses men’s evil to accomplish His purpose. Let us pray.

Our Father we thank Thee that Thou art He who raised up Lazarus from the dead and shall resurrect us also. We thank Thee that Thou art He who dost reign over all creation, over all the universe and things beyond the universe and Thou art our God, our Redeemer, our Savior. Make us joyful in the face of all things, evil, troubles, burdens, grant that our heart be filled with joy. Keep us from being troubled by the things of this world knowing that Thou art the victor. He who will make all things work together for good. Our God we thank Thee, in Christ’s name, Amen.

Are there any questions now about our lesson?

The first sign you may remember, the turning of water into wine, was a sign of joy. It was a command to us not to be overcome by the evil of the world but to rejoice in all things because God the Lord is king. So it forbids us to be troubled though we often are and this the final sign tells us that not even death is strong in the face of our God and our redeemer, so that whether it be life or death we are to be joyful in the Lord. This is the stress that John makes throughout his gospel and he calls attention to the fact that the last supper as we shall see in the weeks ahead our Lord having made clear to His disciples what will soon happen before the night is over tells them peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you, not as the world giveth give I unto you let not your heart be troubled neither let it be afraid. In the world ye shall have much tribulation but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. Any questions or comments now?

If not let us conclude with prayer.

Our Father, we come to Thee, Thou art He who hast ordained joy for us in the midst of all things and triumphs over even death. Be merciful unto us that so often our minds are too much filled with the problems of the world and our own problems that we forget to sing Thy praises and to rejoice in Thee, to give thanks unto Thee. Take away the discontent from our hearts, the impatience at the trials we undergo. Fix our hearts where our true joys are to be found, even on Christ Jesus our Lord. And now go in peace, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost, bless you and keep you, guide and protect you, this day and always, Amen.