Then said Jesus ; literal. Then therefore Jesus said. plainly. See John 10:24 . is dead = died. Aorist tense. This shows that death had taken place some time before, probably soon after the message was sent by the sisters. Compare verses: John 11:17 , John 11:39 . read more
Then Jesus therefore said unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead. And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him.Paraphrase: I am glad I was not there; if I had been, I would have yielded to the cries and entreaties of the sisters. Healing him would have been a great wonder, but raising him from the dead will be a greater one; and I am glad for this opportunity to raise your faith to a higher level. read more
14. Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead—Says BENGEL beautifully, "Sleep is the death of the saints, in the language of heaven; but this language the disciples here understood not; incomparable is the generosity of the divine manner of discoursing, but such is the slowness of men's apprehension that Scripture often has to descend to the more miserable style of human discourse; compare Matthew 16:11." read more
Lazarus’ death 11:1-16In this pericope John stressed Jesus’ deliberate purpose in allowing Lazarus to die and the reality of his death. read more
1. The seventh sign: raising Lazarus 11:1-44Jesus had presented Himself as the Water of Life, the Bread of Life, and the Light of Life. Now He revealed Himself as the resurrection and the life. This was the seventh and last of Jesus’ miraculous signs that John recorded, and it was the most powerful revelation of His true identity. [Note: See Edersheim, 2:308.] It shows Jesus’ authority over humankind’s greatest and last enemy: death. Some scholars view Jesus’ resurrection as one of His signs.... read more
Apparently Jesus was glad that He had not been present when Lazarus died because the disciples would learn a strong lesson from his resurrection that would increase their faith. The sign that Lazarus’ death made possible would be the clearest demonstration of Jesus’ identity so far and would convince many people that He was God’s Son. read more
Christ the Resurrection and the Life1-44. The raising of Lazarus. The last and greatest of the seven ’signs’ recorded in this Gospel is related with such photographic minuteness of detail, that it is clear that the evangelist was present. Three points about it are specially noteworthy: (1) that it was a physical miracle, which no ingenuity can reduce to a case of faith-healing; (2) that it was definitely worked to produce faith in Christ (John 11:42); (3) that more than any other miracle it was... read more
(14) Lazarus is dead.—The words of deeper truth, “Our friend Lazarus is fallen asleep,” have conveyed no true meaning to their minds. He uses words, therefore, which fall short of that truth, but are the only words which they can understand. read more
Bethany John 11:1 One of Robert McCheyne's sayings is still remembered in Collace (the scene of the early ministry of Dr. Andrew Bonar): 'Bethany was known in Scripture not so much as Bethany, but as the town of Mary and her sister Martha'. I wonder who in this place gives the name by which it is known in heaven? It will not be known there as Collace, but as the town of perhaps some bedridden believer up in the hills. Reminiscences of Dr. Andrew Bonar, p. 8. References. XI. 1. Expositor (4th... read more
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Bridgeway Bible Commentary - John 11:1-44
BACK TO JUDEA116. Resurrection of Lazarus (John 11:1-44)While Jesus was still in the region between the Jordan and Jerusalem, he heard that his friend Lazarus, who lived in Bethany, was seriously ill. Jesus did not hurry to Bethany, because he knew that Lazarus was already dead. By raising him to life, Jesus would give unmistakable evidence of his unity with the Father (John 11:1-6).After waiting two days, Jesus decided to set out for Bethany. The disciples tried to stop him, fearing that the... read more