Verse 14 14.Then Jesus told them plainly, Lazarus is dead. The goodness of Christ was astonishing, in being able to bear with such gross ignorance in the disciples. And indeed the reason why he delayed, for a time, to bestow upon them the grace of the Spirit in larger measure, was, that the miracle of renewing them in a moment might be the greater. read more
(1) The mystery and might of sacrificial love seen in the prelude of the miracle . read more
The raising of Lazarus. This event, a third good work, hastened the final crisis. I. THE BETHANY FAMILY . "Now a certain man was sick , Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha." 1. Their home . It was a small village on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives, two miles from Jerusalem. It is familiar to us in the earlier Gospels as the place to which our Lord resorted from time to time for happy retirement. It remains the sweetest spot in the... read more
7. Christ the Antagonist of death—a victory of love and power . The narrative of this chapter is a further advance in the proof that the unbelief of the Jews was aggravated by the greatness of the revelation. The issue of his sublime and culminating act of power, of his supreme and self-revealing work of transcendent tenderness and beauty, was a deeper and wilder passion of hatred. The evangelist completes his series of seven great miracles with one that in true and believing minds,... read more
These things spake he, and probably many more words expository of the vast principle of service which he here propounded; and after this (for μετὰ τοῦτο implies a break, during which the disciples pondered his words) he saith, Our friend Lazarus ; implying that Lazarus was well known to the disciples, and that the Lord classes himself here, in wondrous condescension, with them . He elsewhere speaks of the twelve as his "friends" ( John 15:14 , John 15:15 , where he made it a... read more
Sleeping and waking. Our Lord Jesus, in this metaphorical language, doubtless adopted a view of death which was familiar to his countrymen, because presented in the works of their inspired and their uninspired writers—of seers and of sages. Yet, in adopting it, he imparted to it a tone and character peculiar to himself. On the other hand, what he says concerning the awakening is altogether original; herein he claims a power which is unprecedented and unparalleled. I. To THE ... read more
Three views of three vital subjects. We have here— I. A VIEW OF CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP . 1. It has Christ as its Center and Inspiration . 2. It is common and mutual . "Our friend." Not "my" nor" your friend," but "our friend." The friend of Jesus and that of his disciples. The friendship is common and mutual. Friendship expects and deserves the same in return. It manifests itself specially to Christ and his followers, and generally to mankind for Christ's sake. Many... read more
Death and sleep. Here we have another instance of what is so frequent in John's Gospel, Jesus using common words in special and unexpected meanings. The disciples did not understand Jesus—how were they likely to do so? Their rejoinder was a very natural one. Why, then, should Jesus speak of the reality of death under the form of sleep? I. ALL DEATH WOULD BE PECULIARLY REPUGNANT TO JESUS . JESUS , we may take it, had in him a fullness and healthiness of natural life... read more
The disciples £ therefore say unto him, Lord, if he have fallen asleep, he will recover . Wunsche quotes 'Berach,' fol. 57, b, "Sleep is a good sign for the sick." The language of the disciples is somewhat remarkable; at least their misunderstanding is puzzling (Reuss and Strauss think it is a sign of the unhistorical); but it probably arose out of the statement, made two days before, that "the sickness was not unto death," and from their eager and affectionate desire to prevent their... read more
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John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - John 11:12
Verse 12 12.If he sleepeth, he will recover. (313) Replying that sleep will have a salutary effect on Lazarus, they thus endeavor indirectly to dissuade Christ from going thither. And yet they do not craftily or deceitfully turn aside Christ’s words to suit their own purpose, on the pretense of not understanding what he said; (314) but, thinking that he spoke about sleep, they gladly seize this opportunity of avoiding danger. Augustine, and many writers since his time, speculate about the word... read more