John 11:1-16

I. The Preparation: John 11:1-16.

John first describes the general situation, John 11:1-2; then, the conduct of Jesus towards the two sisters, John 11:3-6; finally, His conversations with the disciples before departing, John 11:7-16.

ADDITIONAL NOTES BY THE AMERICAN EDITOR.

Vv. 1-16.

1. The writer turns at the beginning of this chapter to the narrative of those things which were more immediately connected with the death of Jesus; the eleventh and twelfth Chapter s set forth what was more public and what brought the hostility of the enemies to its highest point, and the following Chapter s (xiii.-xvii.) what belonged within the circle of His immediate friendship with His disciples.

2. The raising of Lazarus is the greatest of the miracles recorded in the Gospel history, but it was not the cause of Jesus' death. It was, at the most, one of the special causes of the hastening of the determination on the part of the Jewish leaders to take more decisive measures. The careful reader of the history will see that the rulers were steadily, though slowly, moving towards this end from an early period. They were determined to set aside and destroy His influence and power, but they were afraid to move too rapidly. They hesitated, therefore, and for a considerable period kept their counsels to themselves. But events moved faster than they thought, and the influence of Jesus was constantly increasing. They were in the condition, accordingly, of men who are impelled by circumstances which they cannot control to act more precipitately than prudence or fear would dictate. This miracle thus hastened their action and brought on the final resolution. In view of it, they became convinced that they could not wait as they had done, that the hour was at hand, and that, in the deadly conflict, either He or themselves must perish. But, if the raising of Lazarus had not occurred, the result would not have been changed. It is doubtful whether it would even have been delayed beyond the feast which was then approaching. The progress of things was such, at this time, that the crisis must come.

3. In the consideration of the question as to the omission of this miracle from the narrative of the Synoptics, the exact position and bearing of it on the result is an all-important element. Its relation to the end was not such as to make the account of it necessary to their narrative, or to render its omission, together with all that which immediately preceded the last week in Jerusalem, a matter of special difficulty. To John's plan and purpose, however, the recording of it might well have been regarded as in a high degree important, if not essential, for it was the last and greatest of the σημεῖα. To have omitted this miracle from his narrative would have been to leave the proof from the works, as presented to his readers, without that which would give it its greatest emphasis and its most convincing force. The very apprehension of the Jewish rulers respecting the influence of this miracle may give us some measure of its value to the mind of one who, as an eye and ear witness of the history, was familiar with all the facts, as he was presenting the proofs of the truth to the minds of others. With the record of it, his argument from the “works” reaches its climax.

4. As to particular words and phrases in John 11:1-16, the following points may be noticed:

(a) The prepositions ἀπό and ἐκ seem to be used in John 11:1, as in John 1:45, as substantially equivalent to each other. The same thing seems to be true, in this case, of the verbs φιλεῖν and ἀγαπᾶν (John 11:3; John 11:5).

(b) The words οὐ πρὸς θάνατον (John 11:4) must refer to the final result, since the resurrection of Lazarus was in the thought of Jesus, though it could not, at this moment, have been in that of His disciples.

(c) If John 11:5 is to be regarded, with Meyer, as having a parenthetical character, in so far as the οὖν of John 11:6 is connected with John 11:4, the force of this οὖν and of John 11:6-7 is best explained as showing how the action of Jesus was guided by the thought of promoting the glory of God in this case. If, on the other hand, as would seem, more probably, to be the correct view, the οὖν refers back to John 11:5, the explanation given by Westcott may be regarded as the best one. He says: “The delay and the return were alike consequences of the same Divine affection and of the same Divine knowledge. Because the Lord loved the family, He went at the exact moment when His visit would be most fruitful, and not just when He was invited.”

(d) The thought of John 11:9 is most simply taken as indicating that the danger suggested by the disciples was not to be apprehended the appointed time for His work was not yet ended; and John 11:10 serves to strengthen this thought by intimating that it is only after the appointed time is over that the danger comes. Godet's explanation of John 11:10 as meaning, “If I were to seek to prolong my career by refusing to go where duty calls, a real danger would attend my course,” and thus as referring to the desire of the disciples that He should remain where He was, though ingenious, appears to be somewhat artificial and improbable.

(e) The words of John 11:12 can hardly be explained unless we hold that the disciples were thinking of Jesus as knowing or having heard of the condition of Lazarus, and as intending to go to Bethany for the purpose of miraculously curing his disease. In their eagerness to keep him from the dangers of that region, they seize upon this favorable indication, and press it upon Jesus, without fully understanding or reflecting upon the circumstances in all their bearings. The very difficulty which lies in the way of an altogether satisfactory explanation of their words may even be regarded as showing the reality of the story. Their minds were working, not reflectively and with calmness, but under the influence of anxiety for their Master and with an eagerness for any escape from threatened danger.

(f) John 11:15 answers in its thought to John 11:4, and shows the design of the miracle as related to faith. It will be noticed, also, that the faith is that of the disciples. The last miracle, like the first, has its individual reference to them. But the faith here was far beyond the faith which followed the miracle at Cana; it was an addition to all the growth from that time to the present.

(g) The words of Thomas in John 11:16 point to the apostolic authorship of the book, for a later writer would have felt little interest in recording such a saying, and certainly would have been unlikely to invent it for the purpose of inserting it here.