John Chapter 11

John Chapter 11

Distributed by: KJV Bible Studies

Website: www.KjvBibleStudies.net

Introduction: Last week we saw Jesus teaching on His Deity and found the Jews so upset that they took up rocks to stone him. Jesus asked them for what good work did they stone him (because no one could deny all of His good works).

They said it was not for the good works, but for the blasphemy of claiming to be equal with God. But He was telling them the truth. John 10:30 I and my Father are one. John 10:38 But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.

I. The Raising of Lazarus

John 11:1 Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.

Chapter 11 is sort of a transitional period in the Lord’s ministry. His public ministry seems to begin a transition into a private ministry. I mean by this that he seems to now direct Himself to individuals rather than reaching towards the whole nation. The one big issue and question that really needed to be answered was: “Can Jesus raise the dead?” He had healed all sorts of sickness, fed multitudes with just a handful of food. He had taught with authority, preached the Gospel, but could he raise the dead? Death is a great mystery, and many do not believe in the resurrection of the dead. But this morning, I have hope in life after death. Because I believe Jesus Christ, and know that he did die and rose again.

Bethany was a village at the eastside of the Mount of Olives about two miles

down the road leading from Jerusalem to Jericho. It was the home of a man named Lazarus and his sisters Martha and Mary. They three had become close friends with Jesus.

We see that Jesus was always concerned for those about him. We are going to find something unique about this story. I never remember Jesus having to check his appointment calendar to decide whether He had time to go and help those that beckoned. He always came, and he came right then. That is the difference in this story. We find in verse 6 that after He was told that Lazarus was sick, that he abode where he was for two additional days before He came to help. Did Jesus not care for Lazarus? He really cared for both he and his sisters, Mary and Martha. He many times came and stayed with them when he traveled through Bethany. So why did Jesus delay coming when they begged Him to come? It was to accomplish a great miracle to make many come to know that Jesus was the Christ. We may not always understand what is happening or why we are suffering, but God has reasons for all things. We need greater faith to never doubt our Omniscient Lord. We know Jesus had taught earlier that those who are sick need a physician.

Mat 9:12 But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.

And if we need a physical doctor for these things that befall us in the flesh, how much more do we need Jesus to heal our spiritual sickness. Until we know Jesus as Savior, we will always be under the bondage of sin. But Jesus is the Great Physician, who can heal all of our sin debt.

John 11:2 (It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.)

Do you remember the story about Mary who had wiped Jesus’ feet with her hair after anointing him with the ointment. Mary loved the Lord very much, and I know Jesus had a special love for all of this family.

Mark 14:3 And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it on his head.

Mark 14:4 And there were some that had indignation within themselves, and said, Why was this waste of the ointment made?

Mark 14:5 For it might have been sold for more than three hundred pence, and have been given to the poor. And they murmured against her.

Mark 14:6 And Jesus said, Let her alone; why trouble ye her? she hath wrought a good work on me.

Mark 14:7 For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but me ye have not always.

Mark 14:8 She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying.

Mark 14:9 Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her.

We claim and say we love the Lord, but I doubt we ever would had He not loved us first. We were Christ’s enemies, and yet He died in our stead.

1 John 4:19 We love him, because he first loved us.

John, writing years later, notes that this Mary was the one in John 12:3 “which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair.” Some have sought to assume that incident is the same as recorded in Luke 7:37-38. However, apart from the similarity of the incidents, there is no connection between the two. The sinful woman of Luke 7 is not the Mary described here. Likewise, there is no evidence that this Mary is Mary Magdalene described elsewhere. In any event, her brother, Lazarus, was sick and as the context will reveal, critically so.

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