A Study of John 11:5-16

“Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?” Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” After saying these things, he said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.” The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep. Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died, and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.””

John 11:5–16 ESV

Observation/Summary (short explanation of what the passage says in your own words):

Jesus loved Martha, her sister and her brother Lazarus. When Jesus heard Lazarus was ill, He remained where He was for two more days, and then told His disciples they were going back to Judea. To this the disciples replied that the Jewish religious leaders had just tried to stone Him to death, and they asked Jesus if He really intended to go back. Jesus answered them and said, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” After saying this Jesus told them, “Our friend Lazarus is asleep, but I go to awaken him.”

Then the disciples said, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep he will recover.” But they did not understand Jesus was speaking of his death. So then Jesus told them more clearly, “Lazarus has died…” and also that He was glad He had not been there, “so that you may believe.” Next, Jesus said, “Let us go to him.” So, Thomas, also known as the “Twin,” said to the others, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

Textual Analysis and Implication (what is being said and what does this mean?):

At the beginning of this chapter Jesus received word from sisters Mary and Martha that their brother Lazarus was sick. Now, Jesus loved Lazarus and his sisters, but when He heard the news He did not seem distressed at all. Instead He said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” From this we learn that God uses the difficulties of this world, which are bad in and of themselves, to accomplish much good and reveal His glory so that more might behold Him and come to believe.

This is precisely what will happen with Lazarus when Jesus raises him from the dead later in the chapter, and it is what Jesus does with the suffering in our lives as we cling to Him in faith. Just as many would come to believe in Jesus after the resurrection of Lazarus, people in our lives have an opportunity to see how Jesus is better than anything this world has to offer when we are given the opportunity to cling to Jesus in believing loyalty as storms come into our lives. The pain and suffering of this world is temporary, but the life and love we have in Jesus is eternal.

Importantly, as we read of Jesus saying the illness of Lazarus would result in glorifying the Son of God at the end of verse 4, verse 5 assures us again that Jesus, “loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.” While this trial was sure to test their faith it did not mean Jesus did not love them. John the gospel writer even goes so far as to name each person individually to make it clear that Jesus did not only love this family unit, but rather, He loved each of them individually. Notably, John refers to himself multiple times in this gospel account as the “disciple who Jesus loved,” but he has no problem recording that Jesus loved these people as well. There is to be no jealousy among the followers of Jesus. All who follow Christ are beloved by Him in overflowing measure.

After just having read that Jesus loved this family and had received word of Lazarus’ illness, we might be surprised as we continue to verse 6 and read, “So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.” The choice to delay going to Lazarus was likely confusing and certainly distressing for Mary and Martha. Yet, in addition to this being for the glory of God, verse 5 being positioned before verse 6 communicates that this delay was also because Jesus loved them. Confusing though this may be, this is not the first time Jesus has delayed granting requests. He also did so in John 2:4 and 7:3. This is because Jesus refuses to be manipulated and is committed to doing everything in the Father’s timing, not man’s.

But how can a delay in healing Lazarus be for the good of him and the sisters? Would it not have been better for Jesus to go directly to him or even to heal him with a word from a distance? Well, the wording of this passage actually indicates Lazarus was already dead by the time Jesus received this message (verses 11 & 14). While the message only contained news of  Lazarus’ illness, Jesus supernaturally knew he was already dead. Given the location of Jesus in the trans-Jordan area and the family in Bethany, it likely took one day for the message to get to Jesus and it would then take Jesus one day to travel to them. If Jesus had left immediately Lazarus would have been dead for 2 days, but Jesus instead waited 2 more days so that Lazaruus had been dead for a total of 4 days by the time He arrived.

This is very significant, because there was a popular superstitious belief at the time that said when a person died their spirit stayed near their body for 3 days to reinhabit the body if possible, but after that amount of time, seeing the body had died, the spirit would depart. So, Jesus’ decision to wait 2 days, leaving Lazarus dead for a total of 4 days, would silence any misinterpretations of the resurrection miracle being merely a resuscitation. After 4 days there would be no doubt in the minds of the people that Lazarus was truly dead. And this fact would make the miraculous resurrection of Lazarus by Jesus all the more faith building for those who would witness and hear of it. Jesus did not delay in going to the Bethany family because of hard heartedness or indifference. This delay from Jesus in the case of Lazarus, while agonizing, will result in the strengthening of this family’s faith, and the faith of many others.

After waiting for two days, in verses 7-8, Jesus tells the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” to which they replied, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?”. Chapter 10 ended with Jesus leaving Jerusalem, which is in the region of Judea, because an angry group of Jews led by the religious leaders wanted to stone Him to death for claiming to be God. The time appointed by the Father for Jesus’ arrest and execution had not yet come though, so Jesus slipped away. And He went across the Jordan river to the place where John the Baptist had been ministering and announcing the coming of Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Since then, John the Baptist had been arrested and executed by Herod, but the people still remembered John’s teaching and what he had said about Jesus.

This being the case, while Jesus remained there for a little while, many people came out to see Him, and they believed in Him. The disciples then react with shock when Jesus, who could heal or raise Lazarus from a distance with merely a word, tells them He is going back to Judea in spite of the danger He will face there, and invites them to follow. The disciples rightly pointed out that the religious leaders in Judea still wanted to kill Jesus, and that going into their jurisdiction was dangerous, but what they did not yet know is that the eventual death of Jesus that will result from this trip to Judea would also result in the ultimate glorification of Jesus and the consummation of His earthly ministry.

In response to their understandable protestations Jesus said, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” Essentially Jesus is saying metaphorically that, although the authorities in Judea were seeking to kill Him, He will return anyway because He has work to do. The “12 hours” speaks to how people at this time divided each day into 12 approximate hours which of course varied in length throughout the year from season to season. As there was no artificial lighting like we have today, people worked in the daylight and then had to stop when it became dark, and Jesus used this common knowledge to speak to a deeper truth.

The 12 hours describes the fixed amount of time God the Father gave Jesus to complete the mission of His earthly ministry. So, while the religious authorities in Judea wanted to kill Jesus, they could not harm Him until the appointed time for His arrest and crucifixion. No matter how vehemently opposed they were to Jesus, they could do nothing to Him until the Father allowed them to. While the time until the night of Jesus’ passion is short by this point, Jesus was determined to be faithful to fulfill His mission down to the very last second allotted. And this meant not shying away from going back to Judea at this time.

This metaphor also speaks to the disciples. Jesus is the Light of the World (John 8:12), and He was still with them. While He was with them, for this specific “12 hour” daylight period of His earthly ministry, they could and should keep working with Him, performing their assigned tasks. But soon the night would come when they would be separated from Jesus and scattered. During the darkness of that separation they would not be able to work at all; they would have to wait at least 3 days for the Master to return and send them back into the fields.

After this, in verses 11-13, Jesus used the metaphor of sleep to describe the death of Lazarus, and said that He was going to “awaken” him (by raising him from the dead). Then the disciples said, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.”, but they did not understand Jesus meant that Lazarus had died.

Sleep is a commonly used metaphor for death in the New Testament. Jesus also said Jairus’ deceased daughter was “asleep” before raising her from the dead (Matthew 9:24), and Stephen is described as falling asleep when he is stoned to death (Acts 7:60). The metaphor of sleep to describe death does not exist in the Old Testament, but it was commonly used in hellenistic (ancient Greek) culture. So, while the metaphor was not an Old Testament one, it is one Jesus’ disciples would have been familiar with. The reason they did not understand Jesus at first though was because they thought Lazarus was merely ill, and also perhaps because they were fearful of returning to Judea. But Jesus supernaturally knew Lazarus had already died, and He was not afraid to brave danger to fulfill the will of the Father and help His friend.

Importantly, Jesus says “our friend” Lazarus has fallen asleep, but “I go” to awaken him. Jesus intentionally made the switch from the plural “our friend” to the singular “I go”, not because the disciples would not accompany Him, but because while they would accompany Him on His journey and be a part of what He would do, Jesus alone is the resurrection and the life (John 11:25). He alone has the power to bring the dead to life. This connection between verses 11 and 25 provides great comfort to those of us who know Jesus. Just as Jesus raised His friend Lazarus back to life, all who believe in Jesus are His friends and, having braved the danger and horror of the cross to save us, He will raise us back to life too.

To dispel the confusion of the disciples about the condition of Lazarus Jesus spoke plainly in verses 14-15 saying, “Lazarus has died, and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” It seems like Jesus is saying He is glad He was not present to see an ailing Lazarus before he died, because He (Jesus) would have healed him. But now, Jesus is glad, not because Lazarus died, but because He knows what the ultimate outcome will be.

While the death of Lazarus will sorely grieve Jesus (John 11:33-38), Jesus could also be glad because He knew this tragedy would lead to resurrection, joy and glory. In the short term, Lazarus will be raised and many people will come to believe in Jesus. In the longer term, the impending resurrection miracle would also serve to mobilize the Jewish religious authorities to make good on their threats to arrest and kill Jesus. While Jesus did not rejoice at the prospect of the cross, He was glad to know His hour had almost come when He would die to pay for the sin of the world and then be raised and enthroned in glory.

From the example of Lazarus, and of course Jesus’ own example on the cross, we see that God  sometimes allows us to enter greater depths of darkness in order to lead us to greater heights of glory. As the tears we sow accumulate, the impending harvest of joy grows all the more colossal.

Finally for this passage, Thomas, also called the “Twin”, said to the other disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” Back in this day all Jews had two names; a Hebrew name and a Greek Name. Thomas was also called the “Twin” or “Didymos” in Greek. It is unclear whose twin he was or who he looked like, although there is a story from church tradition that claims Thomas looked like Jesus and that is why he was called “Didymos.” This is possible, but of course we do not have conclusive evidence of that.

Whatever the case is though, Thomas often gets a bad reputation for doubting the other disciples when they told him Jesus had risen and is therefore referred to as “doubting Thomas.” However, there is much more to the man than that. Here, we see Thomas, even in the middle of incomprehension and misunderstanding, willing to follow Jesus to the point of death. Even though Thomas rightly ascertained that this journey back to Judea would result in the death of Jesus, he was willing to go with Him. Thomas may have had his doubts, but he was loyal to Jesus even in the face of despair. And although Thomas would at first doubt the future report of Jesus’ resurrection from the other disciples, by God’s grace Jesus would appear to Thomas, the one who solemnly called the others to follow Jesus into certain death, to show him He had risen. And then of course, “Thomas the Brave” would believe.

Thomas provides all followers of Jesus with an example to follow. Even with his incomplete understanding of the resurrection Thomas shows that he decided Jesus is better than anyone or anything in this world, and he was therefore willing to follow Jesus even into certain death. Thomas here exhibits exemplary obedience reflective of what Jesus will say to the disciples in John 12:25-26, “Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.”

With this in mind, where do we see Jesus going in this passage? It starts off with Jesus and the disciples ministering on the other side of the Jordan river (away from Jerusalem) where people were responding and believing. But then Jesus tells the disciples it is time to leave this area of robust ministry to go to a place where they were just chased out by a mob who wanted to stone them to death. And why does Jesus do this? In order to go and raise a man from the dead who He could have healed from a distance with merely a word? Yes, Jesus would do this, but He also knew it was time to return to Judea and then Jerusalem because He had a mission from the Father to fulfill. He needed to go and raise Lazarus back to life because this act, prompting belief in so many more people, would mobilize the religious authorities in Judea to enact the final phase of their plan to arrest and kill Him. Jesus went to give Lazarus life, so that He could die Himself, and in so doing, give life to near countless others.

For this reason when He arrives in Bethany and is greeted by a grieving Martha, Jesus tells her that her brother will rise and then announces Himself to be the “Resurrection and the Life.” He will first exhibit this by raising Lazarus, and then a short time later He will demonstrate this truth by rising from the dead Himself.

Jesus braves the danger of certain death for us, His friends, so that we may be raised to life by grace through faith in Him. So, no matter what we may face on our road in this world, let us join with Thomas the Brave, and follow Jesus in this world saying, “Let us also go, that we may die with him…” but then also add what Thomas was not yet certain of and say, “…so that we may also be raised with Him.”

Response (How does this change how I think, act and pray?):

This passage should cause us to consider the character of Jesus. In this account of Jesus heading back into danger to help His friend, we see a small version of the larger whole. Jesus left the matchless splendor of Heaven, to brave danger and certain death here on earth to save us. Although, the difference is, before coming to faith in Jesus we are not His friends, we are His enemies. As the apostle Paul wrote, “For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:7-8 ESV).

Why did Jesus do this? For love. We made war with God in our sin, but He humbly condescended to not only become human, but also to die on a cross, bearing the sin of the entire world because of His love for us. Jesus braved the horror of Hell itself in bearing the full weight of our sin. He knew what it would cost Him to save us, and He gladly paid this price (Hebrews 12:2).

As we consider what our response should be to Jesus now, we can look to Thomas. Thomas lacked a full understanding of Jesus’ identity and purpose at this point, but, even pre-resurrection, he had seen enough. He decided there was no one like Jesus, and he would follow Jesus even into certain death; thus exhibiting his belief that to be with Jesus is to be prized above anything or anyone else in this world. Now, we who have the full account of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection must make a choice. Is He worthy of surrendering our lives to? Is He worth dying for? Anyone or anything that isn’t worth dying for isn’t worth living for, so, is Jesus worth dying for? Is He worth living for?

As for me, I say, “Yes.” There is no one and nothing like Jesus. He is the eternally existent Creator of the entire universe who stepped down from glory into the grave to raise me and everyone who believes to eternal, abundant life with Him. Let us give our lives to our God who braved danger for us, died and rose again.

“And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it.”

Mark 8:34-35 ESV

Self Reflection:

1. What does Jesus’ choice to set aside the magnificent perfection of Heaven to live and die in the dust and grime of Earth tell me about His character? (selfless, loving, humble, etc.)
2. What does my Creator God, who died for me and rose again, ask of me? (believing loyalty)
3. What does being a faithful follower of Jesus look like in my life today?