RSV ~ John 11 Notes
Jn 11:1-44 | ISB Notes
The raising of Lazarus is the sixth of seven âsignsâ that Jesus performs in John (12:18), giving emphatic support to his claim to give âlifeâ (5:25-29; 6:40). There is a dark side to the episode as well, as it provokes Jewish opposition that will precipitate Jesusâ death (11:45-53). Similar miracles are recorded in the Synoptic Gospels, such as the raising of Jairusâ daughter (Mk 5:21-43) and the raising of the widowâs son from Nain (Lk 7:11-17) (CCC 994). See word study: Signs at Jn 2.
⢠Precedent for raising the dead was set by the prophets Elijah (1 Kings 17:17-24) and Elisha (2 Kings 4:32-37).
Jn 11:1 | ISB Notes
Lazarus: A beloved friend of Jesus (11:5).
Bethany: A small village about two miles east of Jerusalem (11:18). Mary âŚ
Martha: Possibly the friends of Jesus mentioned in Lk 10:38-42. The personalities of these two women in John, with Martha as the busy hostess (12:2) and Mary giving her attention to Jesus (12:3), make this identification probable.
Jn 11:2 | ISB Notes
Mary who anointed the Lord: Anticipates the following episode in 12:1-8.
Jn 11:4 | ISB Notes
not unto death: Lazarus will in fact die (11:14). But this will not be his ultimate fate because Jesus will raise him to new life, affording an opportunity for others to glorify God by means of the miracle (9:3).
Jn 11:6 | ISB Notes
two days longer: The delay of Jesus proves fatal for Lazarus. This period of waiting is not a mistake or miscalculation, but part of his plan to generate faith in the disciples (11:15, 42). Raising the dead to new life will have a more profound effect on them than raising the sick to health.
Jn 11:9 | ISB Notes
walks in the day: Jesus can travel safely in Judea so long as his âhourâ lies in the future (see 7:30; 8:20; 10:39).
Jn 11:11 | ISB Notes
fallen asleep: A euphemism for biological death (Mt 27:52; Acts 7:60; 1 Cor 15:6). The disciples take Jesusâ words literally, thinking Lazarus has only to be awakened.
Jn 11:16 | ISB Notes
die with him: An obscure statement. It may be that Thomas, like Peter in 13:37, is full of confidence that will prove to be rash when Jesus is later arrested and the disciples scatter for their lives (16:32).
Jn 11:17 | ISB Notes
in the tomb four days: Decisive confirmation of Lazarusâ death, since by this time the process of bodily decay was thought to begin in earnest. Martha thus expected the tomb to emit an unpleasant âodorâ (11:39). Jews during NT times customarily wrapped the dead with a shroud, tied strips of cloth around their extremities (11:44), and anointed their bodies with fragrant oils and spices (19:39-40). The procedure was not strictly equivalent to embalming, but it helped to delay temporarily the stench of bodily corruption (CCC 627).
⢠Allegorically (Glossa Ordinaria): four days in the tomb signifies four stages of spiritual death. Original sin is the first death of the human race; violation of the natural law is the second; violation of the written Law of Moses is the third; and despising the gospel of grace is the fourth. A preview of manâs resurrection from this fourfold death is seen as Christ brings Lazarus to life after his four-day entombment.
Jn 11:22 | ISB Notes
even now: Marthaâs faith fills her with confidence. Although she neither begs nor even asks Jesus to intervene for Lazarus, she knows that Godâs love is more powerful than death and leaves Jesus to handle the situation as he sees fit.
Jn 11:24 | ISB Notes
the resurrection: A doctrine already current in Judaism (Dan 12:2-3; 2 Mac 7:9). Only the Sadducees denied that our bodies would live again on the last day (Mt 22:23; Acts 23:8).
See topical essay: Who Are the Sadducees? at Mk 12.
Jn 11:25 | ISB Notes
I am the resurrection: Jesus places all hopes for a future resurrection upon himself. He possesses the absolute sovereignty over life and death that was always believed to be the sole prerogative of Yahweh (1 Sam 2:6; Wis 16:13; CCC 994).
Jn 11:32 | ISB Notes
if you had been here: Maryâs initial disappointment mirrors that of Martha (11:21).
Jn 11:33 | ISB Notes
troubled: Literally, âangeredâ. Though left unexplained, Jesus is probably angry with the Jews who are now weeping with Mary but who will soon betray him to hostile authorities (11:46). In other words, he foresees that the raising of Lazarus, while strengthening the faith of some, will also occasion the unbelief and treachery of others (11:53; 12:10).
Jn 11:35 | ISB Notes
Jesus wept: Tears, not of despair, but of love and sympathy for Lazarus and his family.
This small narrative detail points to an awesome theological mystery: Jesus, who became man in every respect except sin, experienced a full range of human emotions (CCC 478).
Jn 11:43 | ISB Notes
with a loud voice: Dramatizes what will take place at the general resurrection on the last day, when the dead will hear the âvoiceâ of the Son of man and come forth from their tombs to live again (5:25-29; CCC 988-91).
Jn 11:47 | ISB Notes
the council: The Sanhedrin, the supreme court of the Jews. Though many reasons underlie their conspiracy against Jesus (11:53), the raising of Lazarus was particularly insulting to the Sadducees, who did not believe such a thing was possible in the first place (Acts 23:6-8). See notes on Jn 11:24 and Mk 14:55.
Jn 11:48 | ISB Notes
the Romans will come: The statement is brimming with historical irony. The Romans did in fact destroy both Jerusalem and its Temple in A.D. 70, not because the Jewish authorities let Jesus continue his ministry in peace, but precisely because they condemned him to a violent death. In the end, it was not the acceptance of Jesus that threatened the city but the rejection of him that made its demise inevitable (CCC 59697, 1753). See note on Jn 2:19.
our holy place: A reference to the Temple or to Jerusalem more generally (Acts 6:13; 21:28).
Jn 11:49 | ISB Notes
Caiaphas: The high priest of Israel from A.D. 18 to 36. As such, he was the recognized head of the Jewish âcouncilâ (11:47).
Jn 11:51 | ISB Notes
he prophesied: Caiaphas unwittingly announces that Jesus will die for the salvation of the nation. This is not his own insight, but the grace of prophecy speaking through him in virtue of his priestly office and position as chief teacher of Israel.
Jn 11:52 | ISB Notes
the children of God: Recalls the âother sheepâ that Jesus promised to gather into his âone flockâ (10:16). It indicates that Christ calls to himself not only Israelites living in the land of Judea, but Israelites and Gentiles who are scattered throughout the Mediterranean world and beyond (Is 43:5-7; 66:18-21; Jer 31:10). The gospel of Christ thus reunifies the human family by gathering believers from every nation into the divine family of God (CCC 706, 2793). See note on Jn 1:12.
Jn 11:54 | ISB Notes
Ephraim: A village of uncertain location, but probably north of Jerusalem in the lower region of Samaria.
Jn 11:55 | ISB Notes
the Passover: The third mention of this feast in John (2:13; 6:4).
to purify themselves: Jews underwent a process of ritual purification before the Passover, since it was forbidden to celebrate the festival in a state of ceremonial uncleanness (Num 9:9-11; 2 Chron 30:18-21).