The Death of Lazarus
Bible Study Guide
(Verses 1-4) If you left the old east gate of the city of Jerusalem and headed in an easterly direction, you’d go down and up through the Kidron Valley. Once you were about one mile from the city, you would find yourself on the Mt. of Olives.
Continuing east almost another mile would bring you to the village of Bethany, where the sisters, Mary and Martha lived. Their brother Lazarus lived in this same village. It’s here where the news came from about the condition of Jesus’ good friend Lazarus.
Jesus and His disciples will use Bethany as a place to retreat back to daily after spending each day in Jerusalem during the last week of His public ministry.
John records Jesus’ first words about Lazarus to be very revealing about the coming circumstances. Jesus makes no bones about the fact that this is a divinely appointed event. Jesus was about to perform a miracle. You could say it was the miracle of all His miracles.
Lazarus didn’t happen to get sick and suddenly die for no reason. It was all a part of God’s plan. John made sure he recorded every intimate detail so the reader would understand what was occurring around this divinely appointed event.
Was the Miracle after the Death of Lazarus a Big Deal?
This was the miracle that trumped all other miracles. It was the last recorded miracle by John that took place the week prior to the week of Jesus’ arrest and crucifixion.
John uses almost the entire chapter solely dedicated to the details of this event. We’ll see in a moment why each fact that John writes about was included in this story. There is more written by John about this one miracle than any other miracle recorded in his gospel.
Why Did Jesus Wait Two Days?
(Verses 5-7) The words in these verses seem puzzling to us as readers. Imagine for a moment how the disciples felt when Jesus didn’t drop everything He was doing to go and help His friend Lazarus.
Jesus didn’t react for two whole days after hearing Lazarus’s health condition. His disciples were likely very perplexed by this knowing how much Jesus loved Lazarus.
These verses are a great reminder for us that we don’t always understand how God works. What God does, He always does for good and to fulfill His will and purpose. Notice how the disciples timing was not aligned to God’s when reacting to the news about Lazarus.
Another great lesson for us is to always trust in the Lord’s timing. We don’t always see it right in front of us. Trust in His timing and we eventually see why his timing is perfect and sufficient for us.
What Did the Disciples Fear?
(Verses 8-9) They were not heading back to Jerusalem where the Jews attempted twice to stone Jesus. But the fear was that Bethany was only two miles east of Jerusalem. Any word that Jesus might be in the area could stir up a mob to go looking for Him.
Jesus asks His disciples to trust in His timing. He also wants them to trust in Him as the light that will guide them while He’s still there with them. If Jesus is there to do the work of His Father, then the disciples must trust that these events are fully controlled by God.
At this point, the disciples of Jesus were still learning a great deal about Him. In a few moments, they’re going to learn much more.
(Verses 11-13) Two days have now past since the news of Lazarus’s illness. God’s timing allowed for this to take place. It was not Jesus’ purpose to heal a sick man, but rather to raise a dead man.
Lazarus Has Fallen Asleep
Jesus tells them that His friend Lazarus has now “fallen asleep.” This is a New Testament euphemism that means death. The death of Lazarus was a temporary thing. The idea of “falling asleep” anticipates the coming resurrection and glorification of the bodies of Christians when Christ returns to gather His church to Himself. This event is called the “rapture’ which will take place prior to the tribulation.
The disciples assume that Lazarus truly fell asleep, but Jesus meant that He died.
(Verses 14-15) After Jesus told His disciples plainly that Lazarus was dead. Jesus said something else that likely left the disciples puzzled as to what Jesus meant.
“and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” (John 11:15)
Jesus being glad that He wasn’t there earlier for Lazarus His friend made no sense to the disciples. But they were soon to understand why Jesus waited for Lazarus to pass.
(Verse 16) It’s possible that in this last verse John gives us a glimpse into the doubts that Thomas had about Jesus. This doubt would come to full bloom after Jesus’ death. But the power of God that Thomas doubted on this day would bring Him to believe upon seeing the nail marks in Jesus’ hands and feet and the mark on His side.
This moment of Thomas’s doubt that led to belief brought forth a beautiful blessing upon many who have not seen like Thomas saw.
Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:29)
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