Christ raises Lazarus, who was buried four days, 1-44. Many Jews believe, 45, 46. The high priests and Pharisees gather a council against Christ, 47, 48. Caiaphas prophesies, 49-53. Jesus hides himself, 54. At the passover they inquire about him and lay wait for him, 55-57.
1 Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, from Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 (It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.) 3 Therefore, his sisters sent to him, saying, "Lord, behold, he whom you love is sick." 4 When Jesus heard that, he said, "This sickness is not to death, but for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it." 5 Now Jesus loved Martha, her sister, and Lazarus. 6 When therefore he had heard that he was sick, he stayed two days still in the same place where he was. 7 Then after that he says to his disciples, "Let us go into Judea again." 8 His disciples say to him, "Master, the Jews of late sought to stone you, and you go there again?" 9 Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walks in the day, he does not stumble because he sees the light of this world. 10 But if a man walks in the night, he stumbles because there is no light in him." 11 He said these things, and after that, he says to them, "Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go so that I may awake him out of sleep." 12 Then his disciples said, "Lord, if he sleeps he will do well." 13 Now Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that he had spoken of taking rest in sleep. 14 Then Jesus said to them plainly, "Lazarus is dead. 15 And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may believe. Nevertheless, let us go to him." 16 Then Thomas, who is called Didymus, said to his fellow-disciples, "Let us also go so that we may die with him."
17 Then when Jesus came, he found that he had lain in the grave four days already. 18 (Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about fifteen furlongs distant.) 19 And many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary to comfort them concerning their brother. 20 Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him, but Mary sat in the house. 21 Then Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But I know that even now, whatever you will ask of God, God will give it to you." 23 Jesus says to her, "Your brother shall rise again." 24 Martha says to him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." 25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, even if he were dead, he shall live. 26 And whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?" 27 She says to him, "Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who comes into the world."
28 And when she had said this, she went and called Mary her sister secretly, saying, "The Master has come and calls for you." 29 As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly and came to him.
30 Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in that place where Martha met him. 31 Then the Jews who were with her in the house and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose hastily and went out, followed her, saying, "She goes to the grave to weep there." 32 Then when Mary had come where Jesus was and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying to him, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." 33 When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping who came with her, he groaned in the spirit and was troubled, 34 And said, "Where have you laid him?" They say to him, "Lord, come and see." 35 Jesus wept. 36 Then the Jews said, "Behold how he loved him!" 37 And some of them said, "Could this man, who opened the eyes of the blind, not have kept this man from dying?"
38 Jesus therefore, again groaning in himself, comes to the grave. It was a cave and a stone lay upon it. 39 Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of him who was dead, says to him, "Lord, by this time his body is offensive, for he has been dead four days." 40 Jesus says to her, "Did I not say to you, that if you would believe, you should see the glory of God?" 41 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 And I knew that you hear me always. But because of the people who stand by, I said it, so that they may believe that you have sent me." 43 And when he had thus spoken, he cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth." 44 And he who was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with grave-clothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus says to them, "Unbind him, and let him go."
45 Then many of the Jews who came to Mary and had seen the things which Jesus did believed in him. 46 But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what things Jesus had done.
47 Then the chief priests and the Pharisees convened a council, and said, "What do we do? For this man performs many miracles. 48 If we leave him alone like this, all men will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation." 49 And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said to them, "You know nothing at all, 50 Nor consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation not perish." 51 And he did not speak this of himself, but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation, 52 And not for that nation only, but that also he should assemble in one the children of God who were scattered abroad. 53 Then from that day forth they took counsel together to put him to death.
54 Jesus therefore no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there to a country near the wilderness, into a city called Ephraim, and stayed there with his disciples.
55 And the Jews' passover was near at hand. And many went out of the country to Jerusalem before the passover to purify themselves. 56 Then they sought for Jesus and spoke among themselves as they stood in the temple, "What do you think—that he will not come to the feast?" 57 Now both the chief priests and the Pharisees had given a commandment, that, if any man knew where he was, he should report it so that they might take him.
Matthew Henry Commentary - John, Chapter 11[➚]
[v.52] - Reference, Matthew 24:31; Revelation 7:9.