Lazarus' Resurrection

Study of John 11:28-44

When she had said this, she went away and called Mary her sister, saying secretly, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” And when she heard it, she got up quickly and was coming to Him. 

Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha met Him. Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and consoling her, when they saw that Mary got up quickly and went out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there. 

Therefore, when Mary came where Jesus was, she saw Him, and fell at His feet, saying to Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and was troubled, and said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus wept. So the Jews were saying, “See how He loved him!” But some of them said, “Could not this man, who opened the eyes of the blind man, have kept this man also from dying?” 

So Jesus, again being deeply moved within, came to the tomb. Now it was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. Jesus said, “Remove the stone.” Martha, the sister of the deceased, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there will be a stench, for he has been dead four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” So they removed the stone. 

Then Jesus raised His eyes, and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. I knew that You always hear Me; but because of the people standing around I said it, so that they may believe that You sent Me.” When He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth.” The man who had died came forth, bound hand and foot with wrappings, and his face was wrapped around with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”

— John 11:28-44

After Martha it's now Mary's turn for a private meeting with Jesus. Martha secretly called Mary to not alert the Jews that Jesus has come. But when the Jews saw Mary leaving in haste they thought she's going to the tomb to weep and followed her. It must be evident to their friends that Mary's sorrow is greater and needs more comforting so they devoted themselves to stay by her side while Martha was able to leave the house alone earlier. The supposedly private meeting now becomes public.

When Mary saw Jesus she dropped to His feet and said the same thing as the first half of Martha's welcoming statement  “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” The two sisters' hope was high that Jesus would come when their brother was ill and when he died they probably kept repeating this phrase over and over in dismay. The sight of Mary and her friends wailing in grief made Jesus uneasy.

Robert Mounce comments here:

"The majority of English translators have understood that while embrimaomai in this context may well have indicated an outburst of indignation, the term is sufficiently comprehensive to include compassion as well. The expression “in spirit” (also “in himself,” en heauto, v.38) is said to be a “Semitism for expressing the internal impact of the emotions” (Brown, 425). Phillips translates, “He was deeply moved and visibly distressed.” Lindars, 399, concludes,“We are thus driven back to the classic interpretation of this verse as a testimony to the human feeling of Jesus, who shares with all men in their pain and distress.” Jesus asks very simply, “Where have you laid him?” to which Mary and the others answer, “Come and see, Lord”—a strange sequel if Jesus is still in a fit of anger!

In the shortest verse in the Bible, we learn that “Jesus wept.” Note here that John uses a different word for the tears of Jesus than for the weeping of Mary and those with her. Jesus wept refers to a more restrained breaking out in tears.

The reason for Jesus’ tears in the Lazarus story was not grief over Lazarus’s death—that would bracket him with those “who have no hope” (1Th 4:13). Nor was it simply an expression of love and concern for the sisters and their friends. Jesus wept because of the havoc wrought on the world by sin and death. To the one who came to bring life, death was a stark reminder of the continuing cosmic struggle between God and Satan for the souls of men and women. As long as death reigned, the kingdom of God was not yet finally and completely established."

Some of the Jews thought it was proof of Jesus' love for Lazarus that He grieves He couldn't save him, while some doubted because they believe He could have prevented Lazarus' death if He wanted but didn't. Jesus was again emotionally shaken approaching the tomb and commanded to remove the stone. Martha, doubting it is wise to remove the stone, warned about the foul odor because by this time the body would be decomposing already. Although some Jews put spices it doesn't do much to slow the decomposition because they don't embalm their dead so on the fourth day it would produce a putrefying smell already. Later Jewish teaching reveals they believe the soul of the dead lingers near the body trying to get back for three days and when he see the face disfigured by decomposition it gives up and abandons the body.

"For three days after death the soul hovers over the body intending to reenter it." (Lev. Rabbah 18:1)

“The full force of mourning lasts for three days. Why? Because for that length of time the shape of the face is recognizable." -Bar Kdappara (Lev. Rabbah 18:1 on Lev. 15:1)

Nobody expects a rotten corpse to be revived, even Martha, so Jesus reminded her “Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” The respect they had for Jesus made them obey  and removed the stone. Then Jesus deliberately prayed in the hearing of all to let them know that His prayer was heard by His Father as Martha said earlier so that they may believe in Him.

When He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth.”

Several commentators pointed out that if Jesus did not say the name of Lazarus, all the dead in the graves will rise. To everyone's shock Lazarus came out still bound in grave clothes which would make it hard for him to even walk so Jesus asked for it to be removed. With this great miracle Jesus has proven us all that He has the power of life and not even our greatest universal enemy, death, can stop Him.

It is because of sin that death entered the world and spread to all men because all are sinners (Romans 5:12) and the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). For this reason the Son of God became incarnate to help mortal man be freed from being enslaved to Satan, who had the power of death, through our fear of death (Hebrews 2:14-15).

As Lazarus was physically dead, we all are spiritually dead in our sins (Eph. 2:1). As Jesus has given life to Lazarus by His word calling him out of the tomb, we also have to be spiritually resurrected, born again, by the Word of God (1 Peter 1:23). And as Lazarus' stinky grave clothes needed to be removed, our sins also have to be removed through sanctification. But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life (Romans 6:22).

The last enemy that will be abolished is death (1 Cor.15:26) and we can be assured He will fulfill it.

Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.

— Revelation 20:14

and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”

— Revelation 21:4

so that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

— Romans 5:21