John Chapter 11

John Chapter 11

Lazarus of Bethany was sick. Incidentally Mary and her sister Martha were also from Bethany. Mary was the lovely lady who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair (gross! Also, has John told us that story yet??), she was also Laz’s sister. Well the girls when to JC and told him that a guy that they knew he loved was sick.

JC responds that “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.” Uh, right… back atcha, or something.

But JC loved all the folks in the Mary clan including Martha and Lazarus. When he heard that old Laz was sick he stayed with them for two days. Then his disciples started to nag him about going into Judaea again. They said that Jews tried to stone him there, won’t he show his face again.

Jesus asked if there were not twelve hours in the day (twenty four by modern count and if you mean daylight hours, well that fluctuates according to the season, although possibly less so for them, I don’t think they’re too far off from the equator, but I could be wrong). If any man walks in the day he won’t stumble because he sees the light of the world (okay, he must mean daylight hours). But if a man walks at night he stumbles because he doesn’t have any light inside of him (I imagine he could carry a lantern, but I think this is supposed to be a metaphor).

Jesus then tells them that their friend Lazarus is sleeping but he’ll got and wake him.

The disciples tell him not to, arguing that he’ll probably feel better if he gets some rest.

The problem was JC was talking about death and thought he was actually talking about sleep. (You see this is the tricky thing about JC, sometimes he says what he means, but most of the time he does not!) In this case he chose to clarify, “Lazarus is dead.”

Jesus says that for the disciples sakes he is glad he was not there, because they might not have believed what is going to happen.

They all go with Jesus, for some reason Thomas also known as Didymus said, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” Um, I know Laz was everyone’s friend and all but let’s not go crazy and throw ourselves on the pyre. Pull yourself together Didz!

When Jesus came back to the Mary, Martha and Lazarus house he found that poor Lazarus had already been in the grave four days (that’s funny, I thought he was still at their house, I must have missed that transition. Maybe he never actually went to their house because I’m a little unclear about why he wouldn’t have just healed the disease instead of letting him die.)

Bethany was about fifteen furlongs from Jerusalem (possibly where JC and his buds were despite what I told you earlier). Many of the Jews came from there to Martha and Mary to comfort them concerning the death of their brother.

When Martha heard JC was coming she went to meet him, leaving Mary in the house. Martha said to Jesus that if he had been there (so he was never there) he brother would not have died. But, she tells him, she knows that whatever he asks of god is granted to him.

JC tells her that her brother will rise again.

Martha’s like, yeah, I know, I’ve heard about the whole resurrection at the end of time. (Cold comfort, I imagine).

Jesus tells her that he is the resurrection and life and whoever believes even if he is dead will live. Also, he says that whoever lives and believes in him shall never die. He wants to know if Martha believes this.

She’s like, oh but of course, you’re the son of god and all. After telling him what he wanted to here she retrieves her sister letting her know that JC wants to see her. Well, Mary, being a fan, immediately sets out to meet him.

They met somewhere outside of town. The Jews that were the house with Mary followed her when she ran so hastily from the house. They assumed that she was going to the grave to weep.

When Mary got to Jesus she fell down at his feet and wept, saying, much as her sister had that Laz wouldn’t have died if JC had been around.

Jesus saw her weeping and all the weeping townsfolk with her and inwardly groaned (yup, no joke, the actual quote is “he groaned in the spirit and was troubled”). He asked where they had laid his friend, and they invited him to come and see the grave. Jesus wept (that’s sad, I’m sorry he lost his friend).

Some of the crowd asked if this man who had cured the blind could have cured poor Laz too. Jesus groaning to himself, came to the grave which was really a cave with a stone laying upon it. Jesus tells Martha to move the stone and makes a comment about the stench of the man who had been buried for four days.

After the stone was removed JC lifted his eyes and thanked his father for hearing him. He, of course, knows that his dad always hears him, but because of the people around him he mentioned it, just so they can believe who sent him.

Then he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth!

Lo and behold, the dead man walks! Lazarus came forth, but he was bound hand and foot with graveclothes and his face was covered with a napkin. Jesus told the people to loosen him and let him go.

Many of the people who had come with Mary saw this and finally believed in JC. Unfortunately for him, some were a little freaked out by a necromancer. They went to the Pharisees and told them what happened.

The chief priests and Pharisees gathered and wondered what to do because Jesus had been up to a lot of things that were very difficult to explain. They feared that if they left him alone then the Romans’ would come and take away their place and their nation because all men would believe in Jesus.

Caiaphas, who was the high priest that year told them that they knew nothing, nor did they consider what was expedient. One man could die for the people so that the whole nation would not perish. He didn’t talk about himself, (it seems obvious, but John felt the need to point it out to us), but he prophesied of JC’s imminent demise. He thought JC would just die for their nation, but for all the children of God that were scattered about.

From that day they tried to figure out a way to put Jesus to death. Jesus knew about this so he decided not to walk openly among the Jews. He then went to a country near the wilderness and into a city called Ephraim and continued with his disciples.

Passover was at hand and many went out of the country up to Jerusalem to purify themselves. They looked for JC and wondered whether or not he would come to the feast.

By then the chief priests and Pharisees had given a commandment that anyone who knew where JC was should tell them so they could take him.

Eep, things aren’t looking bright for JC, but I guess that’s what happens when you’re prophesied to die. Just think if the Pharisees weren’t out to get him, Christians souls wouldn’t be saved, right? That’s what they say, right?