​The Disciples and Death (11:1–16)

THE LAST MIRACLE—THE LAST ENEMY
The raising of Lazarus from the dead was not the last miracle our Lord did before the cross, but it was definitely the biggest and the one that got the most attention from both His friends and His enemies. John chose this miracle to be the seventh in the series written down in his book because it was the most important miracle that our Lord did on earth. He had raised others from the dead, but Lazarus had been dead for four days. The Jewish leaders couldn't deny or avoid the miracle.

If Jesus Christ cannot address death, then His other capabilities are rendered inconsequential. “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable” (1 Cor. 15:19). Death is man's last enemy (1 Cor. 15:26), but Jesus Christ has completely and permanently defeated this terrible foe.

In John 11, faith is the main idea. The word "believe" appears at least eight times in this story. Another theme is "the glory of God" (John 11:4, 40). Jesus wanted to make three groups of people stronger in their faith by what He said and did.

​The Disciples and Death (11:1–16)

We sometimes think of the disciples as "super saints," but that wasn't the case. They often let their Lord down, and He was constantly trying to help them grow in faith. They would have to continue the ministry after He left them one day. If they didn't have a strong faith, their work would never be strong.

Jesus was in Bethabara, which is about twenty miles from Bethany (John 1:28; 10:40). One day, a messenger came with the sad news that Lazarus, our Lord's dear friend, was sick. The man could have made the trip in one day if he had traveled quickly and without stopping. The next day, Jesus sent him back with the encouraging message from John 11:4. Jesus waited two more days before leaving for Bethany. By the time He and His disciples got there, Lazarus had been dead for four days. This means that the messenger left to tell Jesus about Lazarus's death on the same day!

The schedule of events would look like this, with one day for travel:
Day 1: The messenger comes to Jesus, and Lazarus dies.
Day 2: The messenger goes back to Bethany.
Day 3: Jesus waits another day before leaving.
Day 4: Jesus comes to Bethany.

The messenger would find Lazarus dead when he got home. What would his message mean to the sisters who were still sad about their brother's death? Jesus was telling them to trust what He said, even if things looked awful

The disciples were probably confused about a lot of things. First of all, if Jesus loved Lazarus so much, why did He let him become sick? Even more, why did He wait to go to the sisters? He could have healed Lazarus from afar, just like He did the nobleman's son (John 4:43–54). The record shows that Jesus loved this family very much (John 11:3, 5, 36), but His actions seem to go against this love.

God's love for His own is not a love that spoils them; it is a love that makes them better. We know He loves us, and our loving Him does not ensure immunity from life's challenges and sufferings. The Father loves His Son, but He let His Son drink the cup of sorrow and go through the shame and pain of the cross. We should never believe that love and pain can't go together. They do come together in Jesus Christ.

Jesus could have stopped Lazarus from getting sick or even healed him from where He was, but He didn't. He saw this sickness as an opportunity to honor the Father. It doesn't matter if we Christians are comfortable; what matters is that we honor God in everything we do.

The two sisters did not tell Jesus what to do in their "prayer" to Him. They just told Him that there was a need and reminded Him how much He loved Lazarus. They knew it was risky for Jesus to go back to Judea because the Jewish leaders wanted to kill Him. Maybe they thought that if He "spoke the word," their brother would get better.

The message from our Lord to the sisters did not say that their brother would not die. It only promised that death would not be the end, because the end would be God's glory. (Once again, Jesus called Himself "the Son of God.") He wanted them to believe in this promise. In fact, when Martha didn't want to open the tomb, He reminded her of this message (John 11:40).
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When we are faced with sickness, disappointment, delay, or even death, the only thing that can help us is the Word of God. We must have faith and not rely on what we see. The sisters thought their situation was hopeless, but they knew that Jesus was in charge of everything. There is a similar promise in Psalm 50:15: "And call upon Me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify Me."

What about the delay of our Lord? He wasn't waiting for Lazarus to die because he was already dead. Jesus lived by God's schedule (John 11:9), and He was waiting for the Father to tell Him when to go to Bethany. The fact that the man had been dead for four days made the miracle more real and gave more people, including Jesus' own disciples (see John 11:15), a chance to believe.

When Jesus told His disciples that He was going back to Judea, they were scared because they knew it would be dangerous. Bethany is only about two miles away from Jerusalem. But Jesus was ready to die for His friends (John 15:13). He knew that going back to Judea and raising Lazarus from the dead would lead to His own arrest and death.

The Lord calmed their fears by telling them that He was on the Father's schedule and that nothing could hurt them. This is a significant theme in the gospel of John (John 2:4; 7:6, 8, 30; 8:20; 12:23; 13:1; 17:1). But the disciples didn't just get the schedule wrong; they also got the reason for the visit wrong. They thought that, if Lazarus was sleeping, he was getting better! It was yet another sign that they couldn't understand spiritual truth. "He's sleeping, so he must be getting better. Let's not go to Bethany!"

Then He told them clearly that Lazarus was dead. For the believer, death is like sleep. Look at Acts 7:60, 1 Cor. 15:51, and 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18. He didn't say He was glad that His friend had died, but He was also glad He hadn't been there. Now He could show His disciples how powerful He was. The outcome would bring glory to God and fortify their faith.

If Thomas's attitude was any sign, the disciples' faith needed to be stronger! In Aramaic, the name Thomas means "twin." In Greek, it means Didymus. We don't know who his twin was, but sometimes we all seem to be his twin when we reflect on our doubts and sadness! Thomas was the one who needed proof before he would believe that our Lord had risen from the dead (John 20:24–28).

Thomas was a man who had doubts, but we have to admit that he was also a devoted man: he was willing to risk his own life to follow Jesus into danger. We may not agree with his faith, but we can certainly praise his bravery and loyalty.