Chapter Seven
Our Friend Sleeps, But I Go That I May Wake Him Up
The Setting
In the first chapter of the Gospel of John, we are introduced to John the Baptist as one who is “calling out in the wilderness, ‘prepare the way of the Lord!’” His baptizing at the Jordan River near Bethabara took place at the very borderlands of Judea where the terrain became more arid towards the east and much more rugged and desert-like towards the south. The roadway heading eastward towards Jerusalem passed through Jericho where a great many of the aristocratic Priests who ministered at the Temple in Jerusalem had their winter villas. Nearby oases along the western banks of the river furnished fertile plantations of figs and dates. Heading northward, the lush, narrow valley of the Jordan provided ample resources for small communities to thrive. And high above, overlooking the valley near the borders of Samaria, the fortress of Alexandrium loomed ominously on the rocky bluffs. It had been turned into a winter palace by Herod the Great and was still used by royal families and religious elites.
Such were the surroundings where John had preached and where Jesus was baptized and began his ministry. It was at the Feast of Dedication (Hanukah) that the Jewish leaders had tried to stone Jesus, so he returned to Bethabara to pass the winter months just before his ministry was accomplished.
At some point between December and April of our calendar, Jesus received a message that his friend Lazarus was sick (read John 11:1-48). It would have taken the messenger a day to reach Jesus with the news. To us, it is surprising that Jesus waited another two days before deciding to return to Bethany, a suburb of Jerusalem. But to the apostles, it was a surprise that he would decide to return at all, particularly because of the threatening climate in Jerusalem. On the third morning, when he made his plans known to them, they made the day’s journey back, arriving at Bethany about four days after the messenger was sent.
The Background
There are two incidental notes written by John that punctuate the setting given for this event. The first mentions that one of Lazarus’ sisters, Mary, will be the one who later anoints Jesus' feet. This is recorded by St. John in chapter 12. Her humble act of gratitude and worship was so admired by Jesus that He instructed His disciples to never forget it. So, at the mere mention of her name, John prefaces the present story by making a forward-looking reference. The second incidental note speaks of the bravery of Thomas, who speaks for the apostles in their conviction to follow Jesus to the very end. While it is unfortunate that most only remember Thomas as the one who doubted after the resurrection, John, who lived the longest of all the apostles, remembers him for his determination and self-sacrifice. History records that Thomas took the gospel northward into Armenia and westward into Persia.
And having reached the farthest mountains, he turned around, came back through Armenia, and turned southward spreading the gospel to the ends of Arabia. There he finally took a ship to India and preached the gospel until the day he was thrust through by many spears and martyred.
The Event
Jesus often referred to death as sleeping (as with Jairus’ daughter in Luke 8:40-56). When Jesus mentions that their friend Lazarus was asleep, the disciples mistake sleeping as a sign of recovery. But then Jesus spoke plainly to them and said that Lazarus was dead. In the Hebrew culture, there was some conjecture that the spirit did not immediately depart from the body. They may have thought that when Jesus raised Jairus’ daughter or the young man in Nain he was only calling their spirit back into their bodies. But, to everyone, being dead for 4 days meant plainly that Lazarus’ spirit had departed. Would it yet be possible that Jesus could intervene?
The miracles that Jesus had performed convinced both sisters that if he had been present when Lazarus was sick, he would not have died. When Jesus assured Martha that her brother would rise again, she assumed that Jesus was speaking of the resurrection to take place on the last day when God would judge all people. When Mary came crying and also saying that if Jesus had come earlier her brother would still live His heart was overwhelmed. He began to weep and asked her to show Him where Lazarus was buried. Crowds of mourners, both genuinely grieving and those who mourned for hire, followed Jesus and the sisters to the interment grounds outside the village. Even those following said to one another that if Jesus had opened a blind man’s eyes, He surely could have kept Lazarus alive. Yet, there they stood watching as Jesus startlingly commanded that the cover stone be rolled away from the entrance of Lazarus’ burial cave.
Now all this took place on the Sabbath, and there were rules about what could and could not be done on the Sabbath day. For example, walking more than a little more than a half mile was not allowed.
The burial grounds may not have been too great a distance, but the walk from Bethabara was! Moving a heavy cover stone was! And the Pharisees' complaint about Jesus performing miracles on the Sabbath had driven them to persecute Him and plot his death. Mourning at a tomb may be acceptable behavior, but Jesus knew what He was there to do.
The Sign
Martha was repulsed by Jesus' command. What honor could be offered their dead brother by opening his tomb? She replied in horror, “Lord, he has been dead for four days. The smell will be terrible.” Then Jesus responded in a very interesting way. “Didn’t I tell you that you would see God’s glory if you believe?” And this is where we need to look back and recall what Jesus had said to Martha when He first arrived and declared, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die.” But when He asked Martha if she believed that, she responded by professing Him to be the Messiah and left Him to call for Mary, her sister.
St. John continues the story, saying, So they rolled the stone aside. Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, thank you for hearing me. You always hear me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here, so that they will believe you sent me.”
Then Jesus shouted, “Lazarus, come out!” What happened in the next moment struck the sisters, the mourners, the curious and the apostles with awe and wonder. Surely the dead had returned to life before, but never like this resurrection. The power over death that Jesus so openly presumed was irrefutably demonstrated when Lazarus appeared at the tomb entrance still bound in grave clothes.
“Unwrap him and let him go!” Jesus commanded. As they removed the headcloth and saw Lazarus’ face a tremendous gasp spread like a wave through the crowd, for he was clearly breathing, and his eyes were blinking.
As they slowly unwound the wrappings from his body, freeing his arms and legs, the excitement of the crowd was released and increased until everyone was leaping, shouting, and dancing for joy at the marvelous miracle they had witnessed.
The Conclusion
News of such a notable miracle engulfed Bethany like wildfire and within hours it had crossed the hills through Bethphage and into the very heart of Jerusalem. The joyous celebrations carried on into the night, nevertheless, the apostles began to recognize the signs that mischief would soon follow at their heels. Many more of the people who were with Mary and Martha believed in Jesus after they saw what happened. But some went straight to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. Before daylight they were back on the road to Jericho with their backs to the sunrise, and to Jerusalem.
The city was in an uproar! On every corner, in every shop, and all throughout the Temple courts, people talked about the man risen to life out of his grave. But the talk didn’t stop there. They rehearsed how the man born blind was restored to sight, and how the poor, incapacitated cripple walked, and many other miracles, and suddenly they forgot how the miracles were all done on the Sabbath. The chains of the Law were rattled, and speculation mounted to a fever pitch as every story ended with the question, “Who is this Jesus of Nazareth, could He truly be the Anointed One of God?”
And what of you, the reader? Do you believe such wonderful signs? Do YOU believe Jesus when He proclaims, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die.”