Synoptic Gospels: Lazarus

The Raising of Lazarus in John 11

Chapter 11. John chapter 11 actually got through I think 37 verses last week which is probably a record. We're somewhere around verse 38 of John chapter 11. 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 sea 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 they may believe that you sent me.

When he 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.

Therefore many of the Jews who came to Mary and saw what he had done believed in him but some of them went to the Pharisees and told them the things which Jesus had done. So we recall from last week the situation here.

Jesus delaying coming, the disappointment on the part of the family, the fact that the Jews as we saw in verse 37 but some of them said could not this man who opened the eyes the blind have kept this man also from dying.

Even though in that statement you'll notice they don't say could not this man who opened eyes the blind also raise him to life because again the Jewish expectation was the resurrection at the Eschaton at the final day.

So it would be more healing of sickness than it would be conquering of death in resurrection. That's not what they are expecting and as they go to the tomb they're not going oh we're going to see a resurrection.

That's not the kind of expectation that is theirs. So when they come to the tomb and this does seem to fit with what we know historically about Jewish burial practices in the in the first century. You would have a sepulcher, a tomb, a cave, a stone lying against it just as Jesus's would be in the not too distant future at this point.

And generally the practice was to leave the dead there for about a year and then once the natural decaying process has taken place those bones would be gathered in place into a a bone box and many many many of these have been found.

You may recall the Talpiet tomb story a couple years ago where James Cameron and some others tried to make hay and money on that particular story. But at least there are warehouses filled with these these ossuary, this is the technical term that is used for them, bone boxes.

And so the body would be laid in the sepulcher for that process to take place. And so when Jesus arrives at the at the tomb he says remove the stone. Yes sir. To Greece in 1959 really? Wow. Well the Jews didn't do that.

The Jews wouldn't do special things with the bones. That sounds more like in orthodoxy the kind of the idea of that there are in in Eastern Orthodox countries and in some Roman Catholic countries you know entire rooms filled with bones of people who might turn out to be famous someday you know.

The idea being that there is some kind of connection between the spiritual graces that they experienced in life and their physical bodies. And this is especially true of in religious orders. When monks and stuff like that would die they would collect the bones and and there's there's rooms we can just go in and find the guy's the guy's skulls over here, his tibias over there, etc etc.

So if something should turn out to where he ends up being particularly holy or you can get a good enough story going that he was, now you have relics. And it's we today just find it absolutely ghoulish and in many ways it is.

But this is what this isn't what the Jews were doing. They would not remove the bones from the grave. They would they would collect the bones of the body. They would identify the person or persons. Part of it might have simply been there's only so many places to really bury people without going a long long ways away.

Remember we can get in a car and drive out to Veterans Seminary. Veterans Seminary or Veterans Cemetery to be honest with you. And you know they couldn't do that. So there's only so many so many caves you can use and that you can sort of like well the Talbiot tomb that was on earth had numerous antechambers with with numerous bone boxes stored in one.

So you could put a whole lot more people basically in one place and you can in the other way. So but I don't I don't recall in my writing of that book any references to like missing bones with the idea of some kind of sacredness.

That's that's a much I would say that's a pagan concept that came into early Christianity and and took deep root basically. So when Jesus comes to the grave and says to remove the stone there is the natural you know Martha's the the practical one here says well Lord by this time there will be a stench where he's been dead for four days.

So people knew I mean you know things could happen maybe you've opened the wrong tomb or forget which one you went to and you roll a stone away and blah. So people knew what the you know the natural process was.

But you'll notice something that Jesus is is again absolutely confident in this situation. He he doesn't you know just quietly over in a corner you know while everyone else is wailing you know oh Lord please raise Lazarus from the dead and help him open the tomb.

You know because then you could if you tried that prayer it didn't work you know no one's gonna know. But when you walk up the tomb and say remove the stone and then notice in verse 43 he cried out with a loud voice.

He wasn't hiding in a corner because of course he says in in verse 42 because the people standing around I said it they may believe that you sent me. So this is one of the signs that you have in in the Gospel of John.

He's not hiding everything in a corner. Martha clearly despite all the conversation preceding this no one is expecting a resurrection here. This is the you know it's one thing for Jesus to come to tomb and we all weep together and we all you know Jesus will have some wonderful words about the coming resurrection and you know he'll tell us some things about Lazarus and and he'll console us and all will be well.

Not looking for this to happen and so when she raises the the natural objection to the removal of the the stone that seals the the sepulcher Jesus' response is did I not say to you if you believe you will see the glory of God.

And so we had sort of come to the conclusion from her words that she did not fully understand what Jesus was saying about resurrection the life and your brother will rise again and and she had interpreted that all within her sort of safe categories of yes Lord I know he will rise in the last day and so on and so forth.

So it must have been an awkward moment when Jesus says remove the stone and Martha says there will be a stench or in the classic words of the King James Version of the Bible Lord he thinketh. But after Jesus says this I would assume it would have to be Mary and Martha that would give the nod you know it's their tomb it's their brother and there had to be some obedience some act of faith here on the part of Mary and Martha to you know sort of look over the guys to go you know okay and do what he says and I can I can just imagine if it was Mary or Martha who had become some massively exalted semi-deity in Roman Catholicism this would be the text where everybody be looking see Mary and Martha agreed to what God said made the plan here the life comes through this blah blah blah everything that they do with the the words of Mary to the angels so so let it be unto thy servants and and you know that's how God saved the world is with Mary's cooperation and you know all the rest of stuff.

So they removed the stone and I can just you know I try to put myself in these situations and and try to understand how a Jewish person would be responding to this. Remember I mentioned to you last week that I I think I mentioned to you last week if I can fairly certain I mentioned you last week that I was listening to a debate between Marcus Borg and NC Wright and Marcus Borg is a Jesus seminar way out there liberal Jim Renahan and I debated he and John Dominic Croson on one of our cruises a number of years ago and it was in this debate that NC Wright had floated the idea that Lazarus actually hadn't died because from Wright's understanding of what resurrection is this couldn't have been a resurrection because that's that's that's out of order and so this couldn't have been a real resurrection this was just a resuscitation he actually hadn't really died.

And it was Marcus Borg the way out liberal who in rather shock responded to Wright's statement by saying but Lord he stinketh and it was he was right you know it was one of those places where NC Wright just you know again following his own self-understanding of his own brilliance missed the point of the text and so they're not expecting what's going to happen they're there they don't understand this and so Jesus raised his eyes in an attitude of prayer which you might want to remember this every time a Muslim comes along and tells you that Jesus prayed just like they do with his head bowed the earth.

Well he might have done that in the garden once but here he prays raising his eyes to heaven which no Muslims going to do. Father I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me. But because the people standing around I said that they may believe that you sent me.

So Jesus prays and he affirms the the perfect communion and communication that exists between himself and the father and the fact that he is doing this. So the people standing around those who are witnesses to this event may believe that you sent me.

There is revelatory value in regards to who Jesus is in this in this event. Now we might stop for just a moment and point out that while there is you know to an enlightened mind to a mind that has been redeemed what happens here is very straightforward very clear as to his testimony who Jesus is.

But notice there is as always a division in the response to what takes place. You will notice that many people believe others went off and told the Pharisees what happened and they start plotting the destruction of Jesus.

So just because there is a revelation that is meant to bring salvation does not mean that every single person who sees it is going to respond in a salvific Lee appropriate way. This we see many many times both in the old and the New Testaments.

So when he said these things he cried out with a loud voice Lazarus come forth. So he's committed here. Can you imagine any scenario other than the one that we have taking place here. In other words I mentioned last week the the woman I'll never forget we used to have a Saturday radio program before we discovered that no one listens to radio on Saturday.

And so we had this woman call in and we were talking about the doctrines of grace and and the sovereignty of God and salvation all the rest these things. And and I brought up this this incident. So let me let me see if I understand what you're saying about your understanding of free will.

Is it your understanding that Jesus could have said Lazarus come forth and Lazarus stayed in the tomb. You know I jokingly said you know a voice comes forth in the tomb. Thanks. No thanks. You don't know.

It's like to live with those sisters you know and just stay there you know. Or just somehow have the ability to resist this divine power that is intended by God to be a demonstration of who Jesus is. But you see that's that's the problem.

That's that's the whole difference between man-centered salvation and God's salvation is if you think of it in a man-centered way what God is intending to do and showing his own glory is irrelevant.

It's what I decide that matters. And if I decide not to get saved then there's nothing God can do about it is basically the idea that people have. And so how long will we get to have. Will there be God tube in heaven.

So we get to go back and watch any of this you know rewind it back. And and time. I mean when Jesus Lazarus come forth is it immediately. You know he's he's all sudden here comes this guy. Can you imagine what it was like.

I mean we've seen movies with you know zombies or mummies or whatever it is. You know you know we're coming out of the grave. And you know did people scream was there was there. You know what was this.

We're not told. We don't know how long it was but I can guarantee you however long it was. Because I mean Lazarus is not going to be sprinting here. The man who had died came forth bound hand and foot with wrappings.

He is not sprinting sir. So I would I would imagine had to have been some brief period of time where everyone is just standing with their mouths hanging open staring at the opening of that cave going this could not.

He didn't just say Lazarus come forth. Did he. I mean is were some people thinking does he does not know he's dead did what I mean it that the thoughts would have been manifold. Many different thoughts would have been going on.

So at some point the man who died came forth bound hand and foot with wrappings in his face is wrapped around the cloth. That's another good reason for him not to be sprinting. I can just see Lazarus race the dead runs into the wall knocks himself silly.

And that's the end of that. So that would have been roll the stone back and it would have been a whole different thing. Yes sir. No earthly idea. That's one of the things that Wright has a real problem with.

Is he he can't understand how there could be a resurrection that he that did not result in eternal life in the person resurrected in the sense of from that point forward. So from his perspective of Lazarus was really raised in the dead and he would still be living in in Bethany and would would have lots of property now.

But as would the the widow's son. So each one of these situations are our resurrections where there is a return to life but it is not a granting of continuity of life for the rest of eternity. So there's a difference at that particular point up Lazarus we would assume is a believer and will receive his body back at the resurrection just like all the rest of us will.

So Lazarus gets to go that twice. Yeah. But obviously for him that would have been a great honor to be one of the only one that we know. I mean the widow's son from Maine. How would I be stuck with that the rest of your life.

You know we know one name and that's that's that's Lazarus. Can you imagine would be like to be Lazarus from this point onward. You ever thought about that. I mean what was it like to walk down the road the next week you know.

And and walk up to a you know you bought your food in the market. So you know Lazarus walks up to buy his his kosher fish. You know. And and I'd like to have two of those you can just have them sir. You know.

And people walking by or people people going by going hey Lazarus great funeral. You know. I mean you really did it really does make it sort of sit back and go. Wow what was it what was it like. And when persecution breaks forth against the Christians.

I mean this is not a name that allows you to hide real easy. You know you know we don't know we don't know it would be fascinating to to know. Did he live a regular time period. I would assume so that's true.

Yeah it just didn't. This didn't there have to have been a time or two where where you thought wow this is introduced some whole new complexities to my life. Because yeah he was a walking talking testimony of the fact the Pharisees were wrong about Jesus.

Oh yeah that's just about just about. Yeah. So Jesus says them unbind him and let him go. Now who is the first one to volunteer. Do that. You know the same guys that opened the tomb you know the the guys with the strong noses.

I don't know. But or was it finally Mary and Martha who moved and soon you know right over to him. And and when they first his face is wrapped around the cloth. You know what was what was that meeting like I mean this would make incredible film.

You know imagine it's in the Jesus movie somewhere. I've never seen it. But therefore many of the Jews who came to Mary many many not all managers who came Mary and saw what he had done believed in him.

And so they're like yeah all right. Now the problem is that's the same form that's used in John 8 about non-saving face. It's not really a commentary as whether this is saving faith from what they saw.

But it's contrasting that with verse 46. But some of them went to the Pharisees and told him the things that Jesus had done. Now do we automatically assume these were in any any anti people. Well some obviously were.

Were others just so confused. They went to the only religious leaders they knew for an answer about what this is all about. We've we've heard that our religious leaders say this man's a charlatan he's a fraud while we just what we just saw has left us completely in the dark.

What how do we understand this. Therefore the chief priests and the Pharisees convened a council and we're saying what are we doing for this man is performing many signs. If we let him go on like this all men will believe in him and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.

Now here are the words of of the religious political or the political religious. This is what happens when political power and religious power become intermingled in the same hands. And we've seen the history of this in Western Christendom you know when you can have someone who is so perverted by their traditions and their false religion and their political power that you know the priest stands next to the person on the rack and cranks it a few more times and they're screaming and you're going oh well this is for your own good you know.

And and that kind of perversion of thought and here you have the perversion of thought that not that here is a man who can give life and raise the dead and only Yahweh can give life. And therefore therefore this man must be from gotten none of that.

If we let him go on like this all men will believe in the Romans will come and take away both our place our nation. They're more concerned about the Romans and their God that they may be as religious as the day is long but they're they're almost atheistic functionally.

They don't care about God's purposes or anything like that. They're concerned about our place and our nation. And they're concerned about the most powerful force on earth from their perspective. And that's the Roman Empire the religious the religio political corruption that is so very very common.

But so one of them Caiaphas who was high priest that year and I need to just mention very briefly because you'll hear this all the time. I know one Harvard grad who's become a Muslim who uses this as a example of how worthless John is as a gospel.

See John. John's was written so late that he doesn't even realize there was only one high priest a year. Well I think John knew that there was only one high priest one high priest in a lifetime. Actually he thinks there's one high priest per year.

But it says one of them Caiaphas who was high priest that year said to them the problem is the Romans have gotten involved and the Romans recognized the high priesthood was a political situation. Therefore they had violated the Mosaic laws had removed Caiaphas his father-in-law Annas as I recall from the position and put Caiaphas in.

But hey if Caiaphas didn't do what they wanted to do they could undo that too. And so that's what John is reflecting at that particular time. Caiaphas is the high priest. He says to them you know nothing at all.

Nor do you take into account that is expedient for you that one man died for the people and though that the whole nation not perish now he did not say it's on his own initiative of being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation not for the nation only but in order that he might also gather together into one the scattered children of God who are scattered abroad.

So from that day on they planned together to kill Jesus. Therefore Jesus no longer continued to walk publicly among the Jews but went away from there to the country near the wilderness in a city called Ephraim and there he stayed with the disciples.

Now here you have a very very interesting section where you have Caiaphas who in essence is saying don't you realize that it is better for us to sacrifice one man for the people the whole nation not perish.

And that sounds so wonderfully patriotic and all the rest of this stuff. But this is a man who is who is promoting the idea of of using by hook or by crook some means of bringing about the death of Jesus because of what he's done.

And the most perverse men can sound quite sane and quite accurate in what they're saying. And here you have one who is speaking very perversely in light of what he wants to do his own desires. Yet in the perversity of his speech John tells us there is an activity of God the high priest is speaking here.

And you may recall that even when Paul's brought before the high priest and he rebukes him and then he's he's struck and he said well you're not supposed to rebuke the high priest of your people. There's supposed to be respect given to this person's office despite the fact that he himself is grossly perverse.

But being I preset your he prophesied he wasn't trying to and in fact what he says the exact opposite of what he would want the reality to be. But he prophesied that Jesus is going to die for the nation and not for the nation only been.

Or that he might also gather together into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. So here you have a theological reflection on John's part on the words of the high priest how John came to know this obviously supernatural revelations a possibility.

But it's also quite possible that given how many priests and Pharisees and scribes became Christians in the early church that there were many men at that meeting who eventually became believers and then later testified about what had taken place that time.

And they remembered you know Caiaphas said nor do you take into account that is expedient for you that one man died for the people and the whole nation not perish. And evidently they saw in those words this idea of the whole nation all the children of God not just the Jewish people but as they saw the gospel go forth to the Gentiles.

Here is a a prophecy that Jesus's death brings about the means by which he might also gather together into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. And so this same theme I think is what we pick up in Revelation chapter 5 when you have the song that is sung there's a lamb how he by his death has has redeemed men from a tribe tongue people a nation made them a kingdom of priests unto God by his death.

Very same concept that is found here that by his self-sacrifice he might also gather together into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. That is the means by which the unity of that body comes together.

So from that day on they plan together to kill him and that plot will eventually lead them to Judas. Therefore Jesus no longer continue to walk publicly among the Jews but went away from there to the country near the wilderness.

This really is pretty much the the the primary ending of Jesus public ministry in chapter 12. There's still be some things the Greeks come. The chapter 12 really wraps it up. Chapter 13 then begins the private ministry to the disciples that goes through chapter 17.

The Plot Against Jesus and the End of Public Ministry

Now the Passover the Jews is near and many went to Jerusalem out of the country before the Passover to purify themselves. They were speaking Jesus and saying to one another as they stood in the temple what do you think that he will come to feast at all the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that if anyone knew where he was he was to report it so they might seize him.

And so you have the plot is is put forth clearly there are people amongst the Jews that are aware of what the plot is. And this is going to lead eventually in God's providence to the arrest of Jesus and the crucifixion and everything that takes place at that particular point in time.

Now just briefly because I don't want to go back to the these synoptics we'll go back there next week the week thereafter and pick up where they inserted John chapter 11 out of thin air we can tell by this that we are getting very close to the crucifixion week and that's going to be I never intended seven some odd years ago.

That's how long ago is that. How long ago was. Eight years two months. So in 2002 August of 2002 one of the problems in having a study last that long is that much of the foundational material that we laid back then is now ancient history for all of us.

And some of you weren't here in 2002 or 2003 and so on and so forth. And those who were might not just have everything right at the tip of your tongue from every Bible study lesson that you have ever heard at that point in time.

So we're coming to the material that is actually contains most of the most difficult and challenging synoptic parallel issues. And so I have a feeling that at some point as we really start delving into those things we may have to do a little remedial 101 review of some of the fundamental issues that we face when we're comparing text with other text.

I know that one of the next sections we're going to hit at least as I was looking at the numbers in my my computer that seemed to be the case yes 264 the healing of the blind man Bartimaeus in section 264 and the synopsis that's coming up real quickly that'll immediately force us back into reviewing some of the fundamentals of how to deal with synoptic issues.

And that is telescoping looking at the audience that each is intending the Bartimaeus. One introduces the issues of going into Jericho. Coming out of Jericho one gospel only mentions one person gives his name Bartimaeus son of Timaeus.

I believe I recall. And another gospel just says two blind men. And it's very very common for people say well was it one or is it two. Is it a Bible. Doesn't even know you know. And and this is these are.

These are simplistic arguments that are inconsistent. I mean if if every gospel just read the exact same way the immediate response to be asked either is copying each other. There's no independent witnesses here.

You wouldn't have independent people coming up with this was like you know. But then when they do have a difference one focuses upon only one person who was known to them Bartimaeus they give a name somebody else's.

Well there's actually two of them there the other guy didn't say anything. But there's there's two of them there I say they don't know what they're talking about. You know the inconsistencies are are great in in that kind of stuff.

But again it will remind us of those issues. We're gonna have to sort of go back over them. And especially when we get into post-resurrection appearances and stuff like that. There have been there have been many Christian theologians that have put their hands up in the air and said there is no way to harmonize any of that we just don't know.

And so it'll be. It'll be challenging. And the only way to do that is to really have a good foundation going in. So that's what we'll be doing when we get to that material. Okay all right. Let's close the time with a word of prayer.

Our gracious heavenly father we thank you for the reminder that our Lord Jesus Christ is Lord over all things he is the giver of life. And indeed that that relationship that he had with you was perfect one of perfect harmony that you always heard him because he always did was pleasing to you.

We have life because of that help us to rejoice in that this day be with us as we go into worship now lift up our hearts and our minds that we might understand your truth and bring honor and glory to you.

We pray in Christ's name.