The Significance Of Jesus’ Raising Lazarus From The Dead In John 11

By Stephen S. Kim

[Stephen S. Kim is Professor of Bible, Multnomah Biblical Seminary, Portland, Oregon.]

The fourth Gospel aims to present Jesus as the promised Messiah and the divine Son of God, so that His disciples may believe (or continue to believe) in Him and have eternal life (cf. 20:30-31). And the means by which John revealed Jesus as the divine Messiah is the seven sign-miracles[1] and their attendant contexts, all of which are recorded in the Book of Signs (chaps. 2-13).[2] While the Book of Signs presents the case that Jesus is indeed the promised Christ and the divine Son, the “Book of Glory” (chaps. 13-20) confirms the claims made in the earlier chapters about Him.

The Book of Signs has two major sections following the introductory Prologue (1:1-18) and Testimonium (1:19-51): the Cana Cycle (chaps. 2-4) and the Festival Cycle (chaps. 5-12). The first two sign-miracles, both performed in Cana of Galilee, form a literary bracket around chapters 2-4.[3] The remaining sign-miracles are displayed in the context of Jewish festivals.[4] While the Festival Cycle is generally outlined to include chapters 5-12, it is possible to separate chapters 5-10 from 11-12.[5] Though chapters 11-12 are technically still part of the Festival Cycle, in a sense they move the key themes developed in chapters 5-10 to their climax. For instance the theme of presenting Jesus as the divine Messiah who grants life reached a climactic point in His raising of Lazarus, and the theme of opposition to the One who offers that life also reached a climactic point in the enemies’ decision to kill Him. Therefore these two chapters serve as both a climax to the sign-miracles in the Book of Signs and as a transition to the “Book of Glory.”

This article examines Jesus’ seventh and climactic sign-miracle, namely, His raising of Lazarus from the dead (11:1-44). Whereas the first sign-miracle of Jesus’ turning of water into wine serves as the representative sign among the seven sign-miracles, raising Lazarus is the climactic sign.

The Miracle Of Raising Lazarus From The Dead

As the seventh and climactic sign of Jesus in the Fourth Gospel, this miracle completes the selected Johannine signs that present Jesus as the promised Messiah and the Son of God. If the first miracle of Jesus turning water into wine in Cana is the first or representative one among the signs (ἀρχὴν τῶν σημείων, 2:11), then this miracle of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead is the seventh and climactic sign in revealing His person.[6] The miraculous raising of Lazarus from the dead climactically confirms Jesus’ authority to give life (5:21) and to resurrect the dead (5:28-29). It also demonstrates His claim to be “the resurrection and the life” (11:25).[7]

The Setting

This miracle took place in the context following the Jewish Feast of Dedication (10:22-42) and preceding the Passover of Jesus’ death (chaps. 12-20). The temporal indication “Then came” (᾿Εγένετο τότε) in 10:22 seems to support the point that the events of 10:22-42 took place sometime after the events of 7:1-10:21. The events of chapters 7-10 describe the occurrences during the Feast of Tabernacles, while the events of 10:22-42 describe the Feast of Dedication.[8] Three months may have passed between the two festivals.[9] While at first glance the Feast of Dedication may seem to have little to do with Jesus’ miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead, the messianic expectations involved in the festival may point to Jesus’ actions and the Evangelist’s decision to place the narrative here.

The Feast of Dedication (also known as Hanukkah) commemorated the cleansing and rededication of the temple by Judas Maccabeus in 164 B.C. after it had been defiled by Antiochus IV (1 Macc. 1:10-67; 4:41-61; 2 Macc 6-7).[10] Because the festival was celebrated with lamps in the temple, synagogue, and homes, it came to be known as the “Feast of Lights.”[11] The celebration represented the deliverance and freedom of God’s people. Borchert explains the background of the feast in the context of John 10.

I believe chap. 10 represents a new theme that builds upon the inadequacy of the Jewish leadership and the rejection of Jesus’ messianic calling evident throughout the Tabernacles section of John (chaps. 7-9). But the Festival of Dedication (which is the focus of chap. 10) also has a messianic aspect because that festival had been celebrated as a memorial to the rejection of false rulers, epitomized by Antiochus IV (Epiphanes), who among other things desecrated the temple by slaughtering a pig on the altar of sacrifice and also erected a statue of Zeus (Jupiter) in the most holy place, the inner sanctuary of the temple. The subsequent victory and expulsion of the Syrians from Israel in 164 B.C. under Judas Maccabeus and the accompanying reconsecration of the temple was thereafter established in the Jewish calendar as a national religious freedom festival, which at that time definitely implied messianic expectations.[12]

The background behind the Feast of Dedication explains the Jews’ skeptical question to Jesus, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly” (10:24). The Jews were rejecting Jesus because while He was claiming to be the Messiah; He was not measuring up to their great “Maccabean-style” deliverer expectations.[13] Jesus’ talk of sheep and eternal life must have baffled the people. But Jesus was showing that the true messianic deliverance is spiritual rather than political. As the Messiah, Jesus offers eternal life to those who believe in His name. And He was able to offer them eternal life because He would soon go to Jerusalem for the Passover, where He would vicariously offer up His life as the Passover Lamb for the forgiveness of sins. As the Good Shepherd Jesus must give His life for the sheep (vv. 11, 15).

The Feast of Dedication (vv. 22-42) also provides the context for Jesus’ “hour” drawing near. As it drew near, opinions about Jesus grew further and further apart. On the one hand the religious leaders in Jerusalem cemented their hatred of Jesus by trying to stone Him because He claimed to be the divine Son (vv. 30-39). On the other hand many people on the other side of the Jordan placed their faith in Jesus (vv. 40-42). This growing polarization of opinions provided the setting for Jesus’ miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead (chap. 11). And this miracle provided the ultimate basis for faith and at the same time the ultimate cause for unbelief and eventually murder.

The Sign

Jesus’ raising Lazarus is recorded in a lengthy narrative. This chapter can be divided as follows: introduction (vv. 1-6); Jesus’ dialogue with the disciples (vv. 7-16); Jesus’ dialogue with Martha (vv. 17-27); Jesus’ dialogue with Mary and the mourners (vv. 28-37); Jesus’ miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead (vv. 38-44); the responses to Jesus’ miracle (vv. 45-54); Jesus’ Passover pilgrimage (vv. 55-57). In a typical form of a Johannine sign this miracle is also accompanied by Jesus’ interpretation of its meaning, but with one exception. While the miracles in John 5, 6, and 9 are followed by Jesus’ discourses in interpreting the signs, here the meaning is discussed before the miracle.[14]

The story begins with the grim situation in the home of Jesus’ three loved ones. Lazarus was sick (v. 1). Apparently the siblings knew Jesus well (cf. Luke 10:38-42). So the sisters asked Jesus to come and heal their brother: “Lord, the one you love is sick” (John 11:3).[15] Jesus assured them with this enigmatic statement, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it” (v. 4). Like many other Johannine sayings, this statement has a dual meaning.[16] In one sense Jesus gave the assurance that Lazarus’s sickness would not be the end of the story, for he would be raised and the miracle would reveal Jesus’ glory. In another sense these events led inevitably to Jesus’ death, and His being glorified by the Father. Jesus loved Lazarus (v. 5), and yet He waited two days before going to Lazarus (v. 6). “The delay indicates that Jesus was operating by a divine plan and according to a divine timetable.”[17] “This enigmatic response continues the pattern of Jesus rebuffing requests and acting only in response to the Father’s direction (cf. 2:4; 7:3-10).”[18]

Having waited two days until Lazarus died, Jesus led the disciples to the place where he lay dead (v. 7). Songer perceptively characterizes Jesus’ decision to go back to Judea as, “a journey to give life to Lazarus, but a march of death for Him.”[19] The disciples tried to deter Him from going because they knew the danger awaiting Him there. “But Rabbi, a short while ago the Jews tried to stone you, and yet you are going back there?” (v. 8). Jesus answered His disciples with another enigmatic statement: “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? A man who walks by day will not stumble, for he sees by this world’s light. It is when he walks by night that he stumbles, for he has no light” (vv. 9-10). Tenney is correct in saying that “Jesus felt assured of safety while pursuing the course defined for Him by the will of God.”[20] In other words His death would be voluntary and it would happen according to the Father’s set time. Jesus’ conversation with His disciples also reveals that the purpose of Jesus’ delay was twofold: first, to reveal His glory as the One who has authority over life and death; and second, to instruct and develop faith in the disciples, including Mary and Martha (vv. 11-16).

The opening verses of the narrative and Jesus’ discussion with the disciples present the occasion and purpose for the miracle (vv. 1-16), and His discussion with Martha reveals the nature and theology of the miracle (vv. 17-27). Verse 17 states explicitly that Lazarus had been dead for four days (v. 17). By waiting till then Jesus made certain that there could not be a shadow of doubt about His miracle.[21] Knowing that Jesus could have come in time to save Lazarus, Martha questioned why He delayed (vv. 18-22). When Jesus assured her that her brother would rise again, those words gave her little comfort because she thought Jesus was referring to the eschatological resurrection (vv. 23-24).[22] While it is true that there will be a resurrection in the future, Jesus wanted Martha to know that as the Messiah and the Son of God, He has authority over life and death. Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” (vv. 25-26).[23] Songer correctly interprets this statement: “The dead who believe in Jesus will rise, and the living who believe will never die spiritually.”[24] Dodd paraphrases Jesus’ answer in this way: “I am the resurrection: he who has faith in me, even if he dies, will live again. I am the life: he who is alive and has faith in me will never die.”[25] Jesus was reiterating the truth He had been teaching all along, namely, that eternal life begins here and now, and those who believe in Him already have that life. Martha’s response reflects her conviction: “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world” (v. 27).[26] She believed in Jesus even before seeing the miracle.

Jesus’ discussion with Martha reveals the nature of the miracle and His divine authority over life and death, and His discussion with Mary also reveals His humanity (vv. 28-37). Jesus was “deeply moved in spirit and troubled” (v. 33). Jesus even wept (v. 35), so that those around Him said, “See how he loved Lazarus” (v. 36). These verses reveal the tenderness of Jesus’ heart, and that must have ministered to Mary deeply to know that Jesus had not only the power and authority over life and death, but that as the Good Shepherd He also cared for her. Jesus’ display of His love and compassion also sets the stage for His miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead.

The account of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead is recorded in only a few verses (vv. 38-44). Like the other miracles of Jesus, only the simple command of His word was needed to raise Lazarus, who had been dead for four days. As the Messiah, Jesus spoke with power and authority (cf. 2:7; 4:50; 5:8). When Jesus called Lazarus by name (v. 43), He was fulfilling His role as the Good Shepherd who calls His sheep by name (cf. 10:3).[27] Jesus also said, “My sheep hear my voice . . . and I give them eternal life, and they will never perish” (vv. 27-28). This miracle contributes to a central theme that has been developed throughout these chapters, namely, that Jesus is the life-giving Son of God.

The closing verses of this chapter describe the aftermath of Jesus’ climactic miracle (vv. 45-57). As a result of the sign some believed in Jesus, while others rejected Him with skepticism and unbelief. Some of the people even reported Jesus’ miracle to the religious authorities. The unbelief of the Jewish religious leaders reached its climax at this point. The Sanhedrin convened and decided to put an end to Jesus’ life. Caiaphas’s judgment to sacrifice Jesus’ life for the good of the nation ironically predicted the kind of death Jesus would soon die (vv. 49-53). The following verses describe Jesus’ final Passover pilgrimage up to Jerusalem (vv. 54-57). The “hour” when Jesus, the “Passover Lamb” (1 Cor. 5:7), would be sacrificed had finally come. He would give Himself voluntarily and vicariously. He gave His life so that others could live through Him. As the “Lamb of God” He will take away the sin of the world (John 1:29), and His sacrificial death would prove true to His claim: “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (10:11).

The Significance

The significance of this miracle is indicated by the fact that it is the seventh sign among the Johannine miracles. As the seventh sign, it is both completing and climactic. It is completing in that these seven miracles were specifically chosen by John to present Jesus as the Messiah and the Son of God. It is climactic in that this miracle of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead brings to a climax a theme that has been building throughout the miracles and their attendant contexts, namely, that Jesus has the authority to give eternal life to those who believe in Him (5:22; 14:6).

The seventh sign is also climactic in that this miracle brought the people’s opinions and responses to a decisive point. For those who sought to believe, this miracle provided the ultimate evidence for faith in Jesus as the promised Messiah and the divine Son of God (11:27; cf. 20:30-31). But for those who persisted in unbelief, this miracle gave the ultimate grounds for rejecting Jesus. The degree of opposition to Jesus had increased to the point that the religious leaders decided resolutely to take His life.

Also this miracle gives hope beyond this life. In raising Lazarus from the dead, Jesus demonstrated His authority to reverse the effects of sin and death (cf. Gen. 2:17; Rom. 5:12).[28] And by His death and resurrection Jesus offers forgiveness of sins and life. Tenney eloquently explains that this miracle of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead, “declared Him to be the Master of man’s last and most implacable enemy, death.”[29]

This miracle therefore has profound messianic and eschatological implications. Old Testament saints expressed their confidence in the Messiah’s forthcoming kingdom (Ps. 16:9-11; Isa. 26:19-20; Dan. 12:2).[30] Even Martha professed her belief in the eschatological resurrection: “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day” (John 11:24). Her faith in the eschatological resurrection was probably based on the prophetic words of Daniel 12:2, “Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt.” However, Jesus responded to Martha by saying, “I am the resurrection and the life” (11:25). Jesus was refashioning Martha’s belief concerning the resurrection, in that while the eschatological resurrection will certainly occur, those who believe in Him already have eternal life here and now. In other words faith in Jesus results in eternal life both now and hereafter.[31]

Jesus’ raising Lazarus is also significant in that it serves as a sign of judgment on the unbelieving Israelite nation and its leaders. Jesus had previously stated that He would no longer perform public miracles to convince the nation that He was the Son of God, and that the only sign left to give the nation would be the sign of Jonah (cf. Matt. 12:38-40).[32] The Jewish leaders’ persistence of unbelief and rejection led to their decision to take Jesus’ life. Their determined will did not waver until they arrested Jesus and handed Him over to be crucified and die a criminal’s death. The proximity of this seventh and climactic miracle to the Passover events, both literarily and chronologically, reveals John’s obvious intent to show that Jesus’ imminent and inevitable death was entirely according to the Father’s will. Jesus would go up to Jerusalem for the Passover to die as the Passover Lamb. As the “Lamb of God” He would take away the sin of the world (John 1:29).

Conclusion

The miracle of Jesus’ raising Lazarus from the dead completes the Evangelist’s selected sign-miracles (σημεῖα) to present Jesus as the promised Messiah and the divine Son of God. It is climactic in that it is the greatest of Jesus’ seven miracles recorded in this Gospel. The miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead authenticated Jesus’ authority to grant eternal life to those who believe in Him. In raising Lazarus from the dead, Jesus was also demonstrating the validity of His own claims that He would rise again, and that He had the power and authority to do so. This miracle also illustrates Jesus’ claims that He will raise people at the eschatological resurrection. However, the eternal life that Jesus gives begins here and now for those who believe in Him.

Notes

1. For detailed analyses of Jesus’ seven sign-miracles (σημεῖα) and their Christological and eschatological significance see Stephen S. Kim, “The Relationship of the Seven Sign-Miracles of Jesus in the Fourth Gospel to the Old Testament” (Ph.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 2001).
2. C. H. Dodd, The Interpretation of the Fourth Gospel (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1953), x. Dodd entitles this section the Book of Signs (chaps. 2-12), while he calls the second section the Book of Passion (chaps. 13-20). Raymond E. Brown also refers to the former section as the Book of Signs, but he refers to the latter section as the Book of Glory (The Gospel According to John[I–XII], Anchor Bible [Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1966], cxxxviii). The first twelve chapters of the Gospel generally describe the events of Jesus’ public ministry, while the later chapters record the private Farewell Discourse of Jesus with His disciples (chaps. 13-17) and the Passion narrative (chaps. 18-20).
3. Francis J. Moloney, Belief in the Word: Reading John 1-4 (Minneapolis: Fortress, 1993). These three chapters (2-4) form a literary unit because they are bounded not only geographically by the two Cana miracles but also thematically by presenting Jesus as the life-giving Messiah who grants eternal life to those who believe in Him. See also Moloney’s other important work, “From Cana to Cana (John 2:1-4:54) and the Fourth Evangelist’s Concept of Correct Faith,” in Studia Biblica 1978 II: Papers on the Gospels: Sixth International Congress on Biblical Studies, Oxford 1978, ed. E. A. Livingston, Journal for the Study of the New Testament Supplement Series (Sheffield: JSOT, 1980), 2:185-213.
4. R. Alan Culpepper, The Gospel and the Letters of John, Interpreting Biblical Texts (Nashville: Abingdon, 1998), 148-49. See also Francis J. Moloney, Signs and Shadows: Reading John 5-12 (Minneapolis: Fortress, 1996).
5. Gary M. Burge, Interpreting the Gospel of John (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1992), 76-77. See also Brown, The Gospel According to John (I–XII), 419-98. Burge calls chapters 11-12 “Foreshadowings of Jesus’ Death and Resurrection,” while Brown refers to them by the words “Jesus Moves toward the Hour of Death and Glory.”
6. For a more detailed discussion on the significance of the first and seventh sign-miracles of Jesus see chapter 2, “Σημεῖα and the Fourth Gospel,” in Kim, “The Relationship of the Seven Sign-Miracles of Jesus in the Fourth Gospel to the Old Testament.” The first and seventh miracles bracket the seven signs with the theme of revealing Jesus’ glory (2:11, 11:4; cf. 12:41).
7. Craig S. Keener observes the literary and theological connections between the first and last of Jesus’ sign-miracles. “This climactic sign of Jesus’ ministry joins the opening sign in framing Jesus’ public ministry. The opening sign (2:1-11) recounts Jesus’ benevolence at a wedding; the last involves it at a funeral. The joy of weddings and mourning of funerals could function as opposites in ancient literature” (The Gospel of John: A Commentary [Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2003], 2:835).
8. Brown, The Gospel According to John (I–XII), 401-12. See also Gerald L. Borchert, John 1-11, New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 1996), 327-45.
9. The Feast of Tabernacles took place in the fall, while the Feast of Dedication was in the winter.
10. For a detailed discussion of these events see Harold W. Hoehner, “Maccabees,” in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, ed. Geoffrey W. Bromiley (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1986): 3:196-200. See also idem, “Between the Testaments,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1979): 1:179-94.
11. Josephus, The Antiquities of the Jews 12.325.
12. Borchert, John 1-11, 328.
13. J. Carl Laney, John, Moody Gospel Commentary (Chicago: Moody, 1992), 200.
14. Culpepper, The Gospel and Letters of John, 185.
15. Unless indicated otherwise, all Scripture quotations are from the New International Version.
16. Borchert, John 1-11, 350.
17. Laney, John, 204.
18. Culpepper, The Gospel and Letters of John, 186.
19. Harold S. Songer, “John 5-12: Opposition to the Giving of True Life,” Review and Expositor 85 (summer 1988): 467.
20. Merrill C. Tenney, “Topics from the Gospel of John: Part II: The Meaning of the Signs,” Bibliotheca Sacra 132 (April 1975): 153.
21. This probably reflects the Jewish tradition that the soul hovered near the body for three days after burial but left after that. “The general belief was that the spirit of the deceased hovered around the body for three days in anticipation of some possible means of reentry into the body. But on the third day it was believed that the body lost its color and the spirit was locked out. Therefore the spirit was obliged to enter the chambers of Sheol (the place of the dead)” (Borchert, John 1-11, 354).
22. Resurrection of the dead in the last days is clearly taught in the Old Testament (Ps. 16:8-11; Isa. 26:14; Dan. 12:1-4). In the first century the Sadducees denied the resurrection, but the Pharisees affirmed it. The common people usually shared the beliefs of the Pharisees. Thus it is not surprising that Martha confessed her faith in that doctrine.
23. Jesus’ statement in 11:25, “I am the resurrection and the life” (᾿Εγώ εἰμι ἡ ἀνάστασις καὶ ἡ ζωή) is the fifth of seven “I am” (᾿Εγώ εἰμι) statements with a predicate in the Fourth Gospel. This fifth “I am” strongly affirms His deity.
24. Songer, “John 5-12: Opposition to the Giving of True Life,” 467.
25. Dodd, The Interpretation of the Fourth Gospel, 365.
26. The titles confessed by Martha about Jesus (ὁ Χριστὸς ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ) are the same two titles mentioned in John’s “purpose statement” (20:30-31) as the aim of the sign-miracles. The perfect tense of the verb “I believe” (πεπίστευκα) reflects the presence of her faith in Jesus already.
27. Culpepper, The Gospel and Letters of John, 189.
28. Laney, John, 214.
29. Tenney, “Topics from the Gospel of John: Part II: The Meaning of the Signs,” 154.
30. Andreas J. Köstenberger notes four Old Testament instances of raising the dead: Elijah’s raising the widow’s son (1 Kings 17:17-24); Elisha’s raising the son of the Shunammite woman (2 Kings 4:32-37); Elisha’s “posthumous” raising of the dead man (2 Kings 13:21); and the witch of Endor’s illicit summoning of Samuel from the dead at King Saul’s request (1 Sam. 28). “Raisings of the dead were generally viewed in light of the final resurrection and as an expression of God’s power to bring it about” (John, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament [Grand Rapids: Baker, 2004], 321-22).
31. Moloney, Signs and Shadows, 161.
32. J. Dwight Pentecost, The Words and Works of Jesus Christ (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1981), 344.