Jesus Raises Lazarus

Such love is not about sentiment but about action for the beloved

Commentary on John 11:1-44

Sarah Henrich

John 11:1–44 is the reading for the first Sunday of Lent in 2026. Any preacher will be challenged to wrap her mind around a story of this length and richness. For John, the raising of Lazarus is the final sign that Jesus does before he enters Jerusalem. Raising Lazarus from death is a culminating sign of the Father’s glory and Jesus’ oneness with the Father (verses 4, 21, 41–42). Calling Lazarus from the tomb also leads directly to Jesus’ death (11:53).

Imagine staging this! In this story of the raising of Lazarus one encounters a panoply of characters, including Lazarus’s sisters, Martha and Mary; unnamed fellow mourners from the (Jewish) community; Jesus; Thomas; and the unnamed disciples. All of these interact in several different locations.

The drama opens as a messenger from Martha and Mary announces Lazarus’s illness to Jesus and his disciples, who are together “in the place John had been baptizing earlier,” probably Bethany east of the Jordan (1:28 and 10:40). Jesus and the Twelve had sought safety there from those in Jerusalem who had earlier tried to prosecute him for blasphemy (10:30–40). There Jesus had argued theologically and demonstratively, calling upon the “Jews” to recognize that “the Father and [he] are one” (10:30), based on his “works.”

Though they had escaped, the danger of arrest and worse is still lively in the minds of the disciples when they try to dissuade Jesus from returning to Bethany west of the Jordan (verse 8), and for Thomas, who may be heard as sincere or resigned (verse 16). Jesus and the disciples head back to Bethany-near-Jerusalem, although Lazarus has been dead for four days and “stinks” (verse 39). He is truly dead, as indeed Jesus will be after the crucifixion.

Real death is not a barrier to Jesus. Death, both that of Lazarus and his own, is “for God’s glory” and the glorification of the Son of God (11:4, 15, 23–25, 40–42; 17:1). In the center of the passage Jesus’ promises that “everyone who lives and believes in me will never die” (verse 26).¹ Jesus’ behavior leads up to this declaration (and the opportunity for Martha to confess her faith and witness to it). He then demonstrates the truth of what he has promised by calling Lazarus out of the tomb and having him unwrapped.

These verses offer a variety of opportunities for preaching at the start of Lent. Let me delineate a few possibilities:

Taken as a whole, the story is told within an inclusio of “glory.” God’s glory is predicted (verse 4) and it is reflected upon (verse 40). The raising of Lazarus reveals God’s glory to Jesus’ followers in all their uncertainty. Likewise, it reveals Jesus’ full participation in that glory, his familiarity with it, his demonstration of it, and how important this is for all those who came after Jesus’ passion, which was so apparently inglorious. His suffering was for something, beginning, ending in, and redefining “glory.”

The story as a whole

Raising Lazarus sets the stage for Jesus’ death and resurrection. Yet, even this most amazing sign causes division, not least among eyewitnesses. Before the story of triumph over Lazarus’s death and immediately after it, there is uncertainty and anger as well as faith and witness. It would not surprise John’s hearers or us that Jesus is not a clear sign to everyone. From the beginning of the gospel, the faithful hearer is warned that the One whom death itself cannot hinder causes division and disbelief among his peers and ours.

These verses promise that God is not indifferent, even when God’s closeness to us is imperceptible. Our questions, not so different from those of John’s contemporaries, are addressed but not answered. Yes, Jesus loved Lazarus and his sisters mightily. Yes, he would respond to their need and save Lazarus from death. But he would not go immediately, the wait causing all of them to wonder if he cared, if he would be there. Do we not also wonder?

More particularly…

Each speech, each character allows Jesus to speak to us and explore for us what is happening in times of grief, fear, and celebration. The disciples misunderstand Jesus almost comically in verses 8–16. “Falling asleep” (verse 11) was a common euphemism for dying. They should have gotten it. But between Jesus and the Twelve there is misunderstanding. Finally, Jesus speaks clearly (verse 14), as he says he will do in 16:25–28. Jesus knows in John 11, as in John 16, that plain speaking, even when acknowledged and heard, will not be enough to sustain faith (16:29–32a). There is a word here about not taking Jesus’ words literally. Interpretation is required. Figures of speech are used. Even plain speech can be mystifying.

For John’s hearers and us, though not for Mary, Martha, Lazarus, or the disciples, it is reassuring to know that Jesus loves us, cares for us, and will bring life to us, if not on our timetable. Timetables are important in John’s gospel. This passage gives us two examples of human inability to gauge Jesus’ timing: Thomas’s comment in verse 16 is wrong (Jesus will not die quite yet) because he did not understand Jesus’ saying in verses 9–10. Who would have? Likewise, Mary and Martha do not imagine that Jesus’ arrival after Lazarus has died will change death to life. Who would have so imagined?

Mary and Martha vary in their expressions of deep grief and in their ability to engage Jesus. Both believe that their brother would not have died, had Jesus only come quickly. “If you had been here, my brother would not have died” (verses 21, 32). Martha’s grief needs satisfaction, explanation, and probing in conversation with Jesus. Mary’s grief needs comfort.

Another salient theme in a world where the word “love” is tossed around too easily is Jesus’ love. Like glory, love appears at the beginning and near the end of our passage (phileo and philos in verses 3, 11, 36; agape in verse 5). John leaves no doubt that Jesus loves his friends. Even the Jews, all of whom are not hostile in this passage, see from Jesus’ grief that he loves Lazarus. It is not his emotion, though, that proves his love. Nor is it his deciding on the dangerous return to Bethany-near-Jerusalem. It is Jesus’ purposeful glorification of the Father and his trust that the Father’s will is for life. Jesus’ mission to share this is love. Such love, very much like that of John 3:16, is not about sentiment but about action for the beloved.

Notes

Verses 25–27 come near the center of the passage by word count. There is also a chiastic arrangement of this passage that puts verses 23–27 at the center and, thus, focal point. See Mark W. G. Stibbe, “A Tomb with a View: John 11:1–44 in Narrative-Critical Perspective,” New Testament Studies 40, no. 1 (January 1994): 43.