John 11:17-27
Let’s remember to pray for Jim and Marty.
“Notice what you notice.” I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. (vv. 25-26) I’m trying to understand these statements. The phrases, “though he die” and “shall never die”… A believer dies (“though he die”), but he lives and never dies again (“shall never die”)? These statements seem to imply a believer’s two-stage life process. Our body dies but our spirit lives. Then the body is resurrected and will never die again. Is that what Jesus is saying? It’s what we believe.
Earlier this year I came to the understanding that when John wrote “the Jews” he was referring to the Jewish leaders, not to the general population. So when verse 17 says that …many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them…, John is most likely referring to Jewish leaders, some of whom may have come from Jerusalem, just two miles away. Or it may be that they are not the higher Jewish leaders from Jerusalem, since later (v. 46) we read that some of these Jews reported to the Pharisees what Jesus had done. I’m guessing that these “mourning” Jews are local synagogue officials, maybe leaders of the Bethany synagogue that Martha, Mary, and Lazarus attended, who were also probably known to the higher Jewish leaders in Jerusalem.
Mostly I’m just trying to put the crowd together. Clearly many of the mourners would have been Bethany residents, friends of the family. Then there would have been the Jewish leaders. Also there were the disciples (and a crowd of followers?) who came with Jesus. And there were probably onlookers who came when they heard that Jesus had come. So when Lazarus is later raised, there are a lot of witnesses!!!
Four days in the tomb…! Clearly Jesus’ greatest miracle…!! GLORY! Sorry, I’m getting ahead of our reading schedule!
Slava Bohu!
Four days is a long time! I am struck by Martha’s belief. I identify with her. She is the busy one, not taking time it would seem to just sit at Jesus’s feet like her sister Mary. But look at her trust. Her statement of Him as the Christ. And He responds with, “I am the resurrection and the life,” some of His most powerful words. What a blessing and confirmation of her faith.