JOHN LESSON 32


     We will begin this lesson in John 11:24.

     V-24, "Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in
the resurrection at the last day."

     In the last lesson, Jesus has just told Martha "...Thy brother
shall rise again."  Martha doesn't realize that Jesus is speaking of
right now.  Martha has not seen Jesus raise anyone from death before,
and the fact that her brother has begun to decay seems to mean to her
that it is too late.

     V-25, "Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life:
he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:"

     V-26, "And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.
Believest thou this?"

     This may be the most encouraging statement in all the Bible for
the Christian.  What greater promise could Jesus make than to offer
eternal life.  The greatest gift that God gave to man was His Son.  He
is the Christian's life.  The thing that activates this life is our
faith in Jesus.  We see, above, that Jesus says if you believe in Him,
you shall never die.  The real me is a spirit, and my spirit shall
take on a new body as it vacates this old earthly body; and truly I
shall never die.  I will just change places of residence from this old
flesh (human) body to a spiritual body.  Let us read of this in I
Corinthians.  Begin reading at verse 35 and go through verse 54.  I
will enclose just verse 44 here, I Corinthians 15:44, "It is sown a
natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.  There is a natural body,
and there is a spiritual body."  Read all of the Scripture on this to
get a really good understanding of this.

     V-27, "She saith unto him, Yea, Lord:  I believe that thou art
the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world."

     Martha had no difficulty at all in quickly answering Jesus'
questions.  She had seen the miracles, and she knew that Jesus was no
mere holy man.  Martha, Mary, and Lazarus were close friends of Jesus.
He stayed in their home many times.  They all three were thoroughly
convinced of who Jesus was.

     V-28, "And when she had so said, she went her way, and called
Mary her sister secretly, saying, The Master is come, and calleth for
thee."

     Mary had been sitting in the house alone.  Martha called her
secretly, because she did not want to reveal to these Jewish leaders
(there to mourn Lazarus' passing) that Jesus was near by.  The Jews
hated Jesus, and Mary and Martha thought they might try to take Him.


     V-29, "As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly, and came
unto him."

     Mary knew that Jesus loved Lazarus.  She knew if anyone could
help, it would be Jesus.  Jesus did not come into the house or the
city, until He first talked to Mary and Martha.

     V-30, "Now Jesus was not yet come into the town, but was in that
place where Martha met him."

     The purpose of Jesus not coming to their home has several
possibilities.  One reason could be that Jesus wanted to minister to
Mary and Martha privately.  Possibly, Jesus knew if He came in, the
Jews might have caused a scene.  The least likely of all is that
Jesus' time had not come, and He did not want to be captured.

     V-31, "The Jews then which were with her in the house, and
comforted her, when they  saw Mary, that she rose up hastily and went
out, followed her, saying, She goeth unto the grave to weep there."

     Perhaps, this group of Jews here were not quite as hostile as the
Jewish leaders.  You know, we read how some of them believed when
Jesus opened the blind man's eyes.  They were there to mourn with Mary
and Martha.  Among the Hebrews, it was not unusual to mourn for a week
or more.  This is possibly what these Jews thought Mary was going to
do so they followed her.  Since Mary and Martha's conversation about
Jesus was private, they could not have known that they went to meet
Jesus.

     V-32, "Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she
fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here,
my brother had not died."

     Mary believed as Martha did, that Jesus could have healed
Lazarus; and He could have.  Her falling at His feet showed Mary
worshipping Jesus.

     V-33, "When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also
weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was
troubled,"

     His sorrow was for Mary and Martha, that they had to taste of
this grief.  The Lord has great feeling for His people.  He does not
enjoy seeing them hurt.

     V-34, "And said, Where have ye laid him?  They said unto him,
Lord, come and see."

     We see here, genuine concern.  Of course, Jesus did not need to
be shown where Lazarus was, but this was so they would be in
attendance when Jesus raises him from the dead.  The idea was for them
to witness this great miracle, and to realize that Jesus is the
Resurrection and the Life.

     V-35, "Jesus wept."

     A very short  statement but full of feelings for these two
sisters, and, in fact, all of humanity for the frailty of the body.

     V-36, "Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him!"

     These Jews had misunderstood the tears.  They thought Jesus to be
crying for Lazarus.

     V-37, "And some of them said, Could not this man, which opened
the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have
died?"

     It is apparent that these Jews were not aware of the little girl
Jesus raised from the dead, Jairus' daughter about twelve years old,
and the widow's son that they were taking to be buried.  Mary and
Martha both probably knew of these, but in their moment of grief had
momentarily forgotten.  These Jews were really making a bad remark
saying that if Jesus' power had been real, wouldn't He have healed His
friend?

     V-38, "Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the
grave.  It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it."

     Tombs were in caves in these days.  The stone lay upon it to keep
animals from wandering in the grave.

     V-39, "Jesus said, Take ye away the stone.  Martha, the sister of
him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for
he hath been dead four days."

     The Jewish people do not embalm their dead.  On the fourth day,
the body begins the decaying process and even their countenance
changes.  Perhaps, Martha did not want the Master to see her brother
Lazarus in his decaying condition.  As I said before, in her grief she
had forgotten that Jesus had raised two other people from the dead.
She had not seen these miracles, but should have known of them.

     V-40, "Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou
wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?"

     Some of this went on to let Mary and Martha believe with no
shadow of turning that Jesus truly will defeat death itself.  Notice
even when He is speaking to His followers, Mary and Martha, there is a
condition.  They must believe.  Jesus says believe , and I will show
you a sample of what belief in Jesus Christ brings.  Life.

     V-41, "Then they took away the stone from the place where the
dead was laid.  And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I
thank thee that thou hast heard me."



     V-42, "And I knew that thou hearest me always:  but because of
the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou
hast sent me."

     I see an act of faith, as Mary and Martha have them to remove the
stone as the Lord had asked.  Jesus knew long before He started to
Mary and Martha, that this was to happen to glorify the Father.  The
Father is glorified in the glory of His Son.  It pleases the Father
when we believe in His Son.  Jesus knows that Lazarus' spirit will
come back in his body.  When He prayed for Lazarus, it was already as
well as done.  This prayer, here, is so that these onlookers will know
that Jesus has power o n earth to raise the dead and that His will and
the Father's will are one.  There is no question that Lazarus is dead.
He has been dead four days.  This  miracle is the one that leaves no
doubt that Jesus is God the Son.

     V-43, "And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice,
Lazarus, come forth."

     No spirit can deny this voice.  Jesus is Lord of all.
Philippians 2:10-11, "That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;"
V-11, "And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father."  This spirit had to come back in
Lazarus. It had to obey Jesus.

     V-44, "And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with
graveclothes:  and his face was bound about with a napkin.  Jesus
saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go."

     A person cannot unwind the grave clothes himself.  Lazarus was
alive in the graveclothes.  I love the song "Loose Him And Let Him
Go".  That is really what Jesus has done from the beginning for all of
us.

     V-45, "Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the
things which Jesus did, believed on him."

     If any thing could cause a person to believe, this would be it.
I am surprised that all of them did not believe.

                                 Notes















                           John 32 Questions


1.  In verse 11, Martha said she knew Lazarus would rise again, when?
2.  What makes Martha believe that it is too late for a miracle?
3.  In verse 25, Jesus calls Himself two things.  What are they?
4.  What causes us to live after death?
5.  What does the author believe is the most encouraging statement in
    the Bible to the Christian?
6.  What happens at death?
7.  In I Corinthians chapter 15, we realize that there are two kinds
    of bodies.  What are they?
8.  When Jesus told Martha she would see the glory of God if she
    believed, what did she answer?
9.  What message did Martha take to Mary?
10. Why did she tell her secretly?
11. What did Mary do when she heard that Jesus had come?
12. Where was Jesus?
13. Where did the Jews think Mary was going?
14. What does verse 35 say about Jesus' sympathy for Mary and Martha?
15. The Jews criticized Jesus for what in verse 37?
16. Who were two others that Jesus raised from the dead?
17. Where was Lazarus buried?
18. When Jesus said roll away the stone, what did Martha say?
19. How long had Lazarus been dead?
20. What must Martha do to see the glory of God?
21. What did Martha and Mary have done to show that they believed?
22. Why did Jesus pray out loud to the Father?
23. What three words did Jesus speak to Lazarus?
24. In Philippians 2:10-11, who is Jesus Lord of?
25. When Lazarus came forth, what was on his face?
26. What six words did Jesus say for them to do to Lazarus?
27. What effect did this have on these Jews?

                                 Notes