John 11:1-6, Setting the Scene in Bethany

John 11 brings us to the seventh miracle of Jesus recorded by John.  The response to this miracle by the leadership and the nation is still part of the story.  Even more important is that this sign, as with the others, continues to fit John’s purpose in recording them: that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name (20:31).

The story involves a family, two sisters and their brother, a family that are well known in the life of Jesus.  Mary, Martha and Lazarus lived in Bethany, just over the Mt. of Olives from the temple in Jerusalem.  The sisters may have lived together (Lk. 10:38-42) and showed hospitality to Jesus, as the location was close enough (about two miles away, Jn. 11:18) that He could stay in their home and access the city as He did during the “holy week” leading up to the crucifixion. 

As the story opens, Jesus was with the disciples down by the Jordan where John had been baptizing at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry (Jn. 1:28: Bethabara beyond the Jordan; and 3:23: Aenon near Salim).  We don’t have an exact timeframe, but John 10 ends at the Feast of Dedication in December, and John 13:1 is Passover time in April.  John 11:55 indicates it was closer to Passover time.

While by the Jordan, word came that Lazarus, “he whom You love,” was sick.  As there was more than one “Mary” in the gospel stories of Jesus, this Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair.  John had not yet told us that story (John 12:1-9).  This is not the same story told in Luke 7:36-50 as there are several differences between them.  This story is also in Matt. 26:6-13 and Mark 14:3-9, where Jesus indicates she would be famous for this act.  First century Christians (and Christians today) would know which “Mary.”

Jesus delayed going to Jerusalem, staying two more days (v6) so when they reached Bethany, Lazarus had been in the tomb four days (v17).  It would have been a long day for the messenger to reach Jesus and for Jesus to reach Bethany.  The burial would have been the day after Lazarus died, so it works out if Lazarus had died shortly after the messenger had departed.

Why did Jesus delay?  We are not told specifically but we do get some clues.  Some say He did this to test the faith of the sisters, but their faith was already evident when they reached out to Jesus.  We’ll talk more on that.  It makes more sense that the delay was to increase the glory of God.  Jesus understood the significance of the event.  An evangelical Jewish writer, Arnold Fruchtenbaum, refers to a Rabbinical tradition, that the souls of the dead hover around the body three days after which they depart, meaning hope of resuscitation was gone.  Perhaps that is the case. In the end, the answer to Jesus’ delay was the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it (v11:4; cf. 11:40 also).