João 11
J.C. Ryle · Citado em PreceptAustin
João 11
Ryle - The chapter we have now begun is one of the most remarkable in the New Testament. For grandeur and simplicity, for pathos and solemnity, nothing was ever written like it. It describes a miracle which is not recorded in the other Gospels—the raising of Lazarus from the dead. Nowhere shall we find such convincing proofs of our Lord’s Divine power. As God, He makes the grave itself yield up its tenants. Nowhere shall we find such striking illustrations of our Lord’s ability to sympathize with His people. As man, He can be touched with the feelings of our infirmities. Such a miracle well became the end of such a ministry. It was fit and right that the victory of Bethany should closely precede the crucifixion at Calvary. A certain man was sick (astheneo), Lazarus ("God helps" "God is helper" dictionary note) of Bethany, the village of Mary (Hebrew - Miriam) and her sister Martha (Aramaic for "mistress") - Lazarus is derived from Eleazar which means "God a help" or "whom God helps" a fitting name for one whom God would soon help but restoring his life! This is not the Lazarus of Lk 16:20+ although it is interesting he too was "sick" and he too was helped by the Lord! It is surprising that more men are not name Lazarus! There is no suggestion his sickness was related to sin. Bethany not that of Jn 1:28, but is the village about 2 miles (Jn 11:18) east of Jerusalem on the southeast side of the Mount of Olives. Bob
João 11
Ryle on sickness - sickness, we must always remember, is no sign that God is displeased with us; nay, more, it is generally sent for the good of our souls. It tends to draw our affections away from this world, and to direct them to things above. It sends us to our Bibles, and teaches us to pray better. It helps to prove our faith and patience, and shows us the real value of our hope in Christ. It reminds us betimes that we are not to live always, and tunes and trains our hearts for our great change. Then let us be patient and cheerful when we are laid aside by illness. Let us believe that the Lord Jesus loves us when we are sick no less than when we are well. Seven Minutes of Terror Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:16 Today's Scripture & Insight: John 11:38–43 When the Mars rover Perseverance landed on that red planet on February 18, 2021, those monitoring its arrival endured “seven minutes of terror.” As the spacecraft ended its 292-million-mile journey, it went through a complex landing procedure it had to do on its own. Signals from Mars to Earth take several minutes, so NASA couldn’t hear from Perseverance during the landing. Not being in contact was frightening for the team who had put so much effort and resources into the mission. Sometimes we may experience our own times of fear when we feel we’re not hearing from God—we pray but we don’t get answers. In Scripture, we find people getting answers to prayer quickly (see Daniel 9:20–23) and those not getting answers for a long time (see Hannah’s story in 1 Samuel 1:10–20). Perhaps the most poignant example of a delayed answer—one that surely struck terror in the hearts of Mary and Martha—was when they asked Jesus to help their sick brother Lazarus (John 11:3). Jesus delayed, and their brother died (vv. 6–7, 14–15). Yet four days later, Christ answered by resurrecting Lazarus (vv. 43–44). What are you praying for, but the answer doesn’t seem to be coming? How can God increase your faith as you wait on Him? Loving God, You know what’s on my heart. Please help me trust You as I await Your answer. John Henry Jowett - SICKNESS AMONG CHRIST’S FRIENDS John 11:1-16. AND so sickness can enter the circle of the friends of the Lord. “He whom Thou lovest is sick.” My sicknesses do not mean that I have lost His favour. The shadow is His, as well as the sunshine. When He removes me from the glare of boisterous health it may be because of some spiritual fern which needs the ministry of the shade. “This sickness is ... for the glory of God.” Something beautiful will spring out of the shadowed seclusion, something which shall spread abroad the name and fame of God. And, therefore, I do not wonder at the Lord’s delay. He did not hasten away to the sick friend: “He abode two days still in the same place where He was.” Shall I put it like this: the awaking bulbs were not yet ready for the brighter light—just a little more shade! We are impatient to get healthy; the Lord desires that we become holy. Our physical sickness is continued in order that we may put on spiritual strength. And there are others besides sick Lazarus concerned in the sickness: “I am glad for your sakes I was not there.” The disciples were included in the divine scheme. Their spiritual welfare was to be affected by it. Let me ever remember that the circle affected by sickness is always wider than the patient’s bed. And may God be glorified in all! LOVE'S CONFIDENCE! F B
João 11
Ryle - Nothing so helps us to bear patiently the trials of life as an abiding conviction of the perfect wisdom by which everything around us is managed. Let us try to believe not only that all that happens to us is well done, but that it is done in the best manner, by the right instrument, and at the right time. We are all naturally impatient in the day of trial. We are apt to say, like Moses, when beloved ones are sick, “Heal her now, Lord, we beseech thee.” (Num. 12:13.) We forget that Christ is too wise a Physician to make any mistakes. It is the duty of faith to say, “My times are in Thy hand. Do with me as Thou wilt, how Thou wilt, what Thou wilt, and when Thou wilt. Not my will, but Thine be done.” The highest degree of faith is to be able to wait, sit still, and not complain. Streams in the Desert - “When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was.” (John 11:6.) IN the forefront of this marvelous chapter stands the affirmation, “Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus,” as if to teach us that at the very heart and foundation of all God’s dealings with us, however dark and mysterious they may be, we must dare to believe in and assert the infinite, unmerited, and unchanging love of God. Love permits pain. The sisters never doubted that He would speed at all hazards and stay their brother from death, but, “When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was.” What a startling “therefore”! He abstained from going, not because He did not love them, but because He did love them. His love alone kept Him back from hasting at once to the dear and stricken home. Anything less than infinite love must have rushed instantly to the relief of those loved and troubled hearts, to stay their grief and to have the luxury of wiping and stanching their tears and causing sorrow and sighing to flee away. Divine love could alone hold back the impetuosity of the Savior’s tender-heartedness until the Angel of Pain had done her work. Who can estimate how much we owe to suffering and pain? But for them we should have little scope for many of the chief virtues of the Christian life. Where were faith, without trial to test it; or patience, with nothing to bear; or experience, without tribulation to develop it?—Selected. “Loved! then the way will not be drear; For One we know is ever near, Proving it to our hearts so clear That we are loved. “Loved when our sky is clouded o’er, And days of sorrow press us sore; Still we will trust Him evermore, For we are loved. “Time, that affects all things below, Can never change the love He’ll show; The heart of Christ with love will flow, And we are loved.” George Matheson - And so, the silence of God was itself an answer. It is not merely said that there was no audible response to the cry from Bethany; it is distinctly stated that the absence of an audible response was itself the answer to the cry—it was when the Lord heard that Lazarus was sick that therefore He abode two days still in the same place where He was. I have often heard the outward silence. A hundred times have I sent up aspirations whose only answer has seemed to be the echo of my own voice, and I have cried out in the night of my despair, “Why art Thou so far from helping me?” But I never thought that the seeming farness was itself the nearness of God—that the very silence was an answer. It was a very grand answer to the household of Bethany. They had asked not too much, but too little. They had asked only the life of Lazarus; they were to get the life of Lazarus and a revelation of eternal life as well. There are some prayers which are followed by a Divine silence because we are not yet ripe for all we have asked; there are others which are so followed because we are ripe for more. We do not always know the full strength of our own capacity; we have to be prepared for receiving greater blessings than we have ever dreamed of. We come to the door of the sepulchre and beg with tears the dead body of Jesus; we are answered by silence because we are to get something better—a living Lord. My soul, be not afraid of God’s silence; it is another form of His voice; God’s silence is more than man’s speech; God’s negative is better than the world’s affirmation. Have thy prayers been followed only by a calm stillness? Well, and is not that God’s voice—a voice that will suffice thee in the meantime till the full disclosure come? Has He moved not from His place to help thee? Well, but His stillness makes thee still, and He has something better than help to give thee. Wait for Him in the silence, and ere long it shall become vocal; death shall be swallowed up in victory. Brian Bell has some interesting thoughts on Jesus' delay - God waits - Was he too busy? - Was He attending to other matters of greater importance? No! In times of crisis its essential we understand some important facts about time & perspective. Because if you've been a Christian any amount of time you know, w/o a shadow of a doubt “God is always late!...according to our standards!” Regarding Time - Our Lord is never late. He often delays His response, but is never late. His watch is merely set to a different timetable, calibrated to matters of eternal rather than temporal consequence. God’s delays are not His denials! Regarding Perspective - We can adopt either a human or a divine outlook. (1) Human perspective focuses on the urgent & blurs the important. (a) It concentrates on our immediate rather than our ultimate welfare. (b) It aims at our temporary good instead of God’s eternal glory. (2) Divine perspective factors eternity into the mysterious equations of life. The Human perspective pleads “My will be done, now!” The Divine perspective makes its request, then patiently adds, “Nevertheless, not my will be done, but Yours!” Have you checked your spiritual watch lately? Is it synchronized with eternity? Is it keeping His time - or your own? God’s timing - God was orchestrating an incredible moment & needed to set the stage! And since the corpse must be center stage before this drama can begin, Jesus must wait until Lazarus dies before He can make His entrance. But Mary & Martha can’t see backstage in heaven. All they can see is an expansive, black curtain drawn across their lives. They sit at home, despondent, as in an empty theater. Oswald Chambers - After God’s silence—what? When He had heard therefore that he was sick, He abode two days in the same place where He was. John 11:6. Has God trusted you with a silence—a silence that is big with meaning? God’s silences are His answers. Think of those days of absolute silence in the home at Bethany! Is there anything analogous to those days in your life? Can God trust you like that, or are you still asking for a visible answer? God will give you the blessings you ask if you will not go any further without them; but His silence is the sign that He is bringing you into a marvellous understanding of Himself. Are you mourning before God because you have not had an audible response? You will find that God has trusted you in the most intimate way possible, with an absolute silence, not of despair, but of pleasure, because He saw that you could stand a bigger revelation. If God has given you a silence, praise Him, He is bringing you into the great run of His purposes. The manifestation of the answer in time is a matter of God’s sovereignty. Time is nothing to God. For a while you say—‘I asked God to give me bread, and He gave me a stone.’ He did not, and to-day you find He gave you the bread of life. A wonderful thing about God’s silence is that the contagion of His stillness gets into you and you become perfectly confident—‘I know God has heard me.’ His silence is the proof that He has. As long as you have the idea that God will bless you in answer to prayer, He will do it, but He will never give you the grace of silence. If Jesus Christ is bringing you into the understanding that prayer is for the glorifying of His Father, He will give you the first sign of His intimacy—silence. Delay May Not Mean Denial When [Jesus] heard that [Lazarus] was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was. — John 11:6 Today's Scripture & Insight: John 11:21-35 My sons’ birthdays are in December. When they were small, Angus quickly learned that if he didn’t receive a longed-for toy for his birthday at the beginning of the month, it might be in his Christmas stocking. And if David didn’t receive his gift for Christmas, it might appear for his birthday 4 days later. Delay didn’t necessarily mean denial. It was natural for Martha and Mary to send for Jesus when Lazarus became seriously ill (John 11:1-3). Perhaps they looked anxiously along the road for signs of His arrival, but Jesus didn’t come. The funeral service had been over for 4 days when Jesus finally walked into town (v.17). Martha was blunt. “If You had been here,” she said, “my brother would not have died” (v.21). Then her faith flickered into certainty, “Even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You” (v.22). I wonder what she expected. Lazarus was dead, and she was wary about opening the tomb. And yet at a word from Jesus, Lazarus’ spirit returned to his decaying body (vv.41-44). Jesus had bypassed simply healing His sick friend, in order to perform the far greater miracle of bringing him back to life. My Savior hears me when I pray, Upon His Word I calmly rest; In His own time, in His own way, I know He’ll give me what is best. —Hewitt Time spent waiting on God is never wasted. Unfailing Love [Jesus] stayed two more days in the place where He was. — John 11:6 Today's Scripture: John 11:1-6,17-27 Why does God wait when we plead for His swift response? When Jesus’ good friend Lazarus lay desperately ill, He was told about it by Lazarus’ two sisters. They must have hoped He would come immediately. But in John 11:5-6 we read, “Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was.” While Jesus lingered, Lazarus died. At times it is very difficult for us to reconcile God’s perfect love with His perfect timing. We may struggle to understand why He would delay when His intervention could save those we love. Like Martha and Mary, we tell Jesus, in effect, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died” (vv.21,32). No one involved in this situation could imagine the miracle Jesus would perform. Nor could they fathom what He wanted to teach them—that He is “the resurrection and the life” for all who believe (v.25). O God, make me one of those rarest of souls Who willingly wait for Thy time; My impatient will must be lost in Thine own, And Thy will forever be mine. —Bowser When we can't see God's hand, we can trust His heart. Silence And Trust When [Jesus] heard that [Lazarus] was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was. —John 11:6 Today's Scripture: John 11:1-11 In one of Joe Morgenstern’s weekly Wall Street Journal columns about movies, he considered the impact of the great film stars in close-up scenes where they said nothing at all. “Movie stars,” he wrote, “can do as little as they do at crucial moments because, having already earned our respect, they can assume that we’re paying attention.” This quality of powerful silence that we admire in actors and actresses, however, can be frustrating or disappointing in our relationship with God when He is silent. When Lazarus, a close friend of Jesus, became seriously ill, his sisters Mary and Martha sent word to Jesus. But “when [Jesus] heard that [Lazarus] was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was” (John 11:6). God is waiting in the silence For a heart that He can fill; He must find it cleansed and empty, With a spirit calm and still. —Smith True trust in God stays strong even when He is silent. Pressures And Priorities Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. — Matthew 6:33 Today's Scripture: John 11:1-7 While visiting a friend’s office, I noticed that the standard In-Out baskets had been replaced by a five-tiered set of trays labeled Critical, Urgent, Important, Back-burner, Long-term. Those trays reminded me that unless I have God’s perspective each day, pressures will always determine my priorities. John 11:1-7 reminds us of how radically different God’s sense of urgency is from our own. Notice the chain of events: Lazarus was sick. His two sisters, Mary and Martha, sent word of his illness to Jesus. Then we see two seemingly incompatible statements: “Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was” (vv.5-6). A dying man—a delaying Lord. Jesus’ priorities were determined not by pressure but by perfect communion with His heavenly Father. “But I’m not Jesus,” we are quick to say. “I drive the freeways and don’t have enough hours in the day.” But Christ calls us to consult Him in every urgency and emergency, to listen for His wise direction, and to make time for the truly important things of life. Thinking It Over What types of pressures tend to confuse my priorities? Am I giving adequate time to my relationships with Christ, with my family, with my friends? Focusing on Christ puts everything else in perspective. John 11:7 Then after this He said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again." BGT John 11:7 ἔπειτα μετὰ τοῦτο λέγει τοῖς μαθηταῖς· ἄγωμεν εἰς τὴν Ἰουδαίαν πάλιν. KJV John 11:7 Then after that saith he to his disciples, Let us go into Judaea again. NET John 11:7 Then after this, he said to his disciples, "Let us go to Judea again." CSB John 11:7 Then after that, He said to the disciples, "Let's go to Judea again." ESV John 11:7 Then after this he said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again." NIV John 11:7 Then he said to his disciples, "Let us go back to Judea." NLT John 11:7 Finally, he said to his disciples, "Let's go back to Judea." NRS John 11:7 Then after this he said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again." NJB John 11:7 before saying to the disciples, 'Let us go back to Judaea.' NAB John 11:7 Then after this he said to his disciples, "Let us go back to Judea." YLT John 11:7 then after this, he saith to the disciples, 'We may go to Judea again;' MIT John 11:7 Then after that, he said to his disciples, "Let us take to the road to Judaea again." Let: Jn 10:40-42 Lu 9:51 Ac 15:36 20:22-24 John 11 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Jesus’ (Probably now in Perea) Calls for Return to Judea Related Passages: John 10:39-40 Therefore they (THE JEWS IN JERUSALEM) were seeking again to seize Him, and He eluded their grasp. 40 And He went away again beyond the Jordan (EAST OF THE JORDAN RIVER - REGION OF PEREA) to the place where John was first baptizing, and He was staying there. Then - (epeita) - An expression of time. In this context, it marks progression in the narrative (and after 2 days had passed). After this - Simple phrases like this should always prompt a simple question in your mind as you are reading (don't speed read, smart read) in effect performing a mini-meditation (realtime) as you read the verse (P.O.P. - for "power of pause" or "power of pondering" see Joshua 1:8+, Psalm 1:2-3+!) So the simple question is "After what?" This will usually force you to re-read the prior context and repetition of the Word is always a good thing as it facilitates memorization (Ps 119:9,11+) and helps renew your mind (Eph 4:23+)(gives the Spirit time to do His transforming work - cf 2Co 3:18+), although of course He could do it instantaneously without you practicing P.O.P.! But when you carry out the practice of P.O.P., you are demonstrating to God your love for His Word, your desire to sit and soak in the eternal, living and energetic Word of Life. It is in a sense an act of (mini-) worship and adoration. All this from just learning to discipline yourself to slow down and "smell the roses", so to speak! So the after this is after He had heard of Lazarus' sickness and delayed going for two days. He said to the disciples (mathetes), "Let us go to Judea again" - Lazarus' home was in Bethany which was in the district of Judea. Jesus of course is speaking about returning to the region of Judea (see map above) which He had just departed from because the Judean Jews were seeking to kill Him (Jn 8:59, Jn 10:31). However, Jesus Who was always in the center of His Father's will, knew that He was on the "last lap" of His earthly race and thus His face was resolutely set (Lk 9:51+) to go to Jerusalem and finish His Father's work (cf Jn 4:34+, Jn 17:4) and cry "It is finished."
João 11
Ryle explains what this means in practical terms: "We are all naturally impatient in the day of trial . . . We forget that Christ is too wise a Physician to make any mistakes. It is the duty of faith to say, “My times are in Your hand. Do with me as you will, how you will, what you will, and when you will. Not my will, but yours be done.” The highest degree of faith is to be able to wait, sit still, and not complain." (John 11 - Ryle's Expository Thoughts on the Gospels) Take all your questions, all your doubts, all your uncertainties, all your “if onlys,” and let them be dots on a piece of paper. Then draw a circle around all those dots. That circle represents the providence of God.... You never know when a resurrection is on the way. Take all your questions, all your doubts, all your uncertainties, all your “if onlys,” and let them be dots on a piece of paper. Then draw a circle around all those dots. That circle represents the providence of God. If Jesus had healed Lazarus, that would have been a great miracle. Raising him from the dead was an even greater one. God’s delays are not the same as God’s denials. If we know that, we can keep believing even while we wait for an answer that has not yet come. You never know when a resurrection is on the way. Lord Jesus, help us to remember that you’ve got a bigger and better plan. Forgive us for presuming to tell you how to do your work. We’re glad that you are God and we are not. Amen. (Couldn't He Have Kept This Man From Dying?) John 11:38 So Jesus, again being deeply moved within, came to the tomb. Now it was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. BGT John 11:38 Ἰησοῦς οὖν πάλιν ἐμβριμώμενος ἐν ἑαυτῷ ἔρχεται εἰς τὸ μνημεῖον· ἦν δὲ σπήλαιον καὶ λίθος ἐπέκειτο ἐπ᾽ αὐτῷ. KJV John 11:38 Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it. NET John 11:38 Jesus, intensely moved again, came to the tomb. (Now it was a cave, and a stone was placed across it.) CSB John 11:38 Then Jesus, angry in Himself again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. ESV John 11:38 Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. NIV John 11:38 Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. NLT John 11:38 Jesus was still angry as he arrived at the tomb, a cave with a stone rolled across its entrance. NRS John 11:38 Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. NJB John 11:38 Sighing again, Jesus reached the tomb: it was a cave with a stone to close the opening. NAB John 11:38 So Jesus, perturbed again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay across it. YLT John 11:38 Jesus, therefore, again groaning in himself, cometh to the tomb, and it was a cave, and a stone was lying upon it, MIT John 11:38 Jesus again sighed ever so deeply in himself as he came to the tomb. It was a cave-type tomb with a stone closing its entrance. again being deeply moved: Jn 11:33 Eze 9:4 21:6 Mk 8:12 It was: Ge 23:19 49:29-31 Isa 22:16 Mt 27:60,66 John 11 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries JESUS IS MOVED AS HE MOVES TO THE TOMB So (therefore - term of conclusion) is linked to Jesus' question "where have you laid him" (Jn 11:34) and their answer"Lord, come and see." Therefore He came to the tomb. Jesus (Iesous), again being deeply moved (embrimaomai) within, came to the tomb (mnemeion) - For a second time John uses this rare verb deeply moved (embrimaomai) which John had just used in Jn 11:33 ("deeply moved"). This could be read as "Jesus was deeply indignant!" The sight of the tomb again stirred this deep emotion in Jesus! Jesus was a Man on mission to bring glory to His Father. Charles Swindoll refers to the tomb as "that stone testimony of a creation gone tragically awry!" The tomb would be located outside of the village of Bethany to prevent ritual defilement with corpses (Nu 19:16; cf. Mt. 23:27; Lk 11:44). Now it was a cave (spelaion), and a stone (lithos) was lying against it - Cave suggests it was a natural cave (cf uses of spelaion in Heb 11:38, Rev 6:15) and not carved as some writers suggest (some were carved Mt 27:60). A parenthetical explanation from John. As noted in Jn 11:17 the stone covering the entry of the cave (Ge 23:19) was to prevent animals and robbers from entering. Bob Utley on a cave - During this period in Palestine graves were either (1) natural caves (Baba Bathra 6:8), (2) caves dug into cliffs and sealed with circular stones rolled into trenches and (3) pits dug into the ground and covered by large stones. From archaeological studies in the Jerusalem area option #1 fits best. R C H