Resurrected Christ Appears a Third Time to His Disciples

Continuing a Bible study of the Gospels:

(John 21:1) After these things Jesus showed Himself again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias, and in this way He showed Himself.

At the end of the last chapter, Jesus had appeared for the second time to all His disciples in a closed room, and had shown "Doubting" Thomas His wounds so that by seeing, Thomas would believe.  He now appeared to His disciples again, this time at the sea of Tiberias which is the Sea of Galilee.  What follows is how He showed Himself to them.

(2) There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two other of His disciples.

John named the disciples who were there, Peter, Thomas, James and John (the sons of Zebedee), Nathanael who was probably the disciple Bartholomew, and two other disciples not named.  Bartholomew or Bar-Tolmai means "son of Tolmai," which makes it probably a surname, with Nathanael his given name.

(3) Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing." They said to him, "We also are going with you." They went forth and entered into a ship immediately, and that night they caught nothing.

Peter had decided to go fishing and the other disciples went with him.  They boarded a ship or fishing boat and it seems caught no fish all night.

(4) But when the morning had now come, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.

When morning had come and they were still aboard the ship, they saw Jesus standing on the shore, but they did not know it was Him.  Perhaps they were not close enough to see Him clearly, and it may have still been dim light.

(5) Then Jesus said to them, "Children, have you any meat?" They answered Him, "No."

Jesus called out to them, calling them "Children," a term of endearment that would seem to intimate that it was Jesus speaking to them, but it appears they still didn't know it was Him.  He asked them if they had any meat or fish, meaning had they caught any, and they told Him they had not.

(6) And He said to them, "Cast the net on the right side of the ship and you will find." They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes.

Jesus told them to cast their net on the right side of the ship and they would find fish.  Although it doesn't appear that they yet knew it was Jesus who spoke to them, they took His advice and cast where He told them, and they were not able to draw their net back in because of the weight of all the fish that were in it.

(7) Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord." Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher's coat (for he was naked), and cast himself into the sea.

John was the first to recognize that it was their Lord who had told them where to cast their net, and he told Peter it was the Lord.  When Peter heard that, he put on his fishing garments, as he had been shirtless, in his undergarments only, and jumped into the sea, surely eager to get to Jesus.  You would think that he was previously better attired for swimming, but I'm sure out of respect to His Lord, he put his clothes on.

(8) And the other disciples came in the little ship (for they were not far from land but as it was two hundred cubits) dragging the net with fishes.

The other disciples came to shore in their little ship dragging the net with all the fish.  They had been only about a hundred yards from the shore, a cubit being about 18 inches.

(9) As soon as they had come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it, and bread. (10) Jesus said to them, "Bring of the fish which you have now caught."

When the disciples came to land, they saw a fire of coals on the shore with fish laid on it, and also bread.  Jesus told them to also bring some of the fish they had just caught.

(11) Simon Peter went up and drew the net to land, full of large fish, one hundred and fifty-three, and although there were so many, yet the net was not broken.

Peter went back up to the ship and drew the net onto land.  It was full of 153 large fish, but although there were so many, their fishing net was not broken.  Jesus had preserved their net for them.

(12) Jesus said to them, "Come, dine." And none of the disciples dared ask Him, "Who are You?" knowing that it was the Lord.

Jesus called the disciples to come to where He had fish cooking on the coals and told them to eat.  None of the disciples asked who it was who had told them where to cast their net and was now inviting them to eat, as they all knew by that time it was their Lord.

(13) Jesus then came and took bread and gave them, and fish likewise.

Jesus came to them and gave them all bread and fish.

(14) This is now the third time that Jesus showed Himself to His disciples after He was risen from the dead.

John made a point to tell his readers that this was the third time that Jesus had appeared to His disciples after He had risen from the dead.  Throughout the Bible, we are told that by the mouth of two or three witnesses, a thing is established.  Therefore, by these three appearances, it was firmly established as truth that Jesus had risen from the dead and had shown Himself to His disciples.

(15) So when they had dined, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord, You know that I love You." He said to him, "Feed My lambs."

After they had dined, Jesus asked Peter if he loved Him more than the rest of the disciples did.  Peter had said in Matthew 26:33 that although all men might be offended by Jesus, he would never be offended.  However, Peter had gone on to deny he knew Jesus three times.  But now his love for Jesus made him jump into the sea to be the first to come to Him.  Peter answered Jesus that he indeed loved Him, and that Jesus knew he did.  Jesus then told him to feed His lambs which meant to care for His flock of new Christians.

(16) He said to him again the second time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord, You know that I love You." He said to him, "Feed My sheep."

Jesus again asked Peter if he loved Him, and Peter answered as before that he did love Him, and that Jesus knew that he loved Him.  Again Jesus told Peter to feed His sheep.  Although it appears that Jesus told Peter pretty much the same thing, the word translated as "feed" is actually two different words in the two different passages.  The first time, Jesus told Peter to "bosko" (feed) His lambs, "lambs" probably denoting new baby Christians.  The second time, Jesus told Peter to "poimaino" (tend, govern) His sheep, indicating a sense of guiding and caring for His sheep, Jesus's flock of Christians.

(17) He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?" Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, "Do you love Me?" And he said to Him, "Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You." Jesus said to him, "Feed My sheep."

Jesus asked Peter a third time if he loved Him.  Peter was dismayed that Jesus had to keep asking him whether he loved Him or not.  It's possible that Peter thought Jesus saw something in him which he did not see, something that would lead to another denial of Jesus, and Jesus was about to tell him about it, as He had done when He told Peter he would deny Him three times before the rooster crowed.  He said to his Lord that He knew everything, so He knew that he loved Him.  Jesus said to Peter again, "Feed My sheep."  Jesus had returned to "bosko" His sheep, to feed His flock, His Christian followers.  I believe there was significance in having Peter declare three times that he loved the Lord and he would care for His flock.  For one, he had denied his Lord three times, and Jesus was giving him the chance to now confess Him three times, restoring him to his former position as Jesus's trusted apostle.  Also as discussed before, by declaring his love three times, it was established as a truthful fact.

(18) "Verily, verily, I say to you, when you were young, you girded yourself and walked where you wished, but when you are old, you shall stretch forth your hands and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish." (19) This He spoke, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, "Follow Me."

Jesus told Peter that when he was young, not that he was old then, but while he was young, he was able to gird himself, that is clothe himself and bind himself with a belt.  But when he was old, indicating Peter would live to an old age, someone else would gird him and take him where he did not wish to go.  Jesus was telling Peter what sort of death he would suffer.  Because we have the knowledge of history, we can know that Jesus meant that Peter's arms would be outstretched and bound to a cross and he would be carried to his death where he would not naturally desire to go.  It's not that Peter would be unwilling to die for Christ, but it was not what he sought, and it stood in opposition to the freedom he had when he was young.  Note that Jesus said his death would honor God.  After Jesus had told Peter this, he told him to follow Him.

In Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible, he stated that ancient writers stated that Peter lived 34 years after this and then was crucified, "and that he deemed it so glorious a thing to die for Christ that he begged to be crucified with his head downwards, not considering himself worthy to die in the same posture in which his Lord did." 

(20) Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following, who also had leaned on His breast at supper, and said, "Lord, who is he who betrays you?" (21) Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, "Lord, and what about this man?"

Peter then turned around and saw John following.  John wrote that the disciple who followed was the same one who had leaned on Jesus's breast at the Passover supper and had asked Him who it was who would betray Him.  We know this was John, also because he always called himself the disciple whom Jesus loved.  At first glance, it seems egotistical that one should call himself the one Jesus loved, as if Jesus loved him above all others.  John never mentions himself by name, but always as that other disciple or the disciple whom Jesus loved.  Far from being full of himself, I think John felt his self-worth was only in the fact that he was loved by Jesus.  He never says the disciple Jesus loved the most, but only that Jesus loved him, and he knew it and felt it.  

Note that Jesus told Peter to follow Him, and it appears that John did not wait for an invitation, but followed, as well.  When Peter saw John following, he asked Jesus what would happen to John.

(22) Jesus said to him, "If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me."

Jesus asked Peter what concern was it of his if He willed that John should live until He returned.  Jesus pretty much told Peter that it was none of his business what happened to John.  Jesus had told Peter his concern was to follow Him.  

(23) Then went this saying abroad among the brethren that that disciple would not die, yet Jesus did not say to him, "He shall not die," but, "If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to you?"

It appears that because of what Jesus said and the way He said it that the other disciples thought He meant that John would not die.  However, John makes it a point to tell us that Jesus had not said that at all, but only that if Jesus willed he should not die, that was no concern of Peter's.

(24) This is the disciple who testifies of these things and wrote these things, and we know that his testimony is true.

This statement proves that John was the disciple whom Jesus loved.  John wrote that he himself testified of the things he wrote and knew them to be true as he was an eye and ear witness to what he wrote.  The fact that he wrote "we know" might mean that he was well known as a man of truth and what he wrote could be trusted as fact.

(25) And there are also many other things which Jesus did which if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.

What a beautiful end to John's Gospel!  He acknowledged that Jesus had done so many other noteworthy things that if every one of them was written down that the world itself could not hold all the books it would take to record them all.  Of course, he used hyperbole, but by this, he told us Jesus Christ did more works and miracles during His short time in ministry on earth than could ever be all recorded.

So ends what I consider to be one of the most beautiful books in the Bible, and also my study of the Gospels.  I took a break from my chronological Bible study to study the four Gospels as I was challenged to read what Jesus said about certain modern cultural things as if to see that because Jesus did not address homosexuality and transgenderism specifically, that meant it was okay.  While Jesus definitely taught us to love all people regardless of their sexual sin (the woman at the well, for example), He made it clear that He was the only way to be saved from our sins and enjoy eternal life in heaven.  We are not to judge people, as we tend to judge by outward appearances, but God judges their hearts.  By showing love and living like Jesus, people will be naturally drawn to Him.  And once they have asked forgiveness and asked to have Jesus within their hearts, His Holy Spirit will meet them where they are and will show them truth as they become new creations in Christ.  Like Peter above, what is it to us what God decides about one we consider to be a sinner?  After all, we are all sinners, but we are to do what Jesus called us to do, follow Him.  And His example is to love them and if we love them and want them to be saved from eternal damnation, we will pray for them to come to Jesus and let Him take it from there.

However, that being said, I do not see that Jesus approved these sexual deviations.  He definitely affirmed God's design for just two sexes, male and female, and His design for marriage that a man and a woman be joined together as one, quoting Old Testament scripture (Matthew 19:4-6).  He also referred to sexual immorality as being something that defiles a person (Matthew 15:19-20) and that nothing unclean may enter into paradise (Revelation 21:27).  Although Jesus didn't speak specifically about all the different laws of God, He made it clear that He did not come to do away with any of them (Matthew 5:17), but He had come to fulfill the law by giving us a way to be saved from our discretions against the law.  And if He didn't do away with the Old Testament laws, then we can refer to the Old Testament to see what God considered sexual immorality, and that included adultery (Exodus 20:14), homosexuality (Leviticus 18:22), bestiality (Leviticus 18:23), sex with mother-in-law, daughter-in-law, or sister (Leviticus 18:11, 12, 17).  Additionally, cross-dressing is forbidden (Deuteronomy 22:5), definitely a sign that transsexual expression is nothing new.  God created male and female only (Genesis 5:2), and science tells us that “Human sexuality is an objective biological binary trait: “XY” and “XX” are genetic markers of male and female, respectively – not genetic markers of a disorder. The norm for human design is to be conceived either male or female. Human sexuality is binary by design with the obvious purpose being the reproduction and flourishing of our species. This principle is self-evident." (The American College of Pediatricians)  The X and Y chromosomes are what determine male and female, not what one feels.

So, in conclusion, I learned much about the love of Jesus toward all people, but His love did not mean that He approved of sexual deviations.  I will return to my chronological study in the next post.

Resurrection of Jesus and His Appearance to Mary and His Disciples

Continuing a Bible study of the Gospels:

(John 20:1) Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came early, when it was yet dark, to the sepulchre, and saw the stone taken away from the sepulchre.

At the end of the last chapter, Jesus had been buried in the new tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, and Matthew 27:60 had told us Joseph had rolled a large stone against the opening of the tomb.  Mary Magdalene now came to the sepulchre very early in the morning on the day after the Sabbath and saw that the stone had been taken away.

(2) Then she ran and came to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre and we do not know where they have laid Him."

Mary Magdalene had surely looked inside the tomb after seeing the stone rolled away to know that Jesus was not there.  She assumed the Romans had removed His body or perhaps the men who had laid Jesus there in the first place and she ran to Peter and John to tell them.  Joseph and Nicodemus had laid Jesus in Joseph's tomb because it was nearby, and the Sabbath was soon to commence.  Perhaps she thought they had now moved Him to another location.  The other Gospel accounts speak of other women who were with Mary Magdalene and that they saw angels who told them Jesus had risen.  However, those accounts state the women came at dawn or just after sunrise, and here John said Mary Magdalene came while it was still dark.  It seems she must have come first and then returned a little later with the other women.

(3) Peter therefore went forth, and the other disciple, and came to the sepulchre. (4) So they ran both together and the other disciple outran Peter and came first to the sepulchre.

Peter and John both ran to the sepulchre to see for themselves.  John outran Peter and got there first.

(5) And he, stooping down, saw the linen clothes lying, but he did not go in.

John stooped down to look into the sepulchre and saw the linen wraps that had bound Jesus lying on the ground.  However, he did not go into the sepulchre.

(6) Then came Simon Peter following him and went into the sepulchre and saw the linen clothes, (7) And the napkin that was around His head not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself.

Then Peter came and he went straight into the sepulchre and also saw the linen wraps lying on the ground.  He also saw the separate wrap that had been wrapped around Jesus's head.  However, it was not lying with the linen wraps, but was wrapped together in another place by itself.  That would suggest that Jesus had not been taken away in a hurry, but that either Jesus Himself or angels had taken time to orderly remove His wraps.

(8) Then the other disciple went in also, who came first to the sepulchre, and he saw and believed. (9) For as yet they did not know the scripture that He must rise again from the dead.

Then John went into the sepulchre also.  He saw the linen wraps and the napkin and he believed.  What exactly he believed, scripture does not tell us.  It says that they didn't yet know and understand the scriptures that said Jesus must rise again from the dead.  Perhaps he believed that what Mary Magdalene had said was true.  But as "believing" usually takes on a deeper sense as truly believing in the Lord, I can't help but wonder if John was sensing that Jesus had risen of His own accord.  After all, Jesus had told His disciples that He would be risen from the dead, even if they did not fully understand the scriptures at that point.

(10) Then the disciples went away again to their own home.

Peter and John then went home.

(11) But Mary stood outside at the sepulchre weeping and as she wept, she stooped down into the sepulchre, (12) And saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet where the body of Jesus had lain.

Mary Magdalene stayed behind at the sepulchre, weeping outside of it.  She stooped down to look into the tomb.  She saw two angels in white sitting inside the tomb, one at the head of where Jesus's body had lain, and the other at the feet.

(13) And they said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "Because they have taken away my Lord and I do not know where they have laid Him."

The angels asked Mary Magdalene why she was crying.  She told them what she had assumed, that they (the Romans or Joseph and Nicodemus) had taken away the body of Jesus and she did not know where it was. 

(14) And when she had said this, she turned herself back and saw Jesus standing and did not know that it was Jesus.

Mary then turned away from inside the tomb and saw Jesus standing there, only she did not realize that it was Jesus.  She may have only modestly glanced at whom she thought to be just a man, and also her eyes were full of tears.

(15) Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?" She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him, "Sir, if you have carried Him from here, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away."

Jesus asked Mary Magdalene why she was crying and who it was she was seeking.  Mary assumed He was the gardener and asked Him if He had carried Jesus's body away and asked Him to tell her where He had taken His body so that she could take it away.

(16) Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned herself and said to Him, "Rabboni," which is to say, "Master."

Jesus then spoke only Mary's name and she turned toward Him and immediately recognized Him as her Lord.

(17) Jesus said to her, "Do not touch Me, for I am not yet ascended to My Father, but go to My brethren and say to them, 'I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.'"

I don't believe Jesus's meaning was that He couldn't be touched at all because He had not yet ascended to His Father in heaven.  We are told in other scriptures that people touched Jesus before He ascended.  In Matthew 28:9, Mary Magdalene and "the other Mary" held Jesus by His feet and worshipped Him.  Jesus told "Doubting" Thomas to touch His side (later in this chapter).  In Luke 24:39, Jesus told His disciples to touch Him and see His nail-scarred hands and feet to know that it was really Him.  I believe Jesus's point was that Mary needn't cling to Him because He wasn't going to His Father just yet, and He had a mission for her, to go tell His disciples that He would be ascending to His Father God who was their Father and God.  This would assure them that even though Christ had died, they were still united to Him and to the same Father God in heaven.

(18) Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord and He had spoken these things to her.

Mary Magdalene went and told the disciples that she had seen Jesus and she told them what He had told her to tell them.

(19) Then the same day at evening, being the first of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst and said to them, "Peace to you."

The evening of that same day the disciples had assembled together behind closed doors for fear of the Jews.  However, Jesus was able to divinely come in there and stood in the midst of them and spoke to them a greeting of peace.

(20) And when He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.

Jesus then showed the disciples His hands and His side partly to prove that it was really Him and not a spirit, and to prove that He had been truly resurrected from the dead with the marks of the nails in His hands and the stabbed place in His side.  He had not yet ascended to heaven in His glorified form.  The disciples were very glad to see their Lord.

(21) Then Jesus said to them again, "Peace to you; as the Father has sent Me, even so I send you."

Jesus again gave them a greeting of peace, and then told them that He was sending them out on a mission as the Father had sent Him on one.  Nothing had changed because of His death.  In fact, it would be enhanced by His resurrection and ascension back to heaven.

(22) And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit."

After Jesus told the disciples He was sending them out, He breathed on them and told them to receive His Holy Spirit.  I believe it was symbolic of when God first breathed life into man at the beginning of creation.  He was now breathing new life into them to be renewed to their mission without Him physically, but with His spirit and everything He had taught and shown them.

(23) "Whosever sins you forgive, they are forgiven them; whosever sins you retain, they are retained."

Only God and Jesus as God can truly forgive sins.  But Jesus was giving them permission as part of their mission to tell one who had repented and professed Jesus as his Savior that his sins were forgiven and God would honor that.  Actually God forgave first; they would have already been forgiven because he had repented and accepted Jesus, but Jesus would have His disciples doing His work as He had done while He was with them.  On the other hand, if they perceived one had not repented and accepted Jesus, then they could declare his sins were still retained by him.

(24) But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.

It seems that all of the disciples had assembled together except for Thomas who was not with them when Jesus came to them.  Thomas is the Hebrew name meaning "twin," and Didymus is the Greek name meaning the same thing.  By his name, one would gather that Thomas had a twin, but the Bible never mentioned who that might be.  In an apocryphal book called The Acts of Thomas, it is suggested that Thomas was called Twin because he looked like Jesus, however as that book was rejected as part of the Bible, we can't really know if that was true or not.

(25) The other disciples therefore said to him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Except I see in His hands the print of the nails and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into His side, I will not believe."

The other disciples told Thomas afterward that they had seen the Lord, but Thomas did not believe that it had really been Jesus they saw.  He told them that unless he could see Him himself and see the wounds of the nails in His hands and even put his fingers into those wounds, as well as put his hand into Jesus's side where He had been stabbed by the Roman soldier, he would not believe that it had been Jesus they saw.

(26) And after eight days, again His disciples were inside and Thomas with them, Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, "Peace to you."

Eight days after Jesus had appeared to His disciples, they were again gathered together behind closed doors and Thomas was with them that time.  Jesus came to them again even though the doors were shut, suggesting it was in a supernatural manner that Jesus appeared to them.  He stood in the midst of His disciples and again gave them a greeting of peace.

(27) Then He said to Thomas, "Reach your finger here and behold My hands, and reach your hand here and thrust into My side; and do not be faithless but believing."

Jesus, knowing what Thomas had said to the other disciples, told Thomas to look at His hands and put his finger into the wounds, and put his hand into His side so that he would believe it was really Jesus who appeared before them and not to remain faithless.

(28) And Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God."

It seems Thomas did not have to touch Jesus's wounds, but that he acknowledged Jesus as his Lord.  Not only Lord, but he acknowledged that Jesus was God Himself.  I believe that is the first time any disciple had gone as far as to say that besides John writing it in the beginning of his gospel account.

(29) Jesus said to him, "Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed; blessed they who have not seen and have believed."

Jesus acknowledged that He knew that Thomas truly believed in Him at that point because he had seen Him.  However, He added that those who believed in Him, having not seen Him physically, were blessed, perhaps the more blessed.  Their faith would seem to be greater because they hadn't seen physical proof but believed God's word.  As 2 Corinthians 5:7 says, "For we walk by faith, not by sight."

(30) And many other signs Jesus truly did in the presence of His disciples which are not written in this book.

John revealed that Jesus had done many other works in the presence of His disciples about which he had not written in his Gospel.

(31) But these are written that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing, you might have life through His name.

John went on to reveal his purpose in writing his gospel account the way he did.  He wrote to prove that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing that of Him and believing in Him, one would have everlasting life.  Truly, John seemed to go above and beyond the mere actions of Jesus, to show his readers the deity of Christ Jesus more than the previous Gospels did.  And writing this right after he wrote that Jesus said those who had not seen but still believed were blessed, he gives his readers assurance and confidence that although we were not there to witness Jesus in the flesh, what he wrote is true and we may be saved and have everlasting life if we believe.

Jesus Raises Lazarus from the Dead

Continuing a Bible study of the Gospels:

(John 11:1) Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister, Martha.

At the end of the last chapter, Jesus had departed from the Feast of the Dedication in Jerusalem to a place beyond the Jordan River.  Sometime afterward, a man named Lazarus of Bethany, fell ill.  We are told later that Mary and Martha are his sisters.

(2) (It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.)

John made a parenthetical statement to explain to us who Mary was.  Although the incident of her anointing Jesus's feet with ointment and wiping His feet with her hair had not actually happened yet chronologically (as we will read about it in the next chapter), John wrote this account after both had happened, and chose an event he knew his listeners would know about to explain who Mary was.

(3) Therefore his sisters sent to Him, saying, "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick." 

Mary and Martha sent word to Jesus that Lazarus was sick.  Apparently, Lazarus was a dear friend of His.  We read of Jesus being a guest at the house of Mary and Martha in Luke 10:38-39.  It seems He had come to know and love Lazarus, as well.

(4) When Jesus heard, He said, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby."

When Jesus heard that Lazarus was sick, He told either the messengers or His disciples who were likely with Him, that Lazarus's sickness would not result in death, at least not permanently, but would be used for the glory of God and that His Son Jesus might also be glorified through it.

(5) Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. (6) When He had heard that he was sick, He abode two days still in the same place where He was.

Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus; yet after He heard that Lazarus was sick, He stayed where He was for two more days.

(7) Then after that, He said to His disciples, "Let us go into Judea again."

After the two days Jesus tarried, He then told His disciples He wanted to go back to Judea.

(8) His disciples said to Him, "Master, the Jews of late sought to stone You, and You go there again?"

Jesus's suggestion surprised the disciples, and they reminded Him that the Jews there had sought to stone Him and wondered why He would want to go back there.

(9) Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walks in the day, he does not stumble because he sees the light of this world. (10) But if a man walks in the night, he stumbles because there is no light in him."

I believe Jesus's point was that He had an allotted time in which to do His work, represented by a twelve hour daytime.  As long as He worked in the day, He would not stumble or be stoned because He was walking and working in the time in which His Father's light protected Him.  But once that light left Him and it was dark, then would He be killed, but not until then.

(11) These things He said, and after that, He said to them, "Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may awake him out of sleep."

Jesus then told them that Lazarus was sleeping, and He wanted to go back to Judea (specifically to Bethany in Judea) to wake him.

(12) Then His disciples said, "Lord, if he sleeps, he shall do well." (13) However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought He had spoken about taking rest in sleep.

The disciples said that if Lazarus was sleeping, it was good for his healing, but of course, Jesus spoke of Lazarus as having died, not merely resting in sleep.

(14) Then Jesus said to them plainly, "Lazarus is dead. (15) And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent you may believe; nevertheless, let us go to him."

Jesus explained to His disciples that He meant that Lazarus was dead.  He then told them that for their sakes He was glad He had not been there before he died.  They would now be able to observe a far greater miracle than they had yet seen and would have no lingering doubts, if there were any, that He was the Messiah.

(16) Then Thomas, who is called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go that we may die with Him."

Thomas, also called Didymus meaning Twin, must have had a twin sibling.  He said to his fellow disciples that they should go with Jesus to die with Him, expecting that the Jews would indeed succeed in killing Jesus this time.

(17) Then when Jesus came, He found that he had been in the grave four days already.

Lazarus must have died very soon after his sisters sent word to Jesus.  I imagine it took the messenger at least a day to reach Him, and then Jesus stayed two more days, and then probably it took at least a day to get to Lazarus.  He had now been dead four days.

(18) Now Bethany was near to Jerusalem about fifteen furlongs off.

Bethany was in Judea, near Jerusalem, about two miles east of Jerusalem.  This was probably mentioned to show that it was easy for Jews to come to the place.

(19) And many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary to comfort them concerning their brother.

Indeed, we are told that many Jews did come to Bethany to see Martha and Mary in order to try to comfort them after their brother had died.

(20) Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went out and met Him, but Mary sat in the house.

When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she ran out to meet Him while Mary stayed behind in the house.

(21) Then Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. (22) But I know, that even now, whatever You ask of God, God will give You."

Martha told Jesus that if He had been there before Lazarus died, she knew he would not have died.  Then she demonstrated great faith in Jesus when she added that even then, after he had died, that she was sure whatever He asked of God, God would grant Him.  It may not be that she was certain of Jesus's deity, but she knew He was from God and that God provided miracles through Him.

(23) Jesus said to her, "Your brother shall rise again." (24) Martha said to Him, "I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day."

Jesus told her that her brother would rise again.  Although she surely wished for Jesus to raise Lazarus from the dead at that moment in time, she may not have been certain about which resurrection Jesus meant.  She told Him she knew he would rise again in the resurrection in the last day.

(25) Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. (26) And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?"

Jesus told Martha that He Himself was the resurrection and the life.  As He had said before in John 5:21, just as God raised up the dead and gave them life, Jesus Himself could give life to whomever He wanted.  In addition, those who were spiritually dead and destined for death and hell, He could give life to and resurrect.  Jesus was life; whoever believed in Him, even though he had been spiritually dead, would then live forever.  All those living in Him would be resurrected and would live forever.  Jesus asked Martha if she believed that.

(27) She said to Him, "Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who should come into the world."

Whether she had fully comprehended it or not before, Martha told Jesus she now firmly believed He was the Christ, the Son of God, the Messiah for whom they had been looking forward to.

(28) And when she had so said, she went her way and called Mary her sister secretly, saying, "The Master has come and calls for you." (29) As soon as she heard, she arose quickly and went to Him.

As Martha had gone out to meet Jesus on His way to her, she then left Jesus where she had met Him and went back to call her sister Mary.  She told her that Jesus had come and was looking for her.  Mary got up quickly and went out to meet Jesus.

(30) Now Jesus had not yet come into the town but was in that place where Martha met Him.

Jesus had not made it into town yet but was still in the place where Martha had met Him.

(31) The Jews then who 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 goes to the grave to weep there."

Martha had spoken to Mary secretly about Jesus being there, so when she rose up quickly and went out of the house, the people who had been with her, comforting her, assumed she had gone to her brother's grave to weep for him.  They followed her.

(32) Then when Mary had come where Jesus was and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died."

When Mary had come to Jesus, she fell down at His feet and told Him, like her sister had, that if He had been there earlier, her brother would not have died.

(33) When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping who came with her, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled.

When Jesus saw Mary weeping and the people weeping with her, He was troubled in His human spirit and even showed some sign of it.  Jesus knew what He was about to do, yet He had love and sympathy for those hurting so at that moment, and human emotions came forth.  As the word "embrimaomai" that was translated as "groaned" always meant "to snort with anger, to have indignation, to blame, to sigh with chagrin, to murmur against," any sympathy He may have had was more because of the fact they all had such weak faith.

(34) And said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to Him, "Lord, come and see." (35) Jesus wept.

Jesus asked where they had laid Lazarus.  They told Him to go with them to see.  Then Jesus even wept.

(36) Then said the Jews, "Behold how He loved him!" (37) And some of them said, "Could not this man who opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died?"

The people who had been with Mary thought Jesus wept purely out of love for Lazarus, but of course, He knew what He was about to do for Lazarus, so his emotions were more for the sad state of his sisters and perhaps even for some of them who would not believe in Him and come to a similar state, only permanent.  I believe the sense of verse 37 is that while some people remarked at how much Jesus loved Lazarus, others were wondering out loud why Jesus wouldn't have prevented his death if he loved him so much, if after all, He was one who could open the eyes of the blind.

(38) Jesus therefore again groaning in Himself, came to the grave. It was a cave and a stone lay on it.

Jesus, knowing what these people were saying, again groaned in His spirit.  This time there is no doubt that it was more a groan of chagrin and irritation.  The same word "embrimaomai" translated as "groaning" from verse 33 is used here.  It is not the same word that was translated as "groanings" in Romans 8:26 where the Holy Spirit makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.  That word was "stenagmos" and meant "a groaning or a sigh."  So Jesus groaned within Himself at what the people were saying and then came to the grave.  It was a cave with a stone on it.

(39) Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, "Lord, by this time he stinks for he has been dead four days."

Jesus told them to take away the stone.  Martha, the one who said that she believed Jesus was Christ and could do whatever He willed, now objected, saying that the smell would be too bad because Lazarus had been in the grave for four days.

(40) Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe, you would see the glory of God?"

Jesus indeed reminded Martha that He had told her if she believed, she would see the glory of God in that though he were dead, he would live (verse 25).  She had said she believed He was the Christ and could do whatever He willed.

(41) Then they took away the stone where the dead man was laid. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me."

They took away the stone from the cave where Lazarus lay dead.  Jesus lifted His eyes toward heaven and thanked His Father for hearing Him.  I don't believe that Jesus had to ask the Father to raise up Lazarus, because as God Himself, Jesus had that power.  I believe the thanks was more broad, that He had been given that power when God first willed that Jesus come into the world.  It was predestined Jesus would be fully human, but He was also God and had the power of God.  I believe Jesus always wanted to be in communion with God.  Additionally, I'm sure He wanted the people to see His union with God.

(42) "And I knew that You hear Me always, but because of the people who stand by, I said it that they may believe that You have sent Me."

In fact, Jesus went on in His prayer to say that He knew God always heard Him, meaning He always had the authority to do the things He did in order to bring about God's purpose.  It was because of the people with Him that He said this, so that they would know His union with God and believe that He had indeed been sent by God.

(43) And when He had thus spoken, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!"

After Jesus had finished His prayer, He called out to Lazarus in a loud voice and told him to come forth out of the cave.

(44) And he who was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes and his face was bound with a napkin. Jesus said to them, "Loose him and let him go."

Lazarus came forth out of the cave still bound with all his graveclothes and even his face wrapped in a napkin.  Jesus told the people to unwrap him and let him go free.

(45) Then many of the Jews who came to Mary and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed in Him.

Many of the Jews who had been with Mary at her house and followed her, saw what Jesus had done, and they believed in Him.

(46) But some of them went their ways to the Pharisees and told them what things Jesus had done.

It's incredible that some people could witness such a miracle and not be moved to Jesus!  Their cold hard hearts were set against Him and against truth and regardless of what He had done, they only wished to use it against Him, and they ran to tell the Pharisees what Jesus had done.  Raising the dead!  How can that be seen as anything other than what it was?  It was just as Jesus said in Luke 16:31, "If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rose from the dead."  We must see this as an important lesson about how we should never be so hard and set in our ways and have our minds so closed that we cannot see truth, especially the truth about Jesus.  If one's hard heart constantly pushes Jesus away, there will come a time when he will be blinded and unable to see the truth of Jesus (Psalm 81:12, Romans 1:21, John 7:34).

(47) Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, "What do we do? For this Man does many miracles."  

Then the Pharisees and the chief priests formed a council and discussed what they should do about Jesus.  Imagine!  Their problem was that He performed many miracles!  And they could not see the truth about how it was that Jesus could do miracles.

(48) "If we let Him thus alone, all will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation."

There we have it!  If they allowed Jesus to go on as He was, all the people would come to believe in Him, and they would lose their power!  Their lust for power blinded them to the truth of Jesus.  As Jesus said in Matthew 16:26, "For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?"

(49) And one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that same year, said to them, "You know nothing at all, (50) Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people and that the whole nation not perish."

The high priest Caiaphas reproved their slow deliberation over Jesus.  Didn't they understand that one man should die for the good of the nation as a whole?  The end justified the means.

(51) And this he spoke not of himself, but being high priest that year, He prophesied that Jesus would die for that nation, (52) And not for that nation only, but also that He should gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad.

Caiaphas spoke that not from himself, but by the Spirit of God, he unknowingly prophesied about Jesus, one Man dying in order to save the whole nation, and in fact, the world.  Jesus would gather together all His people from all over the world into one church.

(53) Then from that day forth they took counsel together to put Him to death.

From that day forward the Pharisees and chief priests deliberated about how they would put Jesus to death.

(54) Jesus therefore walked no more openly among the Jews but went from there to a country near the wilderness, to a city called Ephraim, and there remained with His disciples.

After that, Jesus did not walk openly among the Jews but went to a country near the wilderness to a town called Ephraim.  Biblical scholars are not sure exactly where this town was, but the point is that Jesus moved away from Jerusalem to a more remote place and stayed there with His disciples.

(55) And the Jews' Passover was near at hand, and many went out of the country up to Jerusalem before the Passover to purify themselves.

Then came the time that the Passover was near, and many people went out of the country to Jerusalem before the Passover to prepare and purify themselves before the Passover meal.

(56) Then they sought Jesus and spoke among themselves as they stood in the temple, "What do you think, that He will not come to the feast?"

The chief priests and Pharisees looked for Jesus among the people making their way to Jerusalem for the Passover.  They wondered among themselves whether or not He would come to the feast.

(57) Now both the chief priests and the Pharisees had given a commandment that if any man knew where He was, he should show it that they might take Him.

The chief priests and Pharisees had given a commandment beforehand that if anyone knew where Jesus was, they must report it so that they could seize Him.  That is surely why they doubted that He might come.

The bulk of this chapter was centered around Jesus's raising Lazarus from the dead.  It is a beautiful picture of the resurrection and the life that is in Jesus.  Jesus can raise the most rotten sinful life to everlasting life when one believes in and gives his life over to Jesus for the atonement of his sins!