Now a certain man was sick

Now a certain man was sick

Joh 11:1-6

The raising of Lazarus from the dead is the seventh and final miracle in John.

Bethany was located about 2 miles away from Jerusalem,
Joh 11:18.

Mar 11:1

Mary and Martha are mentioned together one other time, in the gospel of Luke.

Luk 10:38-42

Joh 11:2

Mary is featured here as the one who anointed the Lord with ointment.

She did so on a subsequent visit that Jesus made to Bethany.

Joh 12:1-8

The Passover was now six days away.

Matthew and Mark also show Mary anointing the Lord that same week.

Mat 26:6-13

Was this woman also the prostitute in Luke 7?

Luk 7:36-39

This woman in Luke 7 is NOT Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus.

First, the anointings occurred at different times.

Second, the hosts were different: a Pharisee versus a leper.

Third, the anointing in Luke 7 occurred in Galilee, not in Bethany of Judea.

Neither of these two women is Mary Magdalene, either!

Mary Magdalene was not a prostitute.

The Lord cast out 7 demons from her, Mar 16:9; Luk 8:2.

Mary Magdalene did not live in Magdala of Galilee, not in Judea.

Joh 11:3

Jesus is human in every way we are except sin.

He loved His dear friend Lazarus, much as you and I love our dear friends.

A messenger had to travel from Bethany of Judea to Bethany beyond the Jordan.

Lazarus was still alive when his sisters sent their messenger with the news of his illness.

Joh 11:4

While verse 3 features the humanity of Jesus, verse 4 features His deity.

He refers to Himself here as the Son of God. As we have seen, this is a title of deity.

Joh 9:1-3

In both, Jesus, by the power of God, turns a great curse into a great blessing.

Both miracles bring glory to God the Father.

Joh 11:4

But now, God the Father ordained that the Son would also be glorified.

Jesus says something that is bound to be misunderstood by the people who heard it.

It’s likely that his disciples heard it.

But this message may very well have also reached the ears of Mary and Martha.

“This sickness is not to end in death”

“This sickness is not to end in death”

No, this sickness will end with a resurrection.