John 10-11: Jesus's Ministry and Raising of Lazarus

The Beginnings of the End

• Priests and scribes confronted Jesus at the Temple enclave during Hanukkah, asking if he was the Christ

• Jesus responded, reminding them of his miracles as proof so that those who believed in him had a good reason to

• Questioners perceived blasphemy when Jesus claimed "I and the Father are one" and snatched up rocks to throw

• Jesus told them to believe the works if they do not believe him before any rocks were thrown

The Raising of Lazarus

• Jesus gave possible disciples the warning that life with him would not be easy

• There was at least one house in Judea that offered a friendly welcome, the home of Lazarus and his sisters Martha and Mary, located in Bethany

• Martha and Mary request that Jesus come quickly as Lazarus was seriously ill

• Jesus delayed

• Jesus told his companions that Lazarus had fallen asleep and if that was the case, that he would recover

• Jesus stated that Lazarus was dead

• The disciples hesitated when Jesus set out to go see Lazarus

• When they reached the house in Bethany, Martha told Jesus that if he had been there, her brother would not have died

• Jesus assured Martha that her brother would rise again

• Jesus declared "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live"

• Mary arrived, fell weeping at Jesus' feet and repeated Martha's words

• Jesus wept too

• The tomb was a cave carved in a hillside with a stone in front

• Jesus asked them to take away the stone

• Martha remarked there would be an odor because Lazarus had been dead for four days

• They rolled back the stone

• Jesus prayed, and called Lazarus out of the tomb

• Lazarus, still wrapped in burial clothes, emerged

The Sanhedrin Deliberates

• The miracle in Bethany caused the high priests and Pharisees to convene the Sanhedrin to consider their options

• A worry that everyone will believe in Jesus and the Romans would destroy both their holy place and their nation was expressed

• If the Romans suspected the Jews were inciting an uprising, they would respond harshly

• Caiaphas, the high priest, said that it was expedient for one man to die for the people, so the whole nation would not perish

• They took counsel about how to put Jesus to death

Events Leading to the Betrayal

• Lazarus, Martha, and Mary honored Jesus

• Mary anointed Jesus' feet with costly ointment

• Judas Iscariot grumbled that the ointment should have been sold for 300 denarii and given to the poor

• Early the next day, Jesus set out for Jerusalem

• A column of pilgrims recognized Jesus and enthusiastically saluted him

• Jesus rode on a donkey as foretold by prophet Zechariah

• The people waved palm branches and shouted, "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel!"

• Some Pharisees watched angrily and said, "Look, the world has gone after him"

• Jesus paused to weep over Jerusalem and warn of the terrible fate awaiting it

• He further outraged his critics by driving out the money changers and sellers from the Temple

• He declared, quoting Isaiah, "My house shall be a house of prayer; but you have made it a den of robbers"

The Beginning of the End

• Jesus spoke of the terrible events during the Jewish wars against Rome in A.D. 66-70 and 115-117

• The discourse concluded with "When the Son of man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne"

• Judas agreed to deliver Jesus over in exchange for money

• The priests paid Judas 30 pieces of silver

Judas' Motivation

• John claims that Judas was a thief who stole from the common purse
• His grumbling at Mary using expensive nard to anoint Jesus' feet suggests an unhealthy fondness for money
• Thirty pieces of silver was the price of a slave
• Judas may have been furious for Jesus' way of being Messiah
• Judas may have been a zealot
• Satan may have taken possession of his heart and persuaded him to betray his Lord

Reasons Jesus' Enemies Wanted to Kill Him

• The enemies wanted to kill Jesus
• There are three possible reasons for this, not mutually exclusive

Political Reasons

• Jesus' increasing popularity among the common people was a threat to the limited authority of the religious establishment
• Caiaphas pointed out the real danger that the Romans, once sufficiently provoked, would get rid of them all and install a Romanized power structure

Religious Reasons

• A disregard for the Jewish law which involved violating the Sabbath by healing the sick and crippled
• Ignoring rules of ritual purification Consorting with sinners and Gentiles, even despised Samaritans
• Shunning them in the manner of the righteous Pharisees

Blasphemy

• Ignoring recognized teachers who held forth in the Temple
• Explounding the law without reference to their interpretations
• Teaching and acting like someone whose authority was his by right

The Aftermath

• Weeks passed after the raising of Lazarus, Jesus and his disciples moved to a town north of Jerusalem called Ephraim
• Passover was soon
• There was speculation about whether he would risk returning to Jerusalem
• Six days before the feast, he traveled to Bethany for a dinner

Jesus' Response to the Sadducees

• The Sadducees questioned belief in the afterlife reflecting this disbelief
• There will be no marrying in heaven and all those who go there "are equal to angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection"
• The Sadducees no longer dared to ask Jesus any questions

Jesus Leaves the Temple

• Jesus' companions marveled at the awesome structure size and grandeur
• Jesus had a somder mood, saying that "There will not be left here one stone upon another, that will not be thrown down"
• When asked what would be the sign of the world coming to an end, Jesus said "“And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

The chapter discusses the confrontation between Jesus, priests, and scribes during Hanukkah, where Jesus asserts his unity with the Father. The passage also recalls Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. The location of Lazarus's home in Bethany is also mentioned, and the request from Martha and Mary for Jesus to come.