John 11:17 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days.

NIV: On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days.

NASB: So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days.

CSB: When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days.

NLT: When Jesus arrived at Bethany, he was told that Lazarus had already been in his grave for four days.

KJV: Then when Jesus came, he found that he had lain in the grave four days already.

NKJV: So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days.

The timeline explained in this verse sheds light on what happened in the prior passage. Jesus was about a day's journey from Bethany when a messenger was sent telling Him Lazarus was ill (John 11:3). He then waited two days before leaving (John 11:6) and arrived when Lazarus had been dead and buried for four days. Given a one-day walk to Bethany, Lazarus had died before the messenger even got to Jesus in the first place. When Christ sent back His encouraging message (John 11:4), He did so knowing His friend was already dead. That means His message came to Lazarus' sisters after they'd already buried their brother.

The long delay was not an accident. Modern medicine allows very precise measurement of heart and brain function. In the ancient world, it was not impossible for a person to seem dead, but recover. For that reason, death was often not considered "official" until a few days later. Jesus' three days and nights in the tomb corresponds to this custom. In Lazarus' case, many Jewish people considered the fourth day to be when the soul was considered truly gone.

In other words, Jesus has purposefully set up this scenario. The moment was not an accident, but an arrangement. As Christ stated to the disciples, the ultimate reason for His response is for the benefit of observers (John 11:15). What happens later in this chapter is the seventh and most impressive of Jesus' seven "signs," as recorded in the gospel of John. All those signs are meant to prove Jesus' divinity and power (John 20:30–31). This miracle, especially, has been arranged for maximum impact and proof of godly approval.

John 11:17–27 describes Jesus' encounter with Martha, Lazarus' brother. By the time Jesus got word of Lazarus' illness, His friend had already died, but Jesus delayed a further two days before coming to see the family. Martha is both heartbroken and resigned. She is confident that her brother will see eternal resurrection. Jesus confirms His role in salvation as He comforts her; she responds by affirming Him as the Messiah. This is the fifth of seven ''I Am'' statements by Jesus in this gospel. In the following passage, Jesus will meet with Martha and Lazarus' sister, Mary, expressing His sorrow for their pain.

Jesus has left the vicinity of Jerusalem to avoid hostile religious leaders. While gone, He receives word that a good friend, Lazarus, is sick. In fact, Lazarus has died by the time this message reaches Jesus. He purposefully waits a few days before returning to Bethany, arriving four days after Lazarus' burial. In front of Lazarus' mourning sisters—who Jesus weeps with—and an assembled crowd, Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead in a stirring and spectacular miracle. This is the seventh of John's seven ''signs'' of Jesus' divine power. In response, religious leaders coordinate in their effort to have Jesus murdered.

After giving sight to a man born blind (John 9), Jesus sparred with religious leaders on at least two occasions (John 10). After another failed arrest attempt, Jesus left the area and went out where Jerusalem's politics had little influence. In this chapter, He returns to resurrect a recently-departed friend, Lazarus. That results in a renewed commitment from Jerusalem's religious leaders to have Jesus murdered. As the crucifixion draws near, Jesus will stage His triumphal entry in chapter 12, and then begin His final teachings to the disciples.

The gospel of John was written by the disciple John, decades later than the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. The author assumes that a reader is already familiar with the content of these other works. So, John presents a different perspective, with a greater emphasis on meaning. John uses seven miracles—which he calls “signs”—in order to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in all of the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.