John 11:19 - Printer Friendly

ESV: and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother.

NIV: and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother.

NASB: and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary, to console them about their brother.

CSB: Many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them about their brother.

NLT: and many of the people had come to console Martha and Mary in their loss.

KJV: And many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.

NKJV: And many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.

Jesus has arrived, very deliberately, four days after His beloved friend Lazarus has died (John 11:1–4; 11:17). This was a purposeful choice by Jesus, and one made for a specific reason (John 11:15). Not only is there no question that Lazarus is really, truly dead, there is a sizable crowd here to see what happens next. The gospel of John describes these miracles as "signs," which are intended to prove Jesus' divinity (John 20:30–31). The situation created here fits that objective perfectly: everything has aligned to make this an unmistakable show of godly power (John 11:42).

John's choice of terms in this verse raises questions. Jesus was not in Bethany when Lazarus fell ill. He was across the Jordan river avoiding the hostile religious leaders of Jerusalem (John 10:39–40). Bethany is right next door to Jerusalem (John 11:18). In the gospel of John, the term "the Jews" is most often used as a reference to those religious leaders. As such, this verse might imply that many who came to comfort Mary and Martha are Jesus' enemies. Participating in mourning may have been part of their religious obligations. It also might have been a chance for them to remind everyone that Jesus had claimed Lazarus' illness would not lead to death (John 11:4).

However, John also uses the term "the Jews" in reference to those who follow the leaders of Jerusalem. In this case, John probably means those kinds of people. While it's possible that officials of the Pharisees or Sadducees might have arrived—for whatever reason—it's more likely that the people assembled here are just common folk grieving with neighbors.

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.