““Yes, Lord,” she told Him, “I believe You are the Messiah, the Son of God, who comes into the world.””, John 11:27 HCSB
- I believe that is the major theme in the gospel of John. After she says this, Jesus confirms her statement by raising Lazarus from the dead, which was the seventh sign recorded in the book of John.
“Having said this, she went back and called her sister Mary, saying in private, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” As soon as she heard this, she got up quickly and went to Him. Jesus had not yet come into the village but was still in the place where Martha had met Him. The Jews who were with her in the house consoling her saw that Mary got up quickly and went out. So they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to cry there. When Mary came to where Jesus was and saw Him, she fell at His feet and told Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died! ” When Jesus saw her crying, and the Jews who had come with her crying, He was angry in His spirit and deeply moved. “Where have you put him? ” He asked. “Lord,” they told Him, “come and see.” Jesus wept. So the Jews said, “See how He loved him! ” But some of them said, “Couldn’t He who opened the blind man’s eyes also have kept this man from dying? ” Then Jesus, angry in Himself again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. “Remove the stone,” Jesus said. Martha, the dead man’s sister, told Him, “Lord, he’s already decaying. It’s been four days.” Jesus said to her, “Didn’t I tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God? ” So they removed the stone. Then Jesus raised His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You heard Me. I know that You always hear Me, but because of the crowd standing here I said this, so they may believe You sent Me.” After He said this, He shouted with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out! ” The dead man came out bound hand and foot with linen strips and with his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him and let him go.””, John 11:28-44 HCSB
- This really happened. Imaging being there and actually witnessing this!
- Mary and Jesus obviously had a special (but completely righteous) relationship.
- Apparently Jesus prayed to raise Lazarus from the dead prior to when he prayed out loud to the crowd. That is why He said, “heard me”.
- I love that Jesus raised His eyes and prayed to His Father. I imagine He raised His eyes towards the sky (although I don’t know that for sure).
“Then many of the people, who had come with Mary and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in him. But some of them went to the Pharisees and reported to them what Jesus had done. So the chief priests and the Pharisees called the council together and said, “What are we doing? For this man is performing many miraculous signs. If we allow him to go on in this way, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away our sanctuary and our nation.” Then one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said, “You know nothing at all! You do not realize that it is more to your advantage to have one man die for the people than for the whole nation to perish.” (Now he did not say this on his own, but because he was high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the Jewish nation, and not for the Jewish nation only, but to gather together into one the children of God who are scattered.) So from that day they planned together to kill him.”, John 11:45-53 NET
- The NET Bible has many helpful notes! Not very note will be right but still very helpful!