Signs were miracles (usually public) that were meant to authenticate Jesus’ claim to be the Christ, the Son of God. The signs were verifiable proof that Jesus was sent from God (3:2). Jesus has already demonstrated that He can heal someone who is sick (4:50), restore someone who is crippled (5:8), and give sight to the blind (John 9:7). He has even demonstrated that He can keep someone from dying (John 6:21). In the 7th sign, Jesus demonstrated that He can bring a dead person back to life. His friend Lazarus had died and had been dead for four days when Jesus resurrected Him. Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead demonstrating His glory as the Son of God.
Martha & Mary’s Message to Jesus (11:1-6)
Mary and Martha informed Jesus that Lazarus was very sick. When we begin chapter 11, Jesus is “beyond the Jordan…where John was baptizing at first” (10:40). We do not know exactly how far away Jesus was from Bethany (11:1), but we can be confident that it was at least 1-2 days’ journey (he is not in Judea). Mary and Martha sent a message to Jesus saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick” (11:3). What follows might sound odd to you. Jesus, hearing that Lazarus was sick, replied: “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it” (11:4). Then John tells us, “Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the places where He was” (11:6). You would think that Jesus’ love for Martha, Mary, and Lazarus would have prompted Him to leave immediately or immediately heal from a distance. But, that is not what love prompted Jesus to do. Love prompted Jesus to wait. Why? Because that was what would bring the most glory to God and what He would be glorified through. God was glorified in Lazarus’ sickness.
Jesus’ Message to His Disciples (11:7-16)
Jesus informed His disciples that they were to travel back to Judea. This caused an alarm because the Jews in Judea just recently tried to kill Jesus (10:31). The disciples said to Jesus, “Rabbi, lately theJews sought to stone You, and are You going there again?” (11:8). Jesus parabolically responds to their fears to assure them that the time is right to do this work. Jesus also told them they will see Him be glorified when they visit Lazarus. Thomas responded in great faith willing to die for Jesus.
Jesus’ Message to Martha & Mary (11:17-42)
Jesus informed Martha and Mary of His arrival. Martha came to Him first and said, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You” (11:21-22). Jesus told Martha, “Your brother will rise again.” (11:23). Martha confessed her belief in the resurrection at the end of the age, but Jesus continued, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (11:25-26). Martha said, “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is come into the world” (11:27). Martha struggled and believed in Jesus. Whereas Martha heard Jesus had come and ran to meet Him, Mary remained in the house. It wasn’t until Martha came with a summons from Jesus that Mary “arose quickly and came to Him” (11:29). Mary “fell down at His feet, saying to Him, ‘Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died’” (11:32). Notice she said the same thing Martha said at first, but she did not speak any further and Jesus said nothing else to her. Martha and Mary were both grieving and it is important to note that they worked through their grief differently. Both loved Jesus and were loved by Jesus.
Jesus “saw her [Mary] weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled” (11:33). What does this mean “groaned in the spirit and was troubled”? It means Jesus really cared deeply for Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. It is also noteworthy that the word translated as “groaned in the spirit” is usually not associated with grief, but with anger. Why is Jesus angry (without sin)? While Jesus was distressed, it is worth pointing out that no one seems to consider that Jesus is about to raise Lazarus from the dead. Martha and Mary had begged Jesus to heal Lazarus while He was alive. They also acknowledged that Jesus could have kept Lazarus from dying if He had been present, but they did not ask Him to raise Lazarus from the dead.
After speaking with Martha and Mary, Jesus turned His attention to Lazarus, asking where they had placed his body. We are then told that “Jesus wept” (11:35). Some saw Jesus’ tears and remarked on how much He loved Lazarus. Others wrongly assumed that Jesus was weeping because He was upset that He was too late to help Lazarus. Jesus heard them and once again “groaned” (11:38). He called for the stone that sealed the tomb to be removed. As He said this Martha protested, “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days” (11:39). She was still not expecting Lazarus to be resurrected! Jesus replied, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” (11:40). Jesus prayed aloud so that others would know that He is raising Lazarus from the dead through the power of God and that “they may believe that You sent Me” (11:42).
Jesus’ Message to Lazarus (11:43-45)
Jesus “cried with a loud voice ‘Lazarus, come forth!’ And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them ‘Loose him, and let him go.’” What do we learn from this? Jesus’ raising of Lazarus from the dead is a sign that Jesus is the Son of God who has power and authority over death itself. Having power over death means He is able to forgive sin. The signs revealed in John are verifiable proof that Jesus is God. Joel Kramer helpfully points out: “The need that people have is a solution to death. The biblical solution to death is not that we don’t die. The Bible says that the grave is the destiny of everyone. Rather the solution to death in the Bible is resurrection and more specifically it is Jesus because He is the One who was raised from the dead, and He is also the One who raises the dead.”
Jesus’ Message to You
Do you believe that Jesus can raise the dead and grant eternal life? The resurrection of Lazarus proves to us Jesus’ amazing power over death. John told us his purpose in writing the gospel: “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.” Jesus told His disciples that Lazarus’ “sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it” (11:4). He then said, “Lazarus is dead. And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe” (11:15). He told Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (11:25-26). Do you also believe?
First Baptist Scott City, MO 
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