John 11:4Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Even after this they approached Christ, and did not think that He had spoken falsely. The particle “that” here signifies not cause, but result. The sickness occurred for another reason, but Christ turned it to the glory of God.

Jesus heard and said to them: “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

At what should one marvel here? At the wisdom of what was said? At the prophecy? At the manner of its fulfillment?

At the command above human power, the ineffable love for mankind, the gentleness of the words, or the honor rendered to the Father? Here everything is divine.

As God, He foretold: “This sickness is not unto death,” and a little later confirmed this by deed. He rendered glory to God, showing at the same time that the glory of the Father and of the Son is one.

By His word He comforted the sisters, giving them good hope that “this sickness is not unto death.” Lazarus is not dying.

Certainly, if he is not handed over to death, he remains alive. Yet he both is handed over and is not handed over. For if someone gives back what he has taken, in essence it turns out that he has not taken it.

Therefore this sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God. This means that it is no longer sickness, but good tidings. It is not paralysis, but strengthening.

O sickness, physician of the weak, teacher of faith, adversary of death, defeat of the devil, ordering of salvation!

O sickness, unshaken foundation of virtue, instructor of faith, support of piety!

O sickness, healing infirmities of soul, pouring forth the streams of baptism, and preparing bright garments for the soul!

O sickness, giver of the heavenly bread, beautiful lamp of faith, snare of the devil, and seal of man!

For after saying, “for the glory of God,” He added, “that the Son of God may be glorified.” The glory of God, that is, of the Father, differs in nothing from the glory of the Son.

Consequently, the Son is properly and truly God, just as the Father is. For those who have one glory also have one Essence. Let the Arians be put to shame by this saying also.

“That He may be glorified.” Understand this not as the cause, but as the event and completion of the matter, as we have said more than once.

Lazarus was not sick so that God might be glorified. Rather, sickness befell Lazarus, and the Lord turned it to the glory of God.

We look to the end of the matter, namely that after a short time he was to rise again. We do not attend to what happened in the interval, but to the end at which it arrived.

The Lord resolved to show death to be weak, and to reveal what happened for the glory of God, that is, for His own glory.

Some, understanding the Cross here by “glory,” explain these words as follows: this sickness is not unto death, but unto the crucifixion of God, so that through it the Son of God may be crucified.

Indeed, as soon as the Jews learned of Lazarus’s resurrection, because of the greatness of this miracle they were inflamed with unrestrained fury and began to act zealously in order to kill Jesus Christ.

The resurrection and rising from the tomb of a corpse four days dead, already beginning to decay, was no small miracle. It was in no way less than the others of which they had been witnesses.

Yet so great a miracle did not bring them to understanding, but only kindled envy in them all the more.

Thus He speaks of this glory, the glory of the Cross, on which He intended to die for us.

Although before all ages He had the glory of the Father as God and Son of God, equal in essence to the Father, He also counts the holy suffering of His most pure flesh as glory for Himself.

He does this because it is the cause of universal salvation. But let us return to the path shown by the true path of life, Christ, when He says: “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (Jn 15:13).

For He knew that after this miracle was performed, the Jews would stir up and agitate the people against Him. Caiaphas would become enraged, and He Himself would endure death on the Cross.

And when Lazarus did die, these words of Jesus Christ must have planted in the dead man’s sisters a certain hope that the Lord would raise him from the dead, as He had raised the son of the widow of Nain and the daughter of Jairus.

Therefore this sickness would not end with the death that forever ends a man’s earthly life. He knew that by raising the dead Lazarus, God would be glorified.

He also knew that this glory would glorify Him, the Son of God, who performed such a miracle.

“That the Son of God may be glorified through it,” that is, through Lazarus’s sickness. By these words Jesus again declared Himself the Son of God.

Yet Count Tolstoy and others still try to assure their blind followers that Jesus never called Himself the Son of God.

Of course, the Son of God would also have been glorified through Christ’s miraculous healing of His friend from afar. Yet the very solemnity of the expression shows that the Lord had in view something greater than the miraculous healing of His friend.

“The Son of God.” Before those who believed in Him, the Lord openly calls Himself the Son of God in the sense of Messiah. He does not defend Himself here, as He had recently done in Jerusalem, Jn 10:32 and following.

“That He may be glorified.” The glorification of the Son of God is at the same time the glory of God the Father, since God the Father acts through the Son, Jn 10:30, 38.

“Do you see that the Father and the Son have one glory? For after saying, ‘for the glory of God,’ He added, ‘that the Son of God may be glorified.’

For the glory of God, that is, of the Father, differs in nothing from the glory of the Son. Consequently, He is properly and truly God, just as the Father is” (Theophylact).

“And the particle ‘that’ here signifies not cause, but event. The sickness occurred for another reason, but Christ turned it to the glory of God” (Chrysostom).

On the other hand, He wished to sustain their faith in its struggle with bitter reality. “Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.”

His love is visible also in His care for the spiritual state of the sisters. This family was rare indeed.

Even before Lazarus’s death, his sisters had received the Lord Jesus in their house with all tender love. Each showed Him love in her own way.

One did so through busy care for hospitality, the other by listening to His teachings, forgetful of the earth. Then Jesus Himself also showed His love to the loving sisters.

He gave them teachings needed for their souls, Lk 10:38-42. Since Lazarus is mentioned last in the family, and Martha before the others, we must suppose that Lazarus was the youngest member of the good family.

Martha was older than both Mary and Lazarus. “Then He remained in the place where He was two days.” Why did He remain?

“So that Lazarus might die and be buried, so that no one could say that He raised him when he had not yet died, or that it was only deep sleep, paralysis, or loss of consciousness, but not death.

For this reason He remained so long that even decay took place, so that they said, ‘He already stinks.’” Thus St. Chrysostom reasons.

Yet according to the meaning of the Evangelist’s words and the essence of the matter, it will be more accurate to think that the Savior was detained in Perea by the works of His calling.

These had to be completed, since the end of His ministry was near. He could raise Lazarus just as well after one day or after a week.

The consequence of His two-day stay in Perea, indicated by Chrysostom, appeared of itself, apart from the Savior’s efforts.

It served the glory of the Preacher of truth, who had no need of intensified measures for His own glory.

The Jews certainly would not have gone into the house of a harlot. In sending to the Lord news of Lazarus’s illness, his sisters add no request, leaving the future to the Lord.

“ Sufficit ut noveris,” blessed Augustine says on this passage, “non enim amas et deseris”: it is enough that Thou shouldest know; Thou lovest and dost not leave without help.

Yet in this sending there was a silent request, and the Lord answers the thoughts of those who sent. Of course, everything was known to the Lord.

But remaining within the bounds of human life, He first listens to the messenger’s words and then answers. Thus His words would be conveyed as consolation to Lazarus’s sisters by the messenger, who had to return at once.

The Lord answers: “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified.”

The whole eleventh chapter, as St. John Chrysostom indicates in Homily 62 on John, has this meaning.

The Lord’s delay in the place where He was, and His arrival only after Lazarus’s death, had one purpose.

It was to impress more deeply and powerfully upon the minds of the disciples and the Jews who had come to Bethany the meaning of the miracle, the greatness of Him who performed it, and His complete identity with the Father.

“I and the Father are one,” He had said, and the Jews took up stones. Here many of those same Jews would be present at an event that can only be understood and named as an act of creation.

The Lord’s words, spoken in Perea, or the region beyond the Jordan, to the messenger, who was to return to Bethany two days before the Lord, had to awaken faith in the sick man’s relatives and in those who heard.

They also had to set before this faith a trial. The Lord was preparing great joy for weak human beings.

This joy was not only in Lazarus’s resurrection, for that was a secondary feeling. Great joy seized the hearts of the disciples and Lazarus’s sisters when they saw the glory of God overshadowing the Lord Jesus.

Then every wavering of their souls vanished, as marsh mist is scattered by the brilliance of the sun. “If thou believest, thou shalt see the glory of God,” the Lord said to Martha, verse 40.