Then after that, he said to his disciples: Let us go into Judea again.
επειτα μετα τουτο λεγει τοις μαθηταις αγωμεν εις την ιουδαιαν παλιν
13 Church Fathers comment on this verse
Why does He here say beforehand where He wishes to go, when elsewhere He never gave advance notice of this? The disciples were very afraid. Since they were now in such a state of mind, He prepares them by this announcement, so as not to alarm them by suddenness.
On other occasions the Lord never said beforehand where He intended to go. Only here does He announce it in advance, it seems, because His disciples were very afraid to go into Judea. He announces it beforehand so that they will not be troubled by the unexpected, if He suddenly leads them into the region they feared to enter.
When the Lord said, "Let us go into Judea again," He seems to indicate that, although they were unworthy of the benefit, the occasion called for bringing them what was profitable. Therefore, He says, let us go to them.
In Judea they had nearly stoned Him, and it seems He had left for that reason. But He departed as man, and in returning He shows His power.
He goes to the place where they had nearly stoned Him, and from which He seems to have departed so as not to be killed with stones. For He departed as man. Yet in returning He revealed His might, as though forgetting weakness. "Let us go," He said, "into Judea again."
Jesus Christ tells the disciples this beforehand, on the one hand, to expose their fearfulness, which came from their unstable faith. On the other hand, He does so that, knowing it beforehand, they would not later be troubled by the unexpectedness of such conduct. Bethany was in Judea.
3. Summoned by the faith of the women, the willing Physician of souls and bodies comes. At once He calls to His friends: "Rise, let us go to Judea, where we were before. For I have received a letter, and I read it with joy. Faith dictated it, unerring faith wrote it, and love sealed it.
Why should I conceal what has happened? Martha and Mary have faithfully asked Me a favor concerning Lazarus, for he is now weak. If, then, I stand over him, he will arise. He will rise, saying, 'Thou art life and resurrection.'"
4. After saying these things, He who knows all thoughts then remained two days in the place where He was, as Scripture says. He waited so that the faith of those who loved Him might be made manifest.
Martha, Lazarus, and Mary loved the Lord not at one time and not at another, but always. All of them remained steadfast in calm times and in distress. Seeing their disposition thus grow stronger, Christ saved one of the women and crowned the other.
For concerning Lazarus He had said to them: "He will arise. He will rise, saying, 'Thou art life and resurrection.'"
Divine boldness! A soul ready to take up sufferings and accomplish the mystery of salvation.
When Jesus Christ, two days after receiving the news of Lazarus's sickness, said to His disciples, "Let us go again into Judea," the disciples began to dissuade Him from this journey. They reminded Him of the danger to which He had recently been exposed in Judea (10:32-39).
To this Jesus Christ answered: "Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him."
Jesus Christ probably spoke this figurative saying at the beginning of the day. Its outward meaning is that twelve hours still remain before evening, when it will be dark for travel. Therefore they can reach the goal of the journey before sunset.
Its inward meaning is this: while the time foreordained by God for the earthly life and activity of Jesus Christ continues, there is no danger for Him in going where He wills and doing what His calling requires of Him.
But here, too, a moral lesson is given to the disciples. Whoever acts in the light of God's commandments will not make mistakes, nor expose himself to the danger of death without need or benefit for himself and others.
But whoever turns away from this light and acts self-willedly is constantly threatened by such danger.
After two days Jesus said to the disciples, "Let us go into Judea again."
When Jesus left Galilee, He was heading toward Jerusalem, that is, toward Judea. The purpose of this journey was known to His Apostles. Therefore, if He said, "Let us go into Judea again," we must suppose that during this journey He had already entered the borders of Judea and again gone beyond the Jordan, into Perea.
The request was urgent, but Christ did not set out at once. Occupied with His great work of spiritually enlightening men, He only sent word that "this sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God." He then remained in Perea two more days. Only after they had passed did He say to His disciples, "Let us go to Judea again."
Into Judea: the Lord points not to Bethany as the nearest goal of the journey, but to Judea. His purpose is to draw out the thought of danger that threatened Him there, a thought known to Him and lodged in the disciples' hearts.
He does this to overcome in them this fear before the approaching danger. He also wishes to root more deeply in them the thought that their Teacher's sufferings and death were necessary. Even at that time, this thought was still so difficult for them to receive (cf. Lk 18:31-34 and parallels).
Verses 4-7. "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it." The Lord Jesus already saw Lazarus as dead. This is said a little later, in Jn 11:14.
Why, then, does He say that the sickness is not unto death? Because in His eyes the future is the same as the present. He already sees that the dead man has risen for the glory of the Son of God.
Why was it not said directly that Lazarus would die, if he had not yet died? It was not said for the disciples' sake. Otherwise they might have been troubled that their Teacher did not hasten to help the family He loved, and even delayed His journey, v. 6.
Nor was it said for Lazarus's sisters. On the one hand, He would not burden their hearts with the heavy truth. On the other, He would sustain their faith in its struggle with bitter reality.
"Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus." His love is seen also in His care for the inward state of the sisters. And this was a rare family. Even before Lazarus's death, his sisters received the Lord Jesus in their house with all tender love.
Each showed Him love in her own way. One did so by busy care for His refreshment, the other by listening to His instruction and forgetting the earth. Then Jesus Himself also showed His love to the loving sisters. He gave them instruction needful for their souls, Lk 10:38-42.
Since Lazarus is mentioned last in the family, while Martha is named before the others, one must suppose that Lazarus was the youngest member of the good household, and that 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, lest anyone say that He raised him while he had not yet died. It might be said that it was only deep sleep, paralysis, or loss of consciousness, but not death. For this reason He remained so long that even corruption set in, so that they said, 'He already stinks.'" Thus reasons St. Chrysostom.
Yet from the meaning of the Evangelist's words, and from the nature of the matter, it is more accurate to think that the Savior was kept in Perea by the works of His calling, which had to be completed. The end of His ministry was near, while He could raise Lazarus equally after a day or after a week.
The result of His two-day stay in Perea, indicated by Chrysostom, came of itself, apart from the Savior's efforts. It served the glory of the preacher of truth, who had no need of forced measures for His own glory.
Why, asks Saint John Chrysostom, did the Lord remain two days in the place where He received the message from Lazarus' sisters?
"He remained," says Chrysostom, "so that Lazarus might die and be buried. Then no one could say that He raised him when he had not yet died. Therefore He remained so long that corruption even occurred."
When the Lord announced to the disciples that He was going with them into Judea, fear came upon them that they would be killed there.
This was because of the well-known plot against the life of the Lord Jesus.
Saint John Chrysostom even thinks that Thomas' words in verse 16, "Let us go, that we also may die with him," refer not to Lazarus' illness.
Rather, they refer to the conviction that the Lord Jesus, with all the disciples and Lazarus' household, would be killed by the Jews.
It was clear to all the disciples that when the Lord said, "Let us go into Judea," He was not speaking of the small, relatively quiet and safe village of Bethany.
He meant that He was going again into that hostile land where His murder was being prepared.
On the one hand, the Lord calms their fear. On the other, He points to the feeling of duty, humanly speaking, which stands above all.
At the same time He also reveals to the disciples the higher divine mysteries.
"I must," said the Lord (Jn 9:4-5), "work the works of Him Who sent Me while it is day. The night comes when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world."
The Lord is "the light of the world" (Jn 8:12). The same thought is repeated in verses 9-10 of the present chapter.
The Lord had to remain on earth only for a definite time. In this brief period, or boundary of time, appointed by divine providence, the great events that accomplished the salvation of the human race had to take place.
By pointing to this brief time, the Lord also shows that mankind's future blessedness lies in this work, done while the light shines.
Only this time of the Lord's dwelling on earth poured upon all mankind's future life that bright light of truth, love, and faith which shines for us amid the night of this world.
It is very important to notice the Lord's expression concerning the one who stumbles: "there is no light in him," ἐν αὐτῶ.
The Lord did not say that he stumbles because there is no light in the world. "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it" (Jn 1:5).
Rather, he stumbles because there is no light in the soul of the unbeliever.
Unbelievers have walked, and still walk, in the night of their soul. They stumbled, and still stumble, over that stone of stumbling and scandal for them.
Yet that stone became the foundation of the Church of God on earth; see Mt 21:42-44; 1 Pet 2:7; Rom 9. In the Old Testament books, compare Ps 117:22 and Isa 28:16.
Therefore, when the Lord speaks of day and night, He means, on the one hand, eternal day and eternal light, and on the other, the darkness of unbelief.
The brief dwelling of God in human form on earth is likened to day. This day is eternal for believers.
Those who walk by the light of this day do not stumble. But to kindle this day forever, the Lord, in the relatively brief time of His life, created new life for man.
This He calls working. He calls man's walking by day his abiding in the light of day, so that he may not stumble.
But man's walking outside faith and the ways of God the Lord calls darkness and stumbling.
The most terrible moment of this darkness was the "authority of the prince of darkness, the prince of this world," temporarily permitted by the Lord; Lk 22:53; Jn 14:30.
At that time the light of the world was not extinguished. Yet it was temporarily hidden from the people by the power of darkness, so that it might shine forth with the triumphant, glorious, unflickering light of Christ's joyful resurrection.
Passages read together with this verse.
Greek text, 11 words with lemma, transliteration and Strong’s number. Tap to expand.
THEOSIS