Read Ellen G. White, “The Crisis in Galilee,” pp. 383–394; “ ‘Lazarus, Come Forth,’ ” pp. 524–536; and “Priestly Plottings,” pp. 537–542, in The Desire of Ages.
John 11 is filled with sadness—the sad news of a dear friend’s illness (John 11:1–3); the weeping over his death (John 11:19, 31, 33); the sisters’ lament that Lazarus would not have died if Jesus had been present (John 11:21, 32); and Jesus’ own tears (John 11:35).
But Jesus had delayed two days before starting His journey to Lazarus (John 11:6), even indicating that He was glad that He had not gone earlier (John 11:14, 15). This action was not from any cold-heartedness. Rather, it was to reveal God’s glory.
Read John 9:17–34. What questions did the leaders ask, and how did the blind man respond?
This long section of John 9 is the only portion of John where Jesus is not the main actor on the stage, though He is certainly the subject of discussion. Just as the question of sin started the story (John 9:2), the Pharisees think Jesus is a sinner because He healed on the Sabbath (John 9:16, 24), and they will slander the healed man as “born in utter sin” (John 9:34, ESV).
Read John 9:1–16. What did the disciples think was the cause of this man’s blindness, and how did Jesus correct their false beliefs?
The disciples made a connection between sickness and sin. A number of Old Testament passages point in that direction (compare with Exod. 20:5, 2 Kings 5:15–27, 2 Kings 15:5, and 2 Chron. 26:16–21), but the story of Job should have led to caution about whether such a connection always occurred.
Read John 6:14, 15, 26–36. How did the people respond to His miracle, and how did Jesus use this to try to teach them who He was?
The Judeans were expecting an earthly messiah who would deliver them from the oppression of the Roman Empire. Two of the most difficult things encountered in war are feeding the troops and caring for the wounded and dead. By His miracles, Jesus showed that He could do both.
In John 6:4, 5, the apostle goes out of his way to state that the timing of the feeding of the 5,000 was near the Passover. The Passover was a commemoration of the deliverance of Israel from Egypt. The Passover lamb took the place of the death of the firstborn. This sacrifice symbolized the death of Jesus in our behalf. On the cross, the punishment that we deserved because of our sins fell on Jesus instead. Christ, our Passover, was indeed slain for us (1 Cor. 5:7).
“Jesus had given him [the disabled man] no assurance of divine help. The man might have stopped to doubt, and lost his one chance of healing. But he believed Christ’s word, and in acting upon it he received strength.
The miracle by the Pool of Bethesda provided an excellent opportunity for John to emphasize who Jesus is. John takes nine verses to describe the miracle and about 40 verses (see below) to describe the One who performed the miracle.
Read John 5:16–18. Why was Jesus persecuted for His action on the Sabbath?
