John Wesley

Jesus wept.

“Jesus wept - Out of sympathy with those who were in tears all around him, as well as from a deep sense of the misery sin had brought upon human nature.”

But some of them asked, “Could not this man who opened the eyes of the blind also have kept Lazarus from dying?”

“Could not this person have even caused, that this man should not have died? - Yet they never dreamed that he could raise him again! What a strange mixture of faith and unbelief.”

Jesus, once again deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance.

“It was a cave - So Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and their wives, except Rachel, were buried in the cave of Machpelah, Gen. xlix, 29-31. These caves were commonly in rocks, which abounded in that country, either hollowed by nature or hewn by art.”

So they took away the stone. Then Jesus lifted His eyes upward and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.

“There is not the least show of this. He wrought the miracle with an air of absolute sovereignty, as the Lord of life and death.”

The man who had been dead came out with his hands and feet bound in strips of linen, and his face wrapped in a cloth.

“And he came forth bound hand and foot with grave clothes - Which were wrapt round each hand and each foot, and his face was wrapt about with a napkin - If the Jews buried as the Egyptians did, the face was not covered with…”

If we let Him go on like this, everyone will believe in Him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.”

“All men will believe - And receive him as the Messiah. And this will give such umbrage to the Roman that they will come and subvert both our place - Temple; and nation - Both our Church and state.”

But one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all!

“That year - That memorable year, in which Christ was to die. It was the last and chief of Daniel's seventy weeks, the fortieth year before the destruction of Jerusalem, and was celebrated for various causes, in the Jewish history.”

You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.”

“It is expedient that one man should die for the people - So God overruled his tongue, for he spake not of himself, by his own spirit only, but by the spirit of prophecy.”

Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, the hometown of Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead.

“Six days before the passover - Namely, on the Sabbath: that which was called by the Jews, "The Great Sabbath." This whole week was anciently termed "The great and holy week." Jesus came - From Ephraim, chap. xi, 54.”

Then Mary took about a pint of expensive perfume, made of pure nard, and she anointed Jesus’ feet and wiped them with her hair.

“Then Mary, taking a pound of ointment - There were two persons who poured ointment on Christ. One toward the beginning of his ministry, at or near Nain, Luke vii, 37, &c.”

So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well,

“The chief priests consulted, how to kill Lazarus also - Here is the plain reason why the other evangelists, who wrote while Lazarus was living, did not relate his story.”

Meanwhile, many people continued to testify that they had been with Jesus when He called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead.

“When he called Lazarus out of the tomb - How admirably does the apostle express, as well the greatness of the miracle, as the facility with which it was wrought!”

Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the feast.

“Certain Greeks - A prelude of the Gentile Church. That these were circumcised does not appear. But they came up on purpose to worship the God of Israel.”

Truly, truly, I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a seed; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.

“Unless a grain of wheat die - The late resurrection of Lazarus gave our Lord a natural occasion of speaking on this subject.”

Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? No, it is for this purpose that I have come to this hour.

“Now is my soul troubled - He had various foretastes of his passion. And what shall I say? - Not what shall I choose? For his heart was fixed in choosing the will of his Father: but he laboured for utterance.”

Now judgment is upon this world; now the prince of this world will be cast out.

“Is the judgment of this world - That is, now is the judgment given concerning it, whose it shall be.”

And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw everyone to Myself.”

“Lifted up from the earth - This is a Hebraism which signifies dying. Death in general is all that is usually imported.”

This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet: “Lord, who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”

“The arm of the Lord - The power of God manifested by Christ, in his preaching, miracles, and work of redemption.”

For this reason they were unable to believe. For again, Isaiah says:

“Therefore now they could not believe - That is, by the just judgment of God, for their obstinacy and wilful resistance of the truth, they were at length so left to the hardness of their hearts, that neither the miracles nor doctrines of our Lord…”

“He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, so that they cannot see with their eyes, and understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal them.”

“When he saw his glory - Christ's, Isaiah vi, 1, &c. And it is there expressly said to be the glory of the Lord, Jehovah, the Supreme God.”

Then Jesus cried out, “Whoever believes in Me does not believe in Me alone, but in the One who sent Me.

“Jesus said with a loud voice - This which follows to the end of the chapter, is with St. John the epilogue of our Lord's public discourses, and a kind of recapitulation of them.”

As for anyone who hears My words and does not keep them, I do not judge him.

“I judge him not - Not now: for I am not come to judge the world. See, Christ came to save even them that finally perish! Even these are a part of that world, which he lived and died to save.”

Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”

“What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter - We do not now know perfectly any of his works, either of creation, providence, or grace. It is enough that we can love and obey now, and that we shall know hereafter.”

“Never shall You wash my feet!” Peter told Him. Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with Me.”

“If I wash thee not - If thou dost not submit to my will, thou hast no part with me - Thou art not my disciple.”

One of His disciples, the one whom Jesus loved, was reclining at His side.

“There was lying in the bosom of Jesus -- that is, sitting next to him at table. This phrase only expresses the then customary posture at meals, where the guests all leaned sidewise on couches.”