This week we read of the seventh and last sign in John’s Gospel, the raising of Lazarus from the dead found in John 11. In John 5:25 we read, “the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.” (CSB) That prophecy of Jesus is now partially being fulfilled. Also in John 5:22-23 we are told. “The Father, in fact, judges no one but has given all judgment to the Son, so that all people may honor the Son just as they honor the Father.” (CSB) And now in 11:4 we’re told that the purpose of Lazarus’ sickness is not death but that the “Son of God may be glorified through it.”
The first six signs John tells us about are (1) Turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana in Jn 2. We are not told whose wedding it is or why Jesus’ family was invited or why Mary seemed to be there in some official capacity. (2) In Jn 4 Jesus was again at Cana and a certain royal official’s son was sick at Capernaum. Jesus heals the son long distance just by speaking. We do not know the name of the royal official, or the name of his son. (3) In Jn 5 Jesus was in Jerusalem and went to the pool called Bethesda and healed a man who had been disabled for thirty-eight years. We are not told the name of the man just that his disability might be somehow related to a previous sin, Jn 5:14. (4) The feeding of the Five Thousand is told to us in Jn 6. We know the disciples were there, but we don’t know on what mountain the miracle took place nor do we know anything about the boy that provided the fish and bread. (5) Jesus walking on the water is also recorded in John 6. The disciples are mentioned as being in the boat, but their names are not given. (6) In John 9 we read of Jesus healing a man that was born blind. We are not told his name or the name of his parents that also are mentioned in the account. Notice the contrast between these first 6 signs and this last one in chapter 11. We are told the name of the man who had died, Lazarus. We are told the names of his sisters, Mary, and Martha. We know where they live, Bethany. We are told something of their theology and in chapter 12 we learn that they were a family of some means see Jn 12:5 as Mary had a bottle of perfume worth about a year’s wages. Having this sign performed on no doubt a well-known person was devastating to the authorities. In Jn 11:47-48 we learn why the authorities are so concerned about Jesus. They like the status quo. Don’t rock the boat. They are afraid of what the Romans might do if some sort of revolt or insurrection should start if the people believed that Jesus was the long waited for Messiah who would free them from Roman rule. So concerned were they that this could happen that they began plotting how to kill Jesus (11:53). This sign was so effective that the people not only wanted to see Jesus but also wanted to see and no doubt talk to Lazarus. The chief priests then decided that in addition to killing Jesus they must also kill Lazarus (11:9-11).
The concern of the chief priests with the Roman reaction to a revolt by the people and their losing their status was not mistaken. At the end of the history reported in the book of Acts, Festus has replaced Felix as the procurator of Judea and sent Paul to Rome for trial when he appealed to Caesar. When Festus became procurator there was a problem with crime in Judea. Festus started a campaign to rid the area of ‘bandits’ and restore order. Josephus saw Festus as a pretty good procurator but neither Felix nor Albanus who replaced Festus were considered honest. We know Felix wanted a bribe from Paul, Josephus said Albanus not only laid heavy taxes on the people but those that had been put in prison by Festus were allowed to go free if a redemption price were paid for them, so the bad guys were back on the street. Albanus was replaced by Florus. Florus was the worst of the lot and his administration caused many of the Jews to think a war with Rome was justified. Full fledged war broke out in A.D. 66 with Rome destroying the temple in A.D. 70. The chief priests had been right about the political climate and the results of a rebellion. The nation of Israel ceased to exist, and the Sadducees no longer played a part in the Jewish religious system. Josephus’ account of this period is found in his Wars of the Jews 2.270 and following.
