What doubts about Jesus' abilities are expressed in John 11:37? Setting the Scene “Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus” (John 11:5). Yet after hearing of Lazarus’s illness, Jesus deliberately waited two more days before traveling to Bethany. By the time He arrived, Lazarus had been dead four days. Emotions were raw, and grief was heavy in the air. The Verse in Focus John 11:37: “But some of them said, ‘Could not this man who opened the eyes of the blind also have kept this man from dying?’” What Doubts Are Voiced? • Questioning His Preventive Power – “Could not … have kept this man from dying?” – The crowd concedes Jesus’ past miracle—opening the blind man’s eyes (John 9)—but they doubt His ability to prevent death itself. • Implying a Limit to His Authority – Healing blindness is viewed as impressive yet stoppable at disease level. – Death, however, seems irreversible to them. They suspect Jesus’ reach ends at the grave. • Subtle Critique of His Compassion – Underneath the question lies an unspoken “If He truly cared, why didn’t He come sooner?” – Similar sentiments are voiced by Martha and Mary (John 11:21, 32). Roots Behind the Doubt • Human Reasoning – People naturally measure power by prior experience. Since no one had seen Jesus raise a four-day-dead man yet, they assumed He couldn’t. • Limited Memory of Scripture – They recall Isaiah’s blind being healed (Isaiah 35:5), but overlook passages like 1 Kings 17:17-24 or 2 Kings 4:32-37 where God raised the dead through prophets, previews of Messiah’s greater work. • Grief-Colored Vision – Mourning narrows perspective. Pain often clouds faith, making God’s past faithfulness feel distant. How Jesus Answers the Doubt • Demonstrating Sovereign Timing – “Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe” (John 11:14-15). • Displaying Resurrection Power – “Lazarus, come out!” (John 11:43). The crowd’s doubt meets the undeniable: life restored from corpse-state. • Foreshadowing His Own Victory over Death – This sign preps hearts for the empty tomb (John 20:1-9; Romans 1:4). Scriptures Reinforcing Jesus’ Unlimited Authority • Matthew 28:18: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.” • Revelation 1:18: “I was dead, and behold, I am alive forever and ever, and I hold the keys of Death and of Hades.” • Hebrews 2:14: Through His death, Jesus destroys “him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil.” Takeaway for Today • When circumstances scream “too late,” remember Lazarus’s tomb—Jesus arrives with perfect timing. • Faith must rest not merely on what we’ve witnessed Him do, but on who He eternally is: “the Resurrection and the Life” (John 11:25). • Every doubt voiced in verse 37 finds its answer in an empty grave—both Lazarus’s temporary one and Christ’s permanent one. |
    |