Bible Studies

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We continue this verse-by-verse study of John chapters 10-12 here in Part 4, starting with John 10:37.

(37) If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me [Jesus made it clear that His works were the works of His Father (cf. John 5:17-30; 10:25; 14:10, 11; and 15:24). He also made it clear here in verses 37, 38 that He wasn't backing off from calling God His Father (His Father in a very special sense).]; (38) but if I do them, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father [cf. John 14:10, 11, 20; 17:21-23, 26].' [[With these words of verses 37, 38, Jesus exhorted His opponents to reconsider their rejection of Him. His works, which came from the Father, served as a very strong testimony to the fact that He was the Christ and the unique Son of God, not a blasphemer. For one thing, the Old Testament had prophesied the Messiah/Christ would do these works (see John 5:36, and see under that verse in my paper on John chapters 5-8).

Taken in the fullest sense, the words "the Father is in Me, and I in the Father" proclaim the full deity of God the Son with God the Father (cf., e.g., John 1:1-5, 14-18; Heb. 1:1-3). It would have been a very important first step if Jesus' opponents would have accepted the fact that He had been sent from God/heaven and that He did the works the Father had sent Him to do and spoke the words the Father had sent Him to speak by the anointing of the Spirit of God, but they totally rejected all of that.]] (39) Therefore they were seeking again to seize Him, and He eluded their grasp. [[Apparently Jesus' opponents cooled off enough during their interchange with Him recorded in verses 32-38 that they did not try to throw their stones at Him (I had a footnote: It had already been determined that Jesus was to die by crucifixion [cf. Psalm 22:1, 14-18; Zech 12:10; John 18:31, 32; 19:37]; there was no way that the Father was going to allow Jesus' opponents to stone Him to death), but they did seek to seize Him again. Apparently they wanted to seize Him so He could be tried (and condemned by) the religious leaders of Israel. Apparently the word "again" refers back to John 7:30, 44. Jesus' eluding their grasp may have had a supernatural component (cf. Luke 4:30; John 8:59). God's appointed time for Jesus to be seized, "tried," and crucified was still a few months off (see verse 22), at the Feast of Passover.]] (40) And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was first baptizing, and He was staying there. [See John 1:28.] (41) Many came to Him and were saying, 'While John performed no sign, yet everything John said about this man was true.' [John had been given a lot to say about the Lord Jesus Christ (John 1:6-8, 15, 19-37; 3:27-30).] (42) Many believed in Him there."


JOHN CHAPTER 11.

"Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany [[I'll quote part of what H. G. Anderson says regarding Bethany ("Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible," Vol. 1 [Zondervan, 1975, 1976], pages 527, 528). "[The meaning of the word "bethany" is] uncertain, though probably house of dates or figs ["beth" is "house" in Hebrew]. A village about two miles SE of Jerusalem (John 11:18) on the road to Jericho at the Mount of Olives [on the east side of the Mount of Olives] and near to Bethpage from which vicinity Jesus sent for the colt (Mark 11:1; Luke 19:29). ... According to Luke, our Lord's ascension took place near Bethany (Luke 24:50, 51)."], the village of Mary and her sister Martha [cf. Luke 10:38-42]]. (2) It was the Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped His feet with her hair [See John 12:1-8.], whose brother Lazarus was sick. (3) So the sisters sent word to Him, saying, 'Lord, behold, he whom You love [[Verse 5 mentions that Jesus "loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus" (cf. verses 33-36). The Greek verb for "love" used here in verse 3 is "phileo

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