36 Then the Jews said, “See how He loved him!” 37 And some of them said, “Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?”
Jesus’ reaction to what He saw drew two reactions from the crowd: (1) that He loved Lazarus and (2) skepticism.
11:36
Then the Jews said, “See how He loved him!”
As usual, the crowd did not completely understand Jesus. They did not ascertain the true reason for His tears. Jesus wept because of their unbelief.
11:37
And some of them said,
A different crowd from those who said, “See how He loved them” had a different take on Jesus here.
“Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind,
Some in the crowd here referenced the Lord’s healing of the man born blind in chapter 9 (vv. 1-41). This was Jesus’ last miracle before leaving Jerusalem months earlier.
also have kept this man from dying?”
The group who asked this question did not necessarily mock the idea that Jesus could have healed Lazarus. The Greek expects a “yes” answer. They were simply confused. To even ask the question in this manner betrayed their unbelief. It is the unbelief that demands more signs and miracles to justify a point.
PRINCIPLE:
What some people deem as powerlessness totally underestimates what Jesus can do.
APPLICATION:
Skeptics are determined to believe nothing good about Jesus. These types always want to hold God to their standards, but God “gives not account of any of His matters” (Job 33:13). Jesus would proceed to show how wrong these unbelievers were.
