The apostle of love’s cherry tree is my playful pun on John’s “cherry picking” of six words clustered around raising Lazarus from the dead. So far we’ve tasted the first cherry. John’s cherry picked words surprise us. They lead us along a path into God’s heart we might not otherwise take. They serve as a commentary surpassing modern Bible commentaries. They unveil a beautiful inside story. Through these cherry picked words we taste how good the heart and soul of this Jesus is! My goal is to usher you into this fascinating inner world of John 11. It’s so that you can love, worship and obey Jesus more, not be a Bible scholar. Allow the text itself to persuade you on its own terms and lead you into its often times surprising conclusions. How can we study Scripture so that we don’t import our own ideas and imaginations into God’s truth? How can we avoid vandalizing God’s sacred words with the spray paint of our human cleverness? One way is by recognizing an intentional design pattern within the Gospel narrative.
The first cherry we examined was ozō (od’-zoh) from John 11:39, its solo appearance in the New Testament. “Lord, by this time he stinketh [ozō].” It hyperlinks to the only time ozō appears in the Septuagint translation, which is the plague of frogs of Exodus 8:14: “And they gathered them together in heaps, and the land stank [ozō].” Before Martha uttered ozō, she’s referred to as “the sister of the dead man.” “Dead man” is teleutaō (tel-yoo-tah’-oh), from teleō (tel-eh’-oh), meaning completion of purpose. In other words, Martha is the sister of finished up man. That’s how she saw it. John is winking at us because in just moments Lazarus will be raised to life. He’s anything but the finished up man!
Martha’s frame of mind expressed death. It wasn’t physical death like her brother’s. She was experiencing death of a spiritual nature. Her believing Jesus’ words about Lazarus’ sickness ending with God’s glory in the here and now had died. When Lazarus was buried, she buried Jesus words’ right along with him. So Jesus came not only to raise Lazarus but also to raise Martha’s, Mary’s and the mourners’ faith. Sure, Martha had strong faith in Jesus overall. She believed Jesus to be the Christ, the Son of the living God. What’s pivotal in this story, though, is that her faith had died regarding Jesus’ specific words regarding her brother. And for this the Bridegroom has come to rescue His bride!
So as Martha fretted about releasing a bad odor, ozō, from the tomb, John hyperlinks it to the ozō stench of dead frogs all over the place. We’re to see irony. Thinking of Lazarus as the finished up man is the stink of a finished up faith of Martha, Mary and everyone outside of the tomb! Thinking of Lazarus as the finished up man was stinking thinking. What’s true of Lazarus physically is true of everyone around spiritually, which we’ll see in greater detail and theatrical flourishes with today’s cherry picked word.
So let’s pick up the story.
Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.” When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.” (John 11:38-44 ESV)
Let’s put a magnifying glass on this verse: “The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips.” Other English Bible versions translate “linen strips” as gravesclothes, bandages, burial cloths, pieces of cloth, winding bands, wrappings, and burial shroud. It’s keiria (kahy-ree’-ah) in the Greek. Just like ozō, it happens only once in the New Testament and only once in the Septuagint. And just like ozō, once we see the ecosystem to ecosystem comparison, this little gem shines its dazzling light on the heart of Jesus!
Keiria’s solo appearance in Proverbs 7 belongs to a story. The narrator observes a foolish young man making bad choices that ensnare him with an adulterous woman. She stalks him, flatters him, and then, like Potiphar’s unfaithful wife, seduces him to lie with her.
I have spread my couch with coverings [keiria], colored linens from Egyptian linen; I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. Come, let us take our fill of love till morning; let us delight ourselves with love.”
Proverbs 7:16-18 ESV
It appears one way on the surface, but look at the end to where all this is leading:
And now, O sons, listen to me, and be attentive to the words of my mouth. Let not your heart turn aside to her ways; do not stray into her paths, for many a victim has she laid low, and all her slain are a mighty throng. Her house is the way to Sheol, going down to the chambers of death. (Proverbs 7:24-27 ESV)
In the tabernacle, the arresting piece of furniture was the ark of the covenant. In the adulteress’ house it was her bed. The bed was where the illicit sexual union took place. On that bed were the coverings, keiria, the colored linens from Egyptian linen. The adulteress’ “house is the way to Sheol, going down to the chambers of death.” It’s a tomb! Sheol is the Hebrew word referring to the grave. That’s where Lazarus was. Like the adulteress’ bed he was covered with keiria. These bed coverings are gravesclothes! These metaphorical gravesclothes sync up with Lazarus’ physical gravesclothes. John’s cherry picking of keiria activates the ecosystem of Proverbs 6 and 7 to compare and contrast with the ecosystem of chapter 11.
Now, John’s Gospel has a core theme. It’s structured around faith in Jesus and the life that He brings. “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (Jn 20:30-31). The raising of Lazarus is the seventh of these selected signs. So we should expect this sign, especially as the climatic one, to serve his stated purpose: believing. It does. Observe how faith plays a starring role in this drama. To the disciples Jesus said, “Lazarus has died, and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe” (Jn 11:14-15, italics added). And to Martha He said, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” (verse 40, italics added).
Let’s revisit how design patterns using hyperlinks work. We’re seeing the main characters—Jesus, Lazarus, Mary, Martha, the mourners—on the main stage. Behind them is a theater screen flashing sepia images, flashbacks from the Old Testament, paralleling the drama on the main stage. So as Lazarus comes out of the tomb bound with keiria hand and foot, keiria activates this sepia image of colorful coverings on the bed of the adulterous woman. What does all this mean?
Seeing how ozō functioned as a literary device helps with keiria. Both ozō and keiria have exactly one appearance in New Testament and Septuagint. Both are accompanied by statements of Lazarus as a dead man. Both have associations with Egypt, hinting at an exodus. Both have implications of widespread impact—all of Egypt littered with dead frogs and “all her slain are a mighty throng” (Prov 7:26). As ozō functioned to superimpose the stink of Lazarus’ dead body onto Mary’s, Martha’s and the mourners’ faith, keiria stacks another layer of visualization upon ozō. We’re given God’s eyes to re-imagine this scene.
The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”
We know what bound Lazarus. It was the linen strips, keiria. What “linen strips” were binding Mary’s and Martha’s faith in connection with the Proverbs 7 adulteress? To see what bound up their faith, keep your eye on the Lord Jesus in the John 11 narrative.
When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus wept.
John 11:33-35 ESV
Pay attention to what triggered Jesus’ weeping. Seeing Mary’s weeping deeply moved Him, but not to weeping. His weeping came in response to Mary’s reply, “Lord, come and see.” “See” is horaō, to gaze or stare at. Greek has multiple words for see, ranging from casual perception to intense scrutiny. Horaō is at the latter end of the spectrum. Mary wants Jesus to get a good, long look at what she’s been looking at.
Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it.
John 11:38 ESV
Mary has been gazing at the stone. The stone symbolized Lazarus as the finished up man. The stone embodied death, finality. The stone was a farewell to Lazarus’ life. The stone bid farewell to the sisters’ faith in Jesus’ words. Seeing the stone altered their faith, killed it really. “If You had been here, my brother would not have died.” We needed to see You; Your words weren’t enough.
Now watch what Jesus does. It’s plays off Mary’s fixation with sight. He counters Mary’s sight with sight of a different kind. To experience Jesus as the resurrection now and not exclusively at His second coming as Martha expected, we, too, need to follow His cues here. How Jesus raises Lazarus is how He raises faith that has died.
Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me.
John 11:39-41 ESV
There’s wordplay here that gets lost in the English translation. “Take away the stone.” “Take away” is airō (ahy’-roh), primarily meaning to lift up, which may imply taking up or taking away. Now watch what happens: “So they took away [airō] the stone. And Jesus lifted up [airō] his eyes.” Airō links the lifting up of the stone to the lifting up of Jesus’ eyes. Sight is emphasized. Mary’s “Come and see” provoked “Jesus wept.” She and the others were only seeing a stone that spoke of Lazarus as the finished up man. This sight diverted their attention off what Jesus had told them.
Jesus is doing double duty here. It’s not just Lazarus that needs resurrection. It’s Mary and Martha’s Lazarus-like faith, too. Mary’s and Martha’s eyes must be lifted up from the stone to the Father. Mary’s “Come and see” meant staring at the stone for too long. Sight is what bound Martha’s and Mary’s faith. Jesus’ “Come and see” doesn’t pretend the stone isn’t there but looks above it to the One reigning in heaven. Jesus lifts up His eyes to the Father. The sisters needed to refocus on what Jesus had originally said to them. “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?”
When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”
John 11:43-44 ESV
What makes for excellent poetry is that it rocks our overfamiliar world with imagery that jolts our imaginations out of the ordinary. Now, while this isn’t poetry per se, the keiria hyperlink does activate our imagination like poetry does. Lazarus’ gravesclothes and the bed coverings of the adulterous woman is a rather shocking union. This imagery is a smelling salt to jar us awake to what’s profound within Mary’s and Martha’s overfamiliar world. And ours. So why does John want us to transpose the image of the adulterous woman’s bed coverings onto Lazarus’ gravesclothes?
Lazarus, as I’ve proposed, is a picture of Martha’s and Mary’s faith. Lazarus stank, their faith stank. Lazarus was bound, their faith was bound. What bound up their faith and caused it to decompose? What was it that got them off track? Sight. The stone. Seeing the gravesclothes. As the adulteress enticed the foolish young man, sight of stone and gravesclothes enticed these dear sisters away from trusting in what Jesus said. Sight, then, functions in the Lazarus story as an adulterous woman. Because we’re so overfamiliar living in a world of sight, we can be naive to the dangers it presents to faith. This keiria smelling salt startles us to rethink sight as a crafty harlot to be vigilant for. It’s not neutral.
And behold, the woman meets him,
dressed as a prostitute, wily of heart.
She is loud and wayward;
her feet do not stay at home;
now in the street, now in the market,
and at every corner she lies in wait.
She seizes him and kisses him,
and with bold face she says to him…
Proverbs 7:10-13 ESV
As is the prostitute, so sight can entice us from Jesus’ words. She lies in wait. She seizes him. She kisses him. She has a voice. “If You had been here, my brother would not have died.” Her voice sounds reasonable, doesn’t it? We see the stone. We reason. We rationalize. Jesus’ words couldn’t really mean that. We explain away Jesus’ plain words by what our eyes tell us. We allow our sight-experience to trump His sayings. Keiria re-imagines ordinary sight as an extraordinary adulteress that seduces our trust away from what God has clearly said to us. “Has God said?”
Now, associating sight as an adulteress may seem harsh. So let’s take a step back. Back in John 8 Jesus dealt gently with the woman caught in the act of adultery. Jesus, in our present scene, has been deeply moved in spirit and greatly troubled. There’s no hint of anger or fury. He’s no son of thunder. He’s brokenhearted about it. He wept. Though displeased, He is full of mercy. He’s compassionate towards Martha and Mary, whose faith had been bound by adulterous sight. Jesus loves Mary and Martha. They are His bride. As are we. Sight portrayed as an adulteress is a warning from a jealous Lover. Jesus wants a pure bride. He cleanses every stain and irons every wrinkle (Eph 5:26-27).
As we wind down, watch how the associated Proverbs ecosystem feeds into the John 11 ecosystem. The larger framework of Proverbs 6 and 7 is a father’s speech to his son to guard his soul against the adulterous woman. In the context of Proverbs overall, this flirtatious seductress is more than a warning against immoral women of this world. She also is an adversary who opposes the personification of wisdom (lady wisdom). Let’s drop back into Proverbs and eavesdrop on the father’s sage advice to his son.
My son, keep your father’s commandment,
and forsake not your mother’s teaching.
Bind them on your heart always;
tie them around your neck.
When you walk, they will lead you;
when you lie down, they will watch over you;
and when you awake, they will talk with you.
For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light,
and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life,
to preserve you from the evil woman,
from the smooth tongue of the adulteress.
Do not desire her beauty in your heart,
and do not let her capture you with her eyelashes;
for the price of a prostitute is only a loaf of bread,
but a married woman hunts down a precious life. (Proverbs 6:20-26 ESV)
Like the father of Proverbs, Jesus dispensed words He expected His beloved friends to bind on their hearts always. “This sickness will not end in death but is for the glory of God.” He desired that they would tie His words around their neck. But they didn’t. Lazarus died. They didn’t expect that. Then sight got in the way. Mary and Martha removed the necklace of Jesus’ words and laid it right alongside Lazarus in the tomb. They hadn’t laid him in their home with expectancy of His words coming to pass. They laid him in a tomb, sealing it with the finality of a heavy stone. They had no expectation for Lazarus, the finished up man, to live again until the far off future. Their faith had died along with Lazarus.
Through these fresh insights, the Lord has been kind to convict me where my eyes have been fixed on the stone. One such area involves my 19-year old daughter, who as a young girl had a precious pursuit of God. Around age 14 she started drifting into the world’s ways, eventually wandering into the darkness of atheism and transgenderism, much to the grief of her mother and me. When Cayla was born, I dedicated her to the Lord, believing that she would be set apart for the gospel. All that’s evident now in Cayla’s life are graveclothes. My eyes can only see the stone. The far country she dwells in is real. The statistics of children walking away from their faith whispers in my ear. All earthly indications are that she’s the “finished up man.”
But as I’ve entered into this Jesus story, I’ve received such strong encouragement to lift my eyes off the stone to heaven, where He ever lives to intercede for her. His righteousness is to children’s children. These are the Lord’s words. He is still writing her story. She is not the “finished up man.” These sight emblems tempt me to unite with the adulteress of sight and not with my Bridegroom’s words. Did I not tell you if you believed you would see the glory of God? My only hope is in the words of Jesus.
What has the Lord spoken about to you? Have your eyes been fixed on the stone? Jesus isn’t angry with you if you have. He weeps. It breaks His heart. He loves you and He is your resurrection and life. Cling again to His words. Let not the adulteress of sight bind your faith. Lift up your eyes from the stone. Take your necklace out of the tomb and put it back around your neck. Lift up the eyes of your heart to heaven where Jesus your high priest is now seated on the throne of grace, touched with your infirmities of gazing too long at the stone. Believe, wait for Him, and see the glory of God in the land of the living.
Glory Unveiled: Discovering Jesus 