Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary John 11:1

"Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, of the village of Mary and her sister Martha." — John 11:1 (ASV)

At this point Lazarus is introduced, though Mary and Martha are mentioned in Luke (10:38–42). Apparently Jesus was frequently a guest in their home when he visited Jerusalem (cf. Mark 11:11). Of Lazarus, however, nothing is known apart from John. The identification of Mary by the action recorded later in this gospel (12:1–10) is unusual, unless the author presupposed some knowledge of her action on the reader’s part. John mentions it in order to identify Lazarus and to indicate Jesus’ relations with the family.