John Calvin Commentary John 11:41

"So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou heardest me." — John 11:41 (ASV)

And Jesus again raised his eyes. This was the sign of a mind truly prepared for prayer; for before anyone calls on God properly, he must be brought into communication with God, and this can only be done when, raised above the earth, he ascends even to heaven.

True, this is not done by the eyes; for hypocrites, who are plunged in the deep filth of their flesh, appear to draw down heaven to them by their stern appearance; but what they only pretend to do must be sincerely accomplished by the children of God. And yet the one who raises his eyes to heaven ought not, in his thoughts, to limit God to heaven; for He is present everywhere, and fills heaven and earth (Jeremiah 23:24). But as men can never free themselves from gross imaginations, so as not to form some low and earthly conception about God, unless they are raised above the world, Scripture sends them to heaven, and declares that heaven is the habitation of God (Isaiah 66:1).

Regarding the eyes, it is not a custom that must be perpetually observed, so that prayer is not lawful without it; for the publican, who prays with his face cast down to the ground, nonetheless pierces heaven by his faith (Luke 18:13). Yet this practice is profitable, because men are stirred by it to seek God; and not only that, but the fervor of prayer often affects the body in such a way that, without conscious thought, the body follows the mind of its own accord. Certainly, we cannot doubt that, when Christ raised his eyes to heaven, he was carried towards it with extraordinary vehemence. Besides, as all his thoughts were with the Father, so he also wished to bring others to the Father along with him.

Father, I thank you. He begins with thanksgiving, though he has asked for nothing; but although the Evangelist does not relate that he prayed using a specific form of words, yet there can be no doubt whatever that, before this, there was a prayer, because otherwise it could not have been heard.

And there is reason to believe that he prayed amidst those groanings which the Evangelist mentions, for nothing could be more absurd than to suppose that he was violently agitated within himself, as foolish men usually are. Having obtained the life of Lazarus, he now thanks the Father.

By saying that he has received this power from the Father, and by not ascribing it to himself, he simply acknowledges that he is the servant of the Father. For, accommodating himself to human capacity, he at one time openly proclaims his Divinity and claims for himself whatever belongs to God; and at another time, he is satisfied with sustaining the character of a man and yields to the Father the whole glory of Divinity.

Here both aspects are admirably brought together by the Evangelist in one word, when he says that the Father heard Christ, but that Christ gives thanks, so that men may know that he was sent by the Father—that is, so that they may acknowledge him as the Son of God. Since Christ's majesty cannot be perceived in its true elevation, the power of God, which appeared in his flesh, gradually raised the gross and dull senses of men to this elevation. For since he intended to be entirely ours, we should not be surprised if he accommodates himself to us in various ways; and as he even allowed himself to be emptied (Philippians 2:7) for us, there is no absurdity in saying that he humbles himself for our sake.