The Death of Lazarus
1 At this time a man named Lazarus was sick. He lived in Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 (Mary, whose brother Lazarus was sick, was to anoint the Lord with perfume and wipe His feeta with her hair.) 3 So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one You love is sick.”
4 When Jesus heard this, He said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”
5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So on hearing that Lazarus was sick, He stayed where He was for two days, 7 and then He said to the disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”
8 “Rabbi,” they replied, “the Jews just tried to stone You, and You are going back there?”
9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? If anyone walks in the daytime, he will not stumble, because he sees by the light of this world. 10 But if anyone walks at night, he will stumble, because he has no light.”
11 After He had said this, He told them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to wake him up.”
12 His disciples replied, “Lord, if he is sleeping, he will get better.” 13 They thought that Jesus was talking about actual sleep, but He was speaking about the death of Lazarus.
14 So Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, 15 and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”
16 Then Thomas called Didymusb said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, so that we may die with Him.”
Jesus Comforts Martha and Mary
17 When Jesus arrived, He found that Lazarus had already spent four days in the tomb. 18 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, a little less than two milesc away, 19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them in the loss of their brother. 20 So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet Him, but Mary stayed at home.
21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that God will give You whatever You ask of Him.”
23 “Your brother will rise again,” Jesus told her.
24 Martha replied, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me will live, even though he dies. 26 And everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”
27 “Yes, Lord,” she answered, “I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.”
28 After Martha had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside to tell her, “The Teacher is here and is asking for you.” 29 And when Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to Him.
30 Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met Him. 31 When the Jews who were in the house consoling Mary saw how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there. 32 When Mary came to Jesus and saw Him, she fell at His feet and said, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.”
33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spiritd and troubled. 34 “Where have you put him?” He asked.
“Come and see, Lord,” they answered.
35 Jesus wept.
36 Then the Jews said, “See how He loved him!”
37 But some of them asked, “Could not this man who opened the eyes of the blind also have kept Lazarus from dying?”
Jesus Raises Lazarus
(Acts 9:36–43)
38 Jesus, once again deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. 39 “Take away the stone,” Jesus said.
“Lord, by now he stinks,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man. “It has already been four days.”
40 Jesus replied, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?”
41 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus lifted His eyes upward and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. 42 I knew that You always hear Me, but I say this for the benefit of the people standing here, so they may believe that You sent Me.”
43 After Jesus had said this, He called out in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”
44 The man who had been dead came out with his hands and feet bound in strips of linen, and his face wrapped in a cloth.e
“Unwrap him and let him go,” Jesus told them.
The Plot to Kill Jesus
(Matthew 26:1–5; Mark 14:1–2; Luke 22:1–2)
45 Therefore many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, believed in Him. 46 But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done.
47 Then the chief priests and Pharisees convened the Sanhedrinf and said, “What are we to do? This man is performing many signs. 48 If we let Him go on like this, everyone will believe in Him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.”
49 But one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all! 50 You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.”
51 Caiaphas did not say this on his own. Instead, as high priest that year, he was prophesying that Jesus would die for the nation, 52 and not only for the nation, but also for the scattered children of God, to gather them together into one.
53 So from that day on they plotted to kill Him. 54 As a result, Jesus no longer went about publicly among the Jews, but He withdrew to a town called Ephraim in an area near the wilderness. And He stayed there with the disciples.
55 Now the Jewish Passover was near, and many people went up from the country to Jerusalem to purify themselves before the Passover. 56 They kept looking for Jesus and asking one another as they stood in the temple courts,g “What do you think? Will He come to the feast at all?” 57 But the chief priests and Pharisees had given orders that anyone who knew where He was must report it, so that they could arrest Him.
Verses 1–6 – A Sickness with Purpose
The sisters in Bethany send word that their brother Lazarus is gravely ill. Jesus, still across the Jordan, declares, “This sickness will not end in death, but is for the glory of God.” He purposely delays two days, showing that divine timing often outruns human urgency.
Verses 7–16 – A Journey Back to Danger
When Jesus announces He will return to Judea, the disciples remind Him of the recent threats on His life. He answers with the picture of twelve daylight hours and presses on. Thomas, often called the doubter, shows raw courage: “Let us also go, that we may die with Him.”
Verses 17–27 – Martha Meets the Life-Giver
Arriving in Bethany, Jesus learns Lazarus has been in the tomb four days—past any hope of natural recovery. Martha meets Him with mingled faith and grief. Jesus declares, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me will live, even though he dies” (11:25). Martha affirms, “I believe that You are the Christ.”
Verses 28–37 – Shared Tears
Mary comes, falls at Jesus’ feet, and repeats her sister’s lament. Surrounded by weeping friends, Jesus is “deeply moved in spirit” and weeps—the shortest and one of the most powerful verses in Scripture (11:35). Bystanders marvel at His love; some criticize His apparent delay.
Verses 38–44 – The Tomb Opens
Standing before the cave-tomb, Jesus orders the stone removed. Martha protests the odor of four-day decay, but Jesus calls her back to faith. He prays aloud, then cries, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man walks forth, still bound in grave cloths. Jesus commands, “Unbind him and let him go.”
Verses 45–57 – Growing Opposition
Many witnesses believe. Others report to Jerusalem, where the chief priests and Pharisees convene. Caiaphas prophesies that one man should die for the nation. From that day on they plan to kill Jesus, while He withdraws to Ephraim until the Passover draws near.
Historical and Cultural Setting
• Bethany lay two miles east of Jerusalem, an easy Sabbath walk (cf. 11:18). Its name means “house of affliction,” fitting the family’s ordeal.
• Jewish burials wrapped the body with linen and spices, then sealed it in a rock-hewn tomb. Four days mattered: rabbis taught the spirit hovered near the corpse for three days but departed on the fourth, sealing the verdict of death.
• Public mourning included loud wailing, flute-playing, and friends sitting shiva (seven days of grief). The scene explains the crowd gathered around Mary and Martha.
Archaeological Notes
• First-century tombs around Jerusalem match John’s description: a low entrance, a groove for a rolling stone, and recesses for bodies.
• Excavations on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives reveal villages the size of Bethany with oil presses and water cisterns, showing why the area was a frequent rest stop for travelers and pilgrims.
• Ossuaries (bone boxes) from this era attest to the Jewish custom of secondary burial—a year after initial interment. Lazarus was raised before such practice began, underscoring the miracle’s immediacy.
Characters in Focus
• Lazarus: His name means “God has helped.” Ironically, he helps Jesus by becoming living proof of His authority over death.
• Martha: Practical, outspoken, yet profoundly trusting. Her confession (11:27) rivals Peter’s in Matthew 16:16.
• Mary: Quietly devoted, later anoints Jesus with perfume (12:3). Her posture at His feet echoes Luke 10:39.
• Thomas: Often remembered for doubt, yet here he models loyalty.
• Caiaphas: High priest from AD 18-36; Josephus confirms his role. His statement (11:50) unwittingly voices God’s redemptive plan.
Key Truths and Themes
1. Jesus rules over life and death. The resurrection is not merely future; it stands in a Person (11:25-26).
2. Delay does not equal indifference. God’s timing magnifies His glory (cf. Isaiah 55:8-9).
3. Genuine faith lives amid grief. Martha and Mary voice honest sorrow yet cling to hope.
4. Jesus shares human emotion. “He wept” shows full identification with our pain (Hebrews 4:15).
5. Miracles divide. The same sign softens some hearts and hardens others (cf. Exodus 7:13).
Scripture Connections
• Old Testament hints of resurrection: 1 Kings 17:22; 2 Kings 4:35; Isaiah 26:19; Daniel 12:2.
• Jesus’ earlier resurrections: Jairus’s daughter (Mark 5:41-42) and the widow’s son at Nain (Luke 7:14-15). Lazarus’s case is unique—four days dead, near Jerusalem, many witnesses.
• “I am” sayings: Compare “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35), “light of the world” (8:12), “good shepherd” (10:14), all pointing to His divine identity revealed to Moses in Exodus 3:14.
• Plot to kill: Psalm 2:2-3 foreshadows rulers banding together against the Lord’s Anointed.
• Caiaphas’s prophecy connects to Isaiah 53:5—one man suffering for many.
Geography and Travel Notes
• Jesus likely crossed the Jordan at Bethany-beyond-the-Jordan (1:28) or near it, a day’s journey from Bethany near Jerusalem.
• Ephraim (11:54) sits in the rugged hill country north of Jerusalem, providing a quiet retreat.
• The Passover route drew crowds from Galilee through Jericho and up the Ascent of Adummim, passing close to Bethany, explaining the influx of visitors.
The Miracle in Context
• John structures his Gospel around seven major signs; Lazarus’s resurrection is the seventh and climactic sign before the cross.
• It foreshadows Jesus’ own resurrection yet differs: Lazarus returns to mortal life and later dies again; Jesus rises never to die, the “firstfruits” (1 Corinthians 15:20).
Practical Takeaways
• When God seems late, keep trusting; He may be aiming for something larger than immediate relief.
• Tears are not a lack of faith. Jesus wept aloud even as He prepared to raise Lazarus.
• Faith grows by seeing who Jesus is, not by having all questions answered.
• Courage sometimes looks ordinary—Thomas simply walking back into danger.
• New life demands unbinding. Jesus raises Lazarus; the community unwraps him, a picture of believers helping one another shed remnants of the old life.
Simple Word Insights
• “Deeply moved” (embrimáomai) carries a sense of outrage, as though Jesus snorts with anger at death’s intrusion.
• “Come out” (deuro exō) is forceful yet personal; Jesus calls Lazarus by name so only one dead man responds.
Foreshadowing the Cross
• The miracle accelerates opposition, setting the stage for Good Friday. The raising of one man leads to the death of Another, which in turn opens eternal life for all who believe.
• Caiaphas means the plot for evil; God weaves it for redemption (Genesis 50:20).
Conclusion
John 11 showcases Jesus as compassionate friend, unflinching Savior, and conquering Lord—standing before an open grave so that every believer might face death with hope and hear, one day, the same liberating command: “Come out!”
1. Jesus' Timing is Perfect
In John 11, we learn that Jesus' timing is impeccable, even when it seems delayed to us. When Jesus heard that Lazarus was sick, He stayed where He was for two more days. This might seem puzzling, but it was all part of a greater plan. As Jesus said, "This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it" (John 11:4). Trust that His timing is always perfect, even when it doesn't align with our own schedules.
2. Faith Overcomes Fear
When Jesus decided to return to Judea, His disciples were concerned about the danger. Yet, Jesus encouraged them to walk in the light of faith, saying, "Are there not twelve hours of daylight? If anyone walks in the daytime, he will not stumble, because he sees by the light of this world" (John 11:9). This teaches us that faith in Jesus dispels fear and guides us safely through life's challenges.
3. Jesus Understands Our Grief
Jesus' compassion is evident when He sees Mary and the others weeping for Lazarus. "Jesus wept" (John 11:35), showing that He deeply understands and shares in our sorrows. This brief but powerful verse reminds us that we have a Savior who empathizes with our pain and walks with us through our darkest moments.
4. The Power of Belief
Martha's conversation with Jesus highlights the transformative power of belief. Jesus assures her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me will live, even though he dies" (John 11:25). This promise is a cornerstone of our faith, emphasizing that belief in Jesus brings eternal life and hope beyond the grave.
5. Jesus' Authority Over Death
The resurrection of Lazarus is a profound demonstration of Jesus' authority over death. When Jesus commands, "Lazarus, come out!" (John 11:43), it is a powerful reminder that He holds the keys to life and death. This miracle foreshadows His own resurrection and assures us of His ultimate victory over death.
6. God's Glory Revealed Through Trials
The story of Lazarus teaches us that our trials can serve a greater purpose. Jesus explains, "It is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it" (John 11:4). Our struggles can be opportunities for God's glory to shine through, strengthening our faith and witnessing to others.
7. The Importance of Community
When Lazarus emerges from the tomb, Jesus instructs those around him to "Unbind him and let him go" (John 11:44). This act underscores the importance of community in our spiritual journey. We are called to support and uplift one another, helping to remove the bindings that hold us back.
8. Jesus' Mission is Unstoppable
Despite the growing opposition, Jesus remains focused on His mission. The plot to kill Him intensifies, yet His resolve is unwavering. This teaches us that God's plans cannot be thwarted by human schemes. As we align ourselves with His purpose, we can trust in His unstoppable mission.
9. The Role of Witnessing
Many who witnessed the miracle of Lazarus believed in Jesus, while others reported it to the Pharisees. This illustrates the impact of witnessing God's work. Our testimonies can lead others to faith, as "many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, believed in Him" (John 11:45).
10. The Assurance of Jesus' Love
Throughout John 11, we see the depth of Jesus' love for Lazarus, Mary, and Martha. His actions and words reassure us of His unwavering love for each of us. As we navigate life's challenges, we can rest in the assurance that we are deeply loved by our Savior, who is always working for our good.
Strength in Trials
Ask God to reveal His glory through your trials and to strengthen your faith.
Compassion for Others
Pray for a heart that mirrors Jesus' compassion, to weep with those who weep.
Faith in Jesus' Power
Pray for a deepened faith in Jesus' power over life and death.
Boldness to Speak Life
Ask for the courage to speak God's Word into difficult situations, trusting in its power to bring change.
2. Why does this major miracle only appear in John and not in the other Gospels (John 11)?
4. Could Lazarus have been mistaken for dead rather than truly resurrected (John 11:14)?
1. How does Jesus' response to Lazarus' illness deepen your understanding of divine timing and purpose?
2. How does Martha's interaction with Jesus reflect her faith and understanding of His identity?
3. What does Jesus' emotional response to Lazarus' death reveal about His nature and character?
4. How does Lazarus' resurrection underscore Jesus' power and authority?
5. What can you learn from the different responses of the Jews who witnessed Lazarus' resurrection?
6. How does the plot of the Pharisees to kill Jesus reflect the growing tension between Jesus and the religious leaders?
7. How does Jesus' statement, "I am the resurrection and the life," impact your understanding of His role and mission?
8. How does this chapter deepen your understanding of the connection between faith and eternal life?
9. In what ways does this chapter challenge traditional perspectives on death and life?
10. How does the resurrection of Lazarus give you hope in times of personal loss or grief?
11. How can Martha's and Mary's different responses to their brother's death inform your response to suffering?
12. How can you apply the message of divine timing presented in this chapter to your life circumstances?
13. What does this chapter teach you about the power of prayer, as demonstrated by Jesus' prayer at Lazarus' tomb?
14. How does this chapter encourage you to persevere in faith amidst trials and opposition?
15. Reflect on the theme of spiritual awakening as presented in this chapter.
16. How does Jesus' retreat to a remote region after the plot to kill Him reflect His wisdom and discernment?
17. In what ways does this chapter illuminate the cost of discipleship?
18. How does the miracle of Lazarus' resurrection resonate with your personal faith journey?
19. How can the themes and messages of this chapter inspire you to live out your faith more boldly?
20. Reflect on the entire chapter. How does the story of Lazarus' resurrection deepen your understanding of Jesus' identity and mission?