John 11

John 11 tells the story of the resurrection of Lazarus, a close friend of Jesus who had died. This chapter is pivotal as it reveals Jesus' divine authority over life and death and foreshadows His own resurrection. As Jesus delays His visit, Lazarus dies, allowing Jesus to demonstrate God’s glory by raising him. The chapter culminates in a powerful display of faith, love, and divine power, while also heightening the tension between Jesus and the Jewish leaders, who view His miracles as a threat.

John 11:1-10 (NKJV)
1 Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.
2 It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.
3 Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.”
4 When Jesus heard that, He said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”
5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
6 So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was.
7 Then after this He said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.”
8 The disciples said to Him, “Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone You, and are You going there again?”
9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.
10 But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.”

In these verses, we see Jesus’ deep connection to Lazarus and his sisters. Despite His love for them, He delays visiting to reveal God’s glory. Jesus’ response shows that He has a purpose beyond what seems urgent; He intends to reveal God’s power through Lazarus’s situation. The disciples’ concern highlights the danger of returning to Judea, where Jesus was recently threatened. Yet, Jesus indicates that His mission aligns with God’s timing, and as long as He walks in God’s light, no harm can thwart His purpose.

John 11:11-16 (NKJV)
11 These things He said, and after that He said to them, “Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.”
12 Then His disciples said, “Lord, if he sleeps he will get well.”
13 However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep.
14 Then Jesus said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead.
15 And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe. Nevertheless let us go to him.”
16 Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with Him.”

Here, Jesus uses the metaphor of sleep to describe Lazarus’s death, indicating His view of death as temporary for those who trust in Him. The disciples misunderstand, but Jesus clarifies Lazarus’s death to explain the purpose behind His delay: building their faith. Thomas’s response reflects both loyalty and resignation, showing his willingness to follow Jesus, even into danger.

John 11:17-27 (NKJV)
17 So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days.
18 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away.
19 And many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.
20 Now Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house.
21 Then Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.
22 But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.”
23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
24 Martha said to Him, “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. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.
26 And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
27 She said to Him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”

Martha’s faith shines as she approaches Jesus, lamenting His absence yet trusting in His power. Jesus reassures her with the promise of resurrection, which Martha interprets as a future event. Jesus then reveals His identity as “the resurrection and the life,” showing that eternal life and resurrection are found in Him. Martha’s confession of faith acknowledges Jesus as the Messiah and the Son of God.

John 11:28-37 (NKJV)
28 And when she had said these things, she went her way and secretly called Mary her sister, saying, “The Teacher has come and is calling for you.”
29 As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly and came to Him.
30 Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him.
31 Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, “She is going to the tomb to weep there.”
32 Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.”
33 Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled.
34 And He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.”
35 Jesus wept.
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?”

Mary echoes Martha’s grief and faith, believing that Jesus could have saved Lazarus. Jesus’ response is deeply emotional; He weeps, showing His compassion and love. This profound empathy reflects Jesus’ humanity and His divine love, resonating with the mourners and intensifying the tension as others question why He did not prevent Lazarus’s death.

John 11:38-44 (NKJV)
38 Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it.
39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.”
40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?”
41 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.
42 And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.”
43 Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!”
44 And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.”

At the tomb, Jesus commands the stone to be removed, despite Martha’s concern about the smell, showing His intention to perform a miracle beyond expectations. Jesus’s prayer acknowledges His unity with the Father, making the miracle a testimony for those present. With His powerful command, Lazarus emerges alive, demonstrating Jesus’ power over death and affirming His identity as the source of life.

John 11:45-57 (NKJV)
45 Then many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him.
46 But some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the things Jesus did.
47 Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, “What shall we do? For this Man works many signs.
48 If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation.”
49 And one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all,
50 nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish.”
51 Now this he did not say on his own authority; but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation,
52 and not for that nation only, but also that He would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad.
53 Then, from that day on, they plotted to put Him to death.
54 Therefore Jesus no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there into the country near the wilderness, to a city called Ephraim, and there remained with His disciples.

Following the miraculous resurrection of Lazarus, many of the Jews who witnessed it believed in Jesus. However, some went to the Pharisees, concerned that Jesus’ growing influence could provoke a Roman response. The religious leaders feared that Jesus’ popularity might destabilize their control, possibly leading to Roman intervention and the loss of their power and nation. Caiaphas, the high priest, proposed that it would be better for one man (Jesus) to die than for the entire nation to suffer, unknowingly prophesying Jesus’ sacrificial death for humanity. From that point, the leaders intensified their plans to kill Him, prompting Jesus to withdraw to a quieter region, preparing for the unfolding events of His final days.

John 11:55-57 (NKJV)
55 And the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went from the country up to Jerusalem before the Passover, to purify themselves.
56 Then they sought Jesus, and spoke among themselves as they stood in the temple, “What do you think—that He will not come to the feast?”
57 Now both the chief priests and the Pharisees had given a command, that if anyone knew where He was, he should report it, that they might seize Him.

As Passover approaches, people gather in Jerusalem, engaging in rituals of purification. Among the crowd, there is much speculation about whether Jesus will attend the feast, given the heightened threat against Him. The chief priests and Pharisees have issued a directive for His arrest, revealing the mounting tension and their resolve to capture Him. This moment sets the stage for the climax of Jesus’ mission and the growing anticipation of the people, who sense the significance of what might unfold at the Passover.