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John 11 · Berean Standard Bible

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¹At 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 feet with her hair.) ³So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one You love is sick.” ⁴When 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.” ⁵Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. ⁶So on hearing that Lazarus was sick, He stayed where He was for two days, ⁷and 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?” ⁹Jesus 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. ¹⁰But if anyone walks at night, he will stumble, because he has no light.” ¹¹After He had said this, He told them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to wake him up.” ¹²His disciples replied, “Lord, if he is sleeping, he will get better.” ¹³They thought that Jesus was talking about actual sleep, but He was speaking about the death of Lazarus. ¹⁴So Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, ¹⁵and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” ¹⁶Then Thomas called Didymus said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, so that we may die with Him.” ¹⁷When Jesus arrived, He found that Lazarus had already spent four days in the tomb. ¹⁸Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, a little less than two miles away, ¹⁹and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them in the loss of their brother. ²⁰So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet Him; but Mary stayed at home. ²¹Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. ²²But even now I know that God will give You whatever You ask of Him.” ²³“Your brother will rise again,” Jesus told her. ²⁴Martha replied, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” ²⁵Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me will live, even though he dies. ²⁶And 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.” ²⁸After 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.” ²⁹And when Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to Him. ³⁰Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met Him. ³¹When 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. ³²When 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.” ³³When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. ³⁴“Where have you put him?” He asked. “Come and see, Lord,” they answered. ³⁵Jesus wept. ³⁶Then the Jews said, “See how He loved him!” ³⁷But some of them asked, “Could not this man who opened the eyes of the blind also have kept Lazarus from dying?” ³⁸Jesus, 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.” ⁴⁰Jesus replied, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” ⁴¹So they took away the stone. Then Jesus lifted His eyes upward and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. ⁴²I 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.” ⁴³After Jesus had said this, He called out in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” ⁴⁴The man who had been dead came out with his hands and feet bound in strips of linen, and his face wrapped in a cloth. “Unwrap him and let him go,” Jesus told them. ⁴⁵Therefore many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, believed in Him. ⁴⁶But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. ⁴⁷Then the chief priests and Pharisees convened the Sanhedrin and said, “What are we to do? This man is performing many signs. ⁴⁸If 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.” ⁴⁹But one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all! ⁵⁰You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.” ⁵¹Caiaphas did not say this on his own. Instead, as high priest that year, he was prophesying that Jesus would die for the nation, ⁵²and not only for the nation, but also for the scattered children of God, to gather them together into one. ⁵³So from that day on they plotted to kill Him. ⁵⁴As 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. ⁵⁵Now the Jewish Passover was near, and many people went up from the country to Jerusalem to purify themselves before the Passover. ⁵⁶They kept looking for Jesus and asking one another as they stood in the temple courts, “What do you think? Will He come to the feast at all?” ⁵⁷But the chief priests and Pharisees had given orders that anyone who knew where He was must report it, so that they could arrest Him.

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John

John 11

The Resurrection and the Glory of God Revealed in Lazarus

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Objective

To reveal Jesus as the resurrection and the life, demonstrating His power over death and His glory through the raising of Lazarus, deepening faith and confronting the reality of eternal life.

Overview

John 11 unfolds the poignant story of Lazarus, a beloved friend of Jesus, whose death and resurrection become the stage for Jesus to declare His divine authority over life and death. The chapter moves from sickness to death, from grief to hope, and from human limitation to divine power. Jesus’ deliberate delay, His compassionate response to mourning, and His authoritative command to Lazarus to come forth reveal the glory of God and invite belief in Him as the source of eternal life.

Detailed Analysis

Event Description

Lazarus of Bethany, brother to Mary and Martha, is gravely ill. His sisters send word to Jesus, 'Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick.' Jesus responds that the sickness will not end in death but serve to glorify God. Despite His love for Lazarus and his family, Jesus remains two days longer where He is before deciding to return to Judea, a place of danger. His disciples express concern, yet Jesus speaks of walking in the day and not stumbling, indicating His confidence in divine timing and purpose. He tells them plainly, 'Lazarus is dead,' and resolves to awaken him from death’s sleep, foreshadowing the coming miracle.

Central Themes

Divine sovereignty over illness and death

Jesus’ love intertwined with divine purpose

faith that trusts God’s timing

the metaphor of death as sleep

courage to face danger for God’s glory.

Cultural & Historical Context

Bethany, near Jerusalem, is a small village known for its close ties to Jesus’ ministry. Jewish understanding of death as sleep is present, but resurrection remains a future hope. Jesus’ return to Judea amidst threats reflects His commitment to God’s mission despite human risk. The disciples’ concern reveals the tension between human fear and divine calling.

Key Verse

John 11:4

Vivid Artistic Descriptions

The Sickness and Jesus’ Delay (Verses 1–16)

A quiet village at dusk, with a shadowed house where sickness dwells. Outside, a distant figure of Jesus remains still, bathed in a soft, purposeful light, embodying calm patience amid urgency.

Martha’s Confession and Jesus’ Declaration (Verses 17–27)

A meeting at the gate of a village, Martha standing with a mixture of grief and hope, eyes lifted toward a radiant Jesus whose presence shines like dawn breaking through clouds, symbolizing resurrection and life.

Mary’s Mourning and Jesus’ Compassion (Verses 28–37)

Mary collapsed at Jesus’ feet, tears flowing like a gentle stream, while Jesus’ face reflects deep sorrow and love, a tender light surrounding them amidst a crowd of mourners cloaked in muted tones.

The Resurrection of Lazarus (Verses 38–44)

A dark tomb with the heavy stone rolled away, from which Lazarus steps forth, wrapped in graveclothes but alive, bathed in brilliant, life-giving light emanating from Jesus, who stands with arms outstretched in command.

The Aftermath and Plot Against Jesus (Verses 45–57)

A shadowed council chamber filled with stern faces plotting, contrasted with a solitary Jesus walking away into a wilderness landscape under a rising moon, symbolizing looming conflict and divine purpose.

Song

Tears Before the Tomb (The Word in Jazz)

Stanza 1

You loved them through the waiting; Their brother breathed his last. You walked toward the danger; Their hope rehearsed the past.

Stanza 2

“I am the resurrection, The life”—and Martha heard. Then Mary wept before You; Your tears outspoke all words.

Stanza 3

The stone moved from the entrance; Your thanks rose to the sky. “Come forth”—and death surrendered The man it could not hide.

Stanza 4

Some trusted; others plotted; One spoke beyond his knowing: One life would die for many, God’s scattered children gathering.

Practical Application

Personal Life

Trust God’s timing even when circumstances seem dire; His delays serve a greater purpose.

Embrace Jesus as the source of life beyond physical death, anchoring hope in His resurrection power.

Allow Jesus’ compassion to comfort you in grief, knowing He shares your sorrows deeply.

Community & Society

Support those who mourn with empathy, reflecting Jesus’ tender heart.

Encourage faith in Christ’s power over death, fostering hope in your community.

Stand courageously for truth and life amid opposition, following Jesus’ example.

Global Perspective

Proclaim the gospel of resurrection and eternal life to a world shadowed by death and despair.

Pray for leaders and authorities to recognize God’s redemptive plan and cease opposition to His work.

Promote unity among believers worldwide, gathered as God’s scattered children, through the power of Christ’s resurrection.

Conclusion

John 11 stands as a profound testament to Jesus’ authority over death and His identity as the resurrection and the life. Through the death and raising of Lazarus, Jesus reveals the glory of God, invites faith that transcends earthly loss, and prepares the way for His own death and resurrection. His compassion comforts the grieving, His power conquers the grave, and His words call all to believe in the promise of eternal life.