CLARITY EDITION · OLD TESTAMENT
John 11
Chapter 11 of 21
Chapter Overview
What happens in John 11
Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead in Bethany, performing the greatest of his seven signs in John's Gospel. This miracle leads to both faith among witnesses and a plot by the Jewish council to kill Jesus. The chapter reveals Jesus as 'the resurrection and the life' and displays his deep compassion through the shortest verse in Scripture: 'Jesus wept.'
Scripture
John 11
The Death of Lazarus
Study note
When Jesus receives word that his beloved friend Lazarus is sick, he deliberately waits two more days before traveling to Bethany, stating that this sickness is for the glory of God. His disciples are alarmed because the Jewish leaders in Judaea want to kill him. Jesus uses the metaphor of Lazarus sleeping before plainly declaring that Lazarus has died, adding that he is glad for their sake so they may believe. Thomas courageously urges the disciples to go and die with Jesus.
1 A man named Lazarus had become very sick. He lived in the village of Bethany, the same town where Mary and her sister Martha lived. Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.
2 (Mary was the woman who later poured expensive perfume on Jesus's feet and dried them with her hair. Lazarus, the sick man, was her brother.) (It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.)
3 So the two sisters sent an urgent message to Jesus: "Lord, your dear friend is terribly sick." Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick.
4 When Jesus heard the news, he said, "The point of this sickness is not death. It is going to put God's glory on display and bring honor to the Son of God." When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.
5 Jesus deeply loved Martha, her sister Mary, and Lazarus. Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus.
6 But even after hearing that Lazarus was sick, Jesus stayed right where he was for two more days. When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was.
7 After those two days, he told his followers, "Let us head back to Judaea." Then after that saith he to his disciples, Let us go into Judæa again.
8 His followers protested: "Teacher! The Jewish leaders tried to kill you with stones over there. You want to go back?" His disciples say unto him, Master, the Jews of late sought to stone thee; and goest thou thither again?
9 Jesus said, "There are twelve hours of daylight, right? A person who walks during the day does not trip and fall because the light of this world is shining on them." Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world.
10 "But someone who walks around at night stumbles because there is no light to guide them." But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him.
11 Then he told them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, and I am going to go wake him up." These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep.
12 His followers said, "Lord, if he is just sleeping, he will get better on his own." Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well.
13 They thought Jesus meant regular sleep. But he was truly telling them that Lazarus had died. Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep.
14 So Jesus told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead." Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.
15 "And honestly, for your sake I am glad I was not there when it happened, because what you are about to see will help you believe. Come on, let us go to him." And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him.
16 Thomas (also called Didymus, meaning "Twin") said to the other followers, "We might as well go and die with him." Then said Thomas, which is called Didymus, unto his fellowdisciples, Let us also go, that we may die with him.
I Am the Resurrection and the Life
Study note
Arriving four days after Lazarus' death, Jesus meets Martha on the road. She expresses faith that her brother would not have died had Jesus been present. Jesus declares, 'I am the resurrection and the life,' promising that whoever believes in him will live even after death. Martha confesses him as the Christ, the Son of God. When Mary falls weeping at Jesus' feet with the same words Martha spoke, Jesus is deeply moved and weeps -- the shortest verse in Scripture, revealing his genuine compassion in the face of human grief.
17 When Jesus got there, he found out that Lazarus had already been lying in the tomb for four days. Then when Jesus came, he found that he had lain in the grave four days already.
18 Bethany was only about two miles from Jerusalem. Now Bethany was nigh unto Jerusalem, about fifteen furlongs off:
19 Quite a few Jewish people had come to be with Martha and Mary and comfort them over the loss of their brother. And many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.
20 When Martha got word that Jesus was on his way, she rushed out to meet him on the road. Mary stayed behind at the house. Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary sat still in the house.
21 Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would still be alive." Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.
22 "But even now, I know that whatever you ask God for, God will give it to you." But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee.
23 Jesus told her, "Your brother is going to come back to life." Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again.
24 Martha said, "I know he will come back to life at the resurrection on the last day." Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall 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, though they were dead, yet shall they live." Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
26 "And everyone who is alive and believes in me will never truly die. Do you believe that?" And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?
27 "Yes, Lord!" she said. "I believe with all my heart that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one everyone has been waiting for." She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.
28 After saying this, Martha went back and quietly pulled her sister Mary aside. "The Teacher is here," she whispered, "and he is asking for you." And when she had so said, she went her way, and called Mary her sister secretly, saying, The Master is come, and calleth for thee.
29 The moment Mary heard that, she jumped up and hurried out to meet him. As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly, and came unto him.
30 Jesus had not yet come into the village -- he was still at the spot on the road where Martha had met him. Now Jesus was not yet come into the town, but was in that place where Martha met him.
31 The Jewish friends who had been sitting with Mary in the house saw her suddenly get up and rush outside. They followed her, thinking she was heading to the tomb to weep. The Jews then which were with her in the house, and comforted her, when they saw Mary, that she rose up hastily and went out, followed her, saying, She goeth unto the grave to weep there.
32 When Mary reached Jesus, she dropped to the ground at his feet, crying, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.
33 When Jesus saw Mary crying, and the people with her crying too, he felt deep pain in his heart. He was deeply shaken. When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled,
34 "Where did you put him?" he asked. They said, "Come with us, Lord, and we will show you." And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see.
35 Jesus cried. Jesus wept.
36 The Jewish people watching said, "Look at how much he loved Lazarus!" Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him!
37 But some of them asked, "He opened the eyes of a blind man. Could he not have done something to keep Lazarus from dying?" And some of them said, Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died?
Lazarus Raised from the Dead
Study note
At the tomb, Jesus commands the stone to be removed despite Martha's concern about the smell of decay after four days. After praying aloud to the Father for the sake of the witnesses, Jesus cries with a loud voice, 'Lazarus, come out!' The dead man emerges still wrapped in burial cloths, and Jesus instructs them to unbind him. This climactic sign demonstrates Jesus' absolute authority over death itself, foreshadowing his own resurrection.
38 With deep emotion stirring inside him again, Jesus walked over to the tomb. It was a cave, and a large stone was covering the entrance. Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it.
39 "Move the stone aside," Jesus said. Martha, the dead man's sister, protested, "Lord, he has been in there for four days. The smell will be terrible by now." Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days.
40 Jesus said to her, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would get to see God's glory?" Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?
41 So they rolled the stone away. Jesus looked up toward heaven and prayed, "Father, thank you for hearing me." Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.
42 "I know you always hear me. But I am saying this out loud so that all these people standing here will believe that you are the one who sent me." And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me.
43 Then he shouted at the top of his lungs, "Lazarus, come out!" And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.
44 And out came the dead man, still wrapped head to toe in burial cloth. Jesus said, "Take off those cloths and let him go free." And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.
The Plot to Kill Jesus
Study note
The raising of Lazarus produces a sharp division: many Jews believe in Jesus, but others report the miracle to the Pharisees. The Sanhedrin convenes in alarm, fearing that if Jesus continues, everyone will believe and the Romans will destroy the nation. Caiaphas the high priest unknowingly prophesies that Jesus would die for the nation -- and not for that nation only, but to gather God's scattered children into one. From that day, the council actively plots Jesus' death, and he withdraws to a town called Ephraim near the wilderness.
45 Many of the Jewish people who had come to comfort Mary watched this happen, and they believed in Jesus. Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him.
46 But a few of them ran off to the Pharisees and reported what Jesus had done. But some of them went their ways to the Pharisees, and told them what things Jesus had done.
47 The chief priests and Pharisees quickly called an emergency meeting. "What are we going to do about this?" they asked. "This man keeps performing one miracle after another." Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we? for this man doeth many miracles.
48 "If we let him keep going, before long everyone will believe in him. Then the Roman army will come and destroy our temple and our nation." If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation.
49 Caiaphas, who was serving as the high priest that year, spoke up and said, "You people are missing the obvious." And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all,
50 "Think about it. It is better for one man to die for the whole nation than for the whole nation to be wiped out." Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not.
51 He did not come up with this idea himself. As the high priest that year, God used him to prophesy that Jesus was going to die for the Jewish nation. And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation;
52 And not just for the Jewish nation. He would also bring together all of God's scattered children from everywhere and unite them as one. And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad.
53 From that day forward, the leaders began making concrete plans to have Jesus killed. Then from that day forth they took counsel together for to put him to death.
54 Because of this, Jesus stopped showing himself publicly among the Jewish people. He went to a town called Ephraim, near the edge of the wilderness, and stayed there with his followers. Jesus therefore walked no more openly among the Jews; but went thence unto a country near to the wilderness, into a city called Ephraim, and there continued with his disciples.
55 The Jewish Passover was getting close. Many people from the countryside went up to Jerusalem early. They wanted to go through the cleaning ceremonies before the feast. And the Jews' passover was nigh at hand: and many went out of the country up to Jerusalem before the passover, to purify themselves.
56 They kept looking around for Jesus in the temple and asking each other, "What do you think? Is he going to show up for the feast or not?" Then sought they for Jesus, and spake among themselves, as they stood in the temple, What think ye, that he will not come to the feast?
57 The chief priests and Pharisees had already given an order. If anyone saw Jesus, they should report where he was right away so he could be arrested. Now both the chief priests and the Pharisees had given a commandment, that, if any man knew where he were, he should shew it, that they might take him.
Key Themes
Themes in John 11
Jesus as the resurrection and the lifeFaith in the face of deathThe compassion of JesusGod's timing versus human urgencyUnintended prophecyThe cost of miracles
Prophetic Connections
How this chapter points to Christ
John 11:50-52 Isaiah 53:8
Caiaphas unknowingly echoes Isaiah's prophecy of the suffering servant who would be cut off from the land of the living and bear the sins of many, prophesying that Jesus would die not only for Israel but to gather all of God's scattered children.
Apply This Today
Living John 11
Martha and Mary's grief shows us that it is acceptable to bring our pain and confusion honestly to Jesus, even questioning why he did not act sooner. Jesus' declaration as the resurrection and the life transforms how we face death -- not as a final ending but as a doorway to eternal life for those who believe. The fact that Jesus wept alongside the mourners assures us that our Savior is not distant from our suffering but enters into it with genuine compassion.
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