Lazarus Dies at Bethany

11 Now a man was sick, Lazarus, from Bethany,(A) the village of Mary and her sister Martha.(B) Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair,(C) and it was her brother Lazarus who was sick. So the sisters sent a message to Him: “Lord, the one You love is sick.”

When Jesus heard it, He said, “This sickness will not end in death but is for the glory of God,(D) so that the Son of God(E) may be glorified through it.” Now Jesus loved Martha, her sister, and Lazarus. So when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was. Then after that, He said to the disciples, “Let’s go to Judea(F) again.”

“Rabbi,”(G) the disciples told Him, “just now the Jews tried to stone You,(H) and You’re going there again?”

“Aren’t there 12 hours in a day?” Jesus answered. “If anyone walks during the day, he doesn’t stumble, because he sees the light of this world.(I) 10 If anyone walks during the night,(J) he does stumble, because the light is not in him.” 11 He said this, and then He told them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep,(K) but I’m on My way to wake him up.”

12 Then the disciples said to Him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will get well.”

13 Jesus, however, was speaking about his death, but they thought He was speaking about natural sleep. 14 So Jesus then told them plainly, “Lazarus has died. 15 I’m glad for you that I wasn’t there so that you may believe. But let’s go to him.”

16 Then Thomas(L) (called “Twin”) said to his fellow disciples, “Let’s go so that we may die with Him.”

The Resurrection and the Life

17 When Jesus arrived, He found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb(M) four days. 18 Bethany was near Jerusalem(N) (about two miles[a] away). 19 Many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them about their brother. 20 As soon as Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet Him. But Mary remained seated in the house.

21 Then Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother wouldn’t have died. 22 Yet even now I know that whatever You ask from God, God will give You.”

23 “Your brother will rise(O) again,” Jesus told her.

24 Martha said, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”(P)

25 Jesus said to her, “I am(Q) the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in Me,(R) even if he dies, will live.(S) 26 Everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die—ever.(T) Do you believe this?”

27 “Yes, Lord,” she told Him, “I believe You are the Messiah,(U) the Son(V) of God, who comes into the world.”(W)

Jesus Shares the Sorrow of Death

28 Having said this, she went back and called her sister Mary, saying in private, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.”

29 As soon as she heard this, she got up quickly and went to Him.(X) 30 Jesus had not yet come into the village but was still in the place where Martha had met Him. 31 The Jews who were with her in the house consoling her saw that Mary got up quickly and went out. So they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb(Y) to cry there.

32 When Mary came to where Jesus was and saw Him, she fell at His feet(Z) and told Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died!”

33 When Jesus saw her crying, and the Jews who had come with her crying, He was angry[b] in His spirit(AA) and deeply moved. 34 “Where have you put him?” He asked.

“Lord,” they told Him, “come and see.”

35 Jesus wept.(AB)

36 So the Jews said, “See how He loved(AC) him!” 37 But some of them said, “Couldn’t He who opened the blind man’s eyes(AD) also have kept this man from dying?”

The Seventh Sign: Raising Lazarus from the Dead

38 Then Jesus, angry[c] in Himself again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it.(AE) 39 “Remove the stone,” Jesus said.

Martha, the dead man’s sister, told Him, “Lord, he’s already decaying.[d] It’s been four days.”

40 Jesus said to her, “Didn’t I tell you that if you believed you would see the glory(AF) of God?”(AG)

41 So they removed the stone. Then Jesus raised His eyes and said, “Father, I thank(AH) You that You heard Me.(AI) 42 I know that You always hear Me, but because of the crowd standing here I said this, so they may believe You sent(AJ) Me.” 43 After He said this, He shouted with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The dead man came out bound hand and foot with linen strips and with his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him and let him go.”

The Plot to Kill Jesus

45 Therefore, many of the Jews who came to Mary and saw what He did believed in Him.(AK) 46 But some of them went to the Pharisees(AL) and told them what Jesus had done.

47 So the chief priests and the Pharisees convened the Sanhedrin(AM) and said, “What are we going to do since this man does many signs? 48 If we let Him continue in this way, everyone will believe in Him! Then the Romans(AN) will come and remove both our place[e] and our nation.”

49 One of them, Caiaphas,(AO) who was high priest(AP) that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all! 50 You’re not considering that it is to your[f] advantage that one man should die for the people rather than the whole nation perish.”(AQ) 51 He did not say this on his own, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus was going to die(AR) for the nation, 52 and not for the nation only, but also to unite the scattered children(AS) of God. 53 So from that day on they plotted to kill Him.(AT) 54 Therefore Jesus no longer walked openly(AU) among the Jews but departed from there to the countryside near the wilderness,(AV) to a town called Ephraim. And He stayed there with the disciples.

55 The Jewish Passover(AW) was near, and many went up to Jerusalem(AX) from the country to purify[g] themselves before the Passover. 56 They were looking for Jesus and asking one another as they stood in the temple complex:(AY) “What do you think? He won’t come to the festival,(AZ) will He?” 57 The chief priests(BA) and the Pharisees had given orders that if anyone knew where He was, he should report it so they could arrest Him.

Footnotes

  1. John 11:18 Lit 15 stadia; 1 stadion = 600 feet
  2. John 11:33 The Gk word is very strong and probably indicates Jesus’ anger against sin’s tyranny and death.
  3. John 11:38 See note at 11:33.
  4. John 11:39 Lit he already stinks
  5. John 11:48 The temple or possibly all of Jerusalem
  6. John 11:50 Other mss read to our
  7. John 11:55 The law of Moses required God’s people to purify or cleanse themselves so they could celebrate the Passover. Jews often came to Jerusalem a week early to do this; Nm 9:4-11.

The Death of Lazarus

11 Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany,(A) the village of Mary and her sister Martha.(B) (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.)(C) So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love(D) is sick.”

When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory(E) so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”(F)

“But Rabbi,”(G) they said, “a short while ago the Jews there tried to stone you,(H) and yet you are going back?”

Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Anyone who walks in the daytime will not stumble, for they see by this world’s light.(I) 10 It is when a person walks at night that they stumble, for they have no light.”

11 After he had said this, he went on to tell them, “Our friend(J) Lazarus has fallen asleep;(K) but I am going there to wake him up.”

12 His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.” 13 Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.(L)

14 So then he 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(M) (also known as Didymus[a]) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

Jesus Comforts the Sisters of Lazarus

17 On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days.(N) 18 Now Bethany(O) was less than two miles[b] from Jerusalem, 19 and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother.(P) 20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.(Q)

21 “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died.(R) 22 But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”(S)

23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”

24 Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection(T) at the last day.”(U)

25 Jesus said to her, “I am(V) the resurrection and the life.(W) The one who believes(X) in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing(Y) in me will never die.(Z) Do you believe this?”

27 “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah,(AA) the Son of God,(AB) who is to come into the world.”(AC)

28 After she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. “The Teacher(AD) is here,” she said, “and is asking for you.” 29 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.(AE) 31 When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her,(AF) noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there.

32 When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”(AG)

33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved(AH) in spirit and troubled.(AI) 34 “Where have you laid him?” he asked.

“Come and see, Lord,” they replied.

35 Jesus wept.(AJ)

36 Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”(AK)

37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man(AL) have kept this man from dying?”(AM)

Jesus Raises Lazarus From the Dead

38 Jesus, once more deeply moved,(AN) came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance.(AO) 39 “Take away the stone,” he said.

“But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”(AP)

40 Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe,(AQ) you will see the glory of God?”(AR)

41 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up(AS) and said, “Father,(AT) I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here,(AU) that they may believe that you sent me.”(AV)

43 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”(AW) 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen,(AX) and a cloth around his face.(AY)

Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”

The Plot to Kill Jesus

45 Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary,(AZ) and had seen what Jesus did,(BA) believed in him.(BB) 46 But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. 47 Then the chief priests and the Pharisees(BC) called a meeting(BD) of the Sanhedrin.(BE)

“What are we accomplishing?” they asked. “Here is this man performing many signs.(BF) 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 temple and our nation.”

49 Then one of them, named Caiaphas,(BG) who was high priest that year,(BH) spoke up, “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.”(BI)

51 He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, 52 and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one.(BJ) 53 So from that day on they plotted to take his life.(BK)

54 Therefore Jesus no longer moved about publicly among the people of Judea.(BL) Instead he withdrew to a region near the wilderness, to a village called Ephraim, where he stayed with his disciples.

55 When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover,(BM) many went up from the country to Jerusalem for their ceremonial cleansing(BN) before the Passover. 56 They kept looking for Jesus,(BO) and as they stood in the temple courts they asked one another, “What do you think? Isn’t he coming to the festival at all?” 57 But the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that anyone who found out where Jesus was should report it so that they might arrest him.

Footnotes

  1. John 11:16 Thomas (Aramaic) and Didymus (Greek) both mean twin.
  2. John 11:18 Or about 3 kilometers