New International Reader s Version - NIrV - 1996
John 11
1
A man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village where Mary and her sister Martha lived.
Reference
People
2
Mary would later pour perfume on the Lord. She would also wipe his feet with her hair. Her brother Lazarus was sick in bed.
Reference
3
So the sisters sent a message to Jesus. "Lord," they told him, "the one you love is sick."
Reference
Love
John 11:5
Revelation 3:19
John 13:23
John 11:36
Parallel theme
Psalm 16:3
John 11:11
2 Timothy 4:20
4
When Jesus heard this, he said, "This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory. God's Son will receive glory because of it."
Reference
Glory
John 11:40
1 Peter 4:14
John 2:11
John 17:5
1 Peter 4:11
Parallel theme
John 5:23
References God
John 9:24
References Jesus
John 9:3
John 8:54
John 17:1
5
Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
6
But after he heard Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was for two more days.
Reference
Parallel theme
Isaiah 30:18
7
Then he said to his disciples, "Let us go back to Judea."
8
"But Rabbi," they said, "a short time ago the Jews tried to kill you with stones. Are you still going back there?"
Reference
9
Jesus answered, "Aren't there 12 hours of daylight? A person who walks during the day won't trip and fall. He can see because of this world's light.
Reference
11
After he said this, Jesus went on speaking to them. "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep," he said. "But I am going there to wake him up."
Reference
12
His disciples replied, "Lord, if he's sleeping, he will get better."
13
Jesus had been speaking about the death of Lazarus. But his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.
Reference
Parallel theme
Matthew 9:24
14
So then he told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead.
15
For your benefit, I am glad I was not there. Now you will believe. But let us go to him."
Reference
Faith
John 2:11
Parallel theme
2 Timothy 2:10
Isaiah 65:8
Isaiah 54:15
John 11:4
John 17:19
John 12:30
16
Then Thomas, who was called Didymus, spoke to the rest of the disciples. "Let us go also," he said. "Then we can die with Jesus."
Reference
17
When Jesus arrived, he found out that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days.
Reference
References Jesus
John 11:39
18
Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem.
Reference
Parallel theme
Revelation 14:20
19
Many Jews had come to Martha and Mary. They had come to comfort them because their brother was dead.
Reference
20
When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him. But Mary stayed at home.
Reference
Parallel theme
1 Thessalonians 4:17
21
"Lord," Martha said to Jesus, "I wish you had been here! Then my brother would not have died.
Reference
23
Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."
24
Martha answered, "I know he will rise again. This will happen when people are raised from the dead on the last day."
Reference
25
Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even if he dies.
Reference
Faith
1 Thessalonians 4:14
John 3:36
John 6:35
Parallel theme
John 1:4
Revelation 21:4
References Jesus
Romans 8:2
Resurrection
John 5:21
John 6:44
Isaiah 26:19
Philippians 3:10
26
And those who live and believe in me will never die. Do you believe this?"
Reference
Faith
John 5:24
John 14:10
Matthew 9:28
Mark 9:23
John 9:35
Parallel theme
Romans 8:13
John 10:28
John 4:14
Matthew 26:53
27
"Yes, Lord," she told him. "I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God. I believe that you are the One who was supposed to come into the world."
Reference
Faith
John 6:69
Parallel theme
John 6:14
References Christ
Matthew 16:16
References Lord
Malachi 3:1
28
After she said this, she went back home. She called her sister Mary to one side to talk to her. "The Teacher is here," Martha said. "He is asking for you."
Reference
30
Jesus had not yet entered the village. He was still at the place where Martha had met him.
31
Some Jews had been comforting Mary in the house. They noticed how quickly she got up and went out. So they followed her. They thought she was going to the tomb to cry there.
Reference
Parallel theme
John 11:19
32
Mary reached the place where Jesus was. When she saw him, she fell at his feet. She said, "Lord, I wish you had been here! Then my brother would not have died."
Reference
33
Jesus saw her crying. He saw that the Jews who had come along with her were crying also. His spirit became very sad, and he was troubled.
Reference
34
"Where have you put him?" he asked. "Come and see, Lord," they replied.
35
Jesus sobbed.
Reference
Parallel theme
Luke 19:41
Hebrews 4:15
Isaiah 53:3
Psalm 119:136
Jeremiah 13:17
Job 30:25
Jeremiah 14:17
Isaiah 63:9
Jeremiah 9:1
References Jesus
John 11:33
37
But some of them said, "He opened the eyes of the blind man. Couldn't he have kept this man from dying?"
38
Once more Jesus felt very sad. He came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone in front of the entrance.
Reference
39
"Take away the stone," he said. "But, Lord," said Martha, the sister of the dead man, "by this time there is a bad smell. Lazarus has been in the tomb for four days."
Reference
References Jesus
John 11:17
40
Then Jesus said, "Didn't I tell you that if you believed, you would see God's glory?"
Reference
Faith
2 Chronicles 20:20
Glory
John 11:4
Psalm 63:2
John 1:14
2 Corinthians 3:18
Psalm 90:16
2 Corinthians 4:6
John 12:41
References Jesus
John 9:3
41
So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up. He said, "Father, I thank you for hearing me.
Reference
42
I know that you always hear me. But I said this for the benefit of the people standing here. I said it so they will believe that you sent me."
Reference
Faith
John 17:21
John 17:8
Parallel theme
John 3:17
Hebrews 7:25
Hebrews 5:7
1 John 4:14
Romans 8:3
Matthew 26:53
John 11:22
John 17:25
44
The dead man came out. His hands and feet were wrapped with strips of linen. A cloth was around his face. Jesus said to them, "Take off the clothes he was buried in and let him go."
Reference
45
Many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary saw what Jesus did. So they put their faith in him.
Reference
46
But some of them went to the Pharisees. They told the Pharisees what Jesus had done.
Reference
Resurrection
John 9:13
47
Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin. "What can we do?" they asked. "This man is doing many miraculous signs.
Reference
48
If we let him keep on doing this, everyone will believe in him. Then the Romans will come. They will take away our temple and our nation."
Reference
Faith
Luke 8:12
49
One of them spoke up. His name was Caiaphas. He was high priest at that time. He said, "You don't know anything at all!
Reference
50
You don't realize what is good for you. It is better if one man dies for the people than if the whole nation is destroyed."
Reference
51
He did not say this on his own. But he was high priest at that time. So he told ahead of time that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation.
Reference
52
He also prophesied that Jesus would die for God's children scattered everywhere. He would die to bring them together and make them one.
Reference
Parallel theme
John 10:16
Isaiah 49:6
1 John 2:2
1 Peter 1:1
References God
Revelation 5:9
Romans 3:29
54
Jesus no longer moved around openly among the Jews. Instead, he went away to an area near the desert. He went to a village called Ephraim. There he stayed with his disciples.
Reference
📍 Ephraim
55
It was almost time for the Jewish Passover Feast. Many people went up from the country to Jerusalem. They went there for the special washing that would make them pure before the Passover Feast.
Reference
56
They kept looking for Jesus as they stood in the temple area. They asked one another, "What do you think? Isn't he coming to the Feast at all?"
Reference
Parallel theme
John 7:11
57
But the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders. They had commanded anyone who found out where Jesus was staying to report it. Then they could arrest him.
Chapter Summary
John 11 presents the raising of Lazarus as one of the greatest signs in Jesus' ministry while also showing that this miracle becomes the immediate turning point that leads the religious authorities toward a decision to put Jesus to death.
The chapter begins with Lazarus of Bethany becoming seriously ill.
His sisters, Martha and Mary, send word to Jesus because they know that He loves Lazarus and believe He can help him.
Instead of immediately going to Bethany, Jesus deliberately waits two more days, explaining that Lazarus' sickness will ultimately reveal God's glory and glorify the Son of God.
When Jesus finally tells His disciples that they are returning to Judea, they remind Him that the Jewish leaders have already tried to stone Him.
Jesus nevertheless continues according to the Father's timing, explaining that His work must be done while there is still light.
He then tells His disciples that Lazarus has fallen asleep, using sleep as a picture of death, but when they misunderstand Him, Jesus plainly tells them that Lazarus has died.
Thomas responds by saying that the disciples should go with Jesus even if doing so means dying with Him.
When Jesus arrives near Bethany, Lazarus has already been in the tomb for four days.
Many people have come to comfort Martha and Mary, creating a large group of witnesses to what is about to happen.
Martha goes to meet Jesus and tells Him that Lazarus would not have died if He had been there, yet she still expresses confidence that God will answer Jesus' request.
Jesus tells her that Lazarus will rise again, and Martha responds that she knows he will rise at the resurrection on the last day.
Jesus then makes one of the central declarations of John's Gospel, saying that He is the Resurrection and the Life, and that whoever believes in Him will live even after death.
Martha responds with a strong confession of faith, declaring that Jesus is the Messiah and the Son of God.
Mary then comes to Jesus, falls at His feet, and expresses the same grief and disappointment that Martha had expressed.
When Jesus sees Mary and the people mourning, He becomes deeply troubled and weeps.
His tears show that although He knows He is about to raise Lazarus, He genuinely enters into the grief and suffering experienced by those around Him.
Jesus then comes to Lazarus' tomb and orders the stone to be removed.
Martha hesitates because Lazarus has already been dead for four days and there will be a strong odor, but Jesus reminds her that if she believes, she will see God's glory.
Jesus prays publicly to the Father and then calls Lazarus by name, commanding him to come out of the tomb.
Lazarus emerges alive, still wrapped in his burial cloths, and Jesus tells the people to unwrap him and let him go.
The miracle produces two very different reactions.
Many people believe in Jesus, while others report the event to the Pharisees.
The religious authorities respond with fear rather than faith.
They gather the chief priests and Pharisees and discuss what should be done because Jesus is performing so many signs.
Their concern is not simply religious because they fear that continued belief in Jesus could create political instability and provoke Roman intervention, potentially threatening their Temple and their national position.
Caiaphas, the high priest, argues that it is better for one man to die for the people than for the entire nation to suffer.
John explains that although Caiaphas intends the statement as a political calculation, his words unknowingly point toward the deeper meaning of Jesus' death.
Jesus will indeed die for the nation, but His death will also gather God's scattered children into one people.
The raising of Lazarus therefore has a remarkable double effect: it strengthens faith in Jesus among many people while simultaneously intensifying the determination of His enemies to kill Him.
From this point onward, the authorities actively plan Jesus' death.
Jesus withdraws temporarily to the region near Ephraim, but the Passover is approaching, and the people begin wondering whether He will appear in Jerusalem.
The religious authorities order people to report Jesus' location so that He can be arrested.
John 11 therefore stands at a major turning point in the Gospel.
The raising of Lazarus demonstrates that Jesus has authority over death, while Jesus' declaration that He is the Resurrection and the Life explains the deeper meaning of the miracle.
At the same time, the event moves the story directly toward Jesus' own death.
The chapter creates a powerful contrast between Lazarus walking out of a tomb because Jesus calls him and Jesus Himself soon entering death willingly as the One who gives His life for others.
The central message is that Jesus is the source of resurrection and life, and even death cannot ultimately separate those who believe in Him from the life He gives.
The chapter begins with Lazarus of Bethany becoming seriously ill.
His sisters, Martha and Mary, send word to Jesus because they know that He loves Lazarus and believe He can help him.
Instead of immediately going to Bethany, Jesus deliberately waits two more days, explaining that Lazarus' sickness will ultimately reveal God's glory and glorify the Son of God.
When Jesus finally tells His disciples that they are returning to Judea, they remind Him that the Jewish leaders have already tried to stone Him.
Jesus nevertheless continues according to the Father's timing, explaining that His work must be done while there is still light.
He then tells His disciples that Lazarus has fallen asleep, using sleep as a picture of death, but when they misunderstand Him, Jesus plainly tells them that Lazarus has died.
Thomas responds by saying that the disciples should go with Jesus even if doing so means dying with Him.
When Jesus arrives near Bethany, Lazarus has already been in the tomb for four days.
Many people have come to comfort Martha and Mary, creating a large group of witnesses to what is about to happen.
Martha goes to meet Jesus and tells Him that Lazarus would not have died if He had been there, yet she still expresses confidence that God will answer Jesus' request.
Jesus tells her that Lazarus will rise again, and Martha responds that she knows he will rise at the resurrection on the last day.
Jesus then makes one of the central declarations of John's Gospel, saying that He is the Resurrection and the Life, and that whoever believes in Him will live even after death.
Martha responds with a strong confession of faith, declaring that Jesus is the Messiah and the Son of God.
Mary then comes to Jesus, falls at His feet, and expresses the same grief and disappointment that Martha had expressed.
When Jesus sees Mary and the people mourning, He becomes deeply troubled and weeps.
His tears show that although He knows He is about to raise Lazarus, He genuinely enters into the grief and suffering experienced by those around Him.
Jesus then comes to Lazarus' tomb and orders the stone to be removed.
Martha hesitates because Lazarus has already been dead for four days and there will be a strong odor, but Jesus reminds her that if she believes, she will see God's glory.
Jesus prays publicly to the Father and then calls Lazarus by name, commanding him to come out of the tomb.
Lazarus emerges alive, still wrapped in his burial cloths, and Jesus tells the people to unwrap him and let him go.
The miracle produces two very different reactions.
Many people believe in Jesus, while others report the event to the Pharisees.
The religious authorities respond with fear rather than faith.
They gather the chief priests and Pharisees and discuss what should be done because Jesus is performing so many signs.
Their concern is not simply religious because they fear that continued belief in Jesus could create political instability and provoke Roman intervention, potentially threatening their Temple and their national position.
Caiaphas, the high priest, argues that it is better for one man to die for the people than for the entire nation to suffer.
John explains that although Caiaphas intends the statement as a political calculation, his words unknowingly point toward the deeper meaning of Jesus' death.
Jesus will indeed die for the nation, but His death will also gather God's scattered children into one people.
The raising of Lazarus therefore has a remarkable double effect: it strengthens faith in Jesus among many people while simultaneously intensifying the determination of His enemies to kill Him.
From this point onward, the authorities actively plan Jesus' death.
Jesus withdraws temporarily to the region near Ephraim, but the Passover is approaching, and the people begin wondering whether He will appear in Jerusalem.
The religious authorities order people to report Jesus' location so that He can be arrested.
John 11 therefore stands at a major turning point in the Gospel.
The raising of Lazarus demonstrates that Jesus has authority over death, while Jesus' declaration that He is the Resurrection and the Life explains the deeper meaning of the miracle.
At the same time, the event moves the story directly toward Jesus' own death.
The chapter creates a powerful contrast between Lazarus walking out of a tomb because Jesus calls him and Jesus Himself soon entering death willingly as the One who gives His life for others.
The central message is that Jesus is the source of resurrection and life, and even death cannot ultimately separate those who believe in Him from the life He gives.