NIV Life Application Study Bible, Third Edition - Flipbook - Page 47
page 1823
11:4
pver 40; Jn 9:3
11:7
qJn 10:40
11:8
rMt 23:7
sJn 8:59; 10:31
11:9
9:4; 12:35
tJn
11:11
3
7:60
uver
vAc
11:13
wMt 9:24
11:16
10:3; Jn 14:5;
20:24-28; 21:2;
Ac 1:13
xMt
11:17
6,39
yver
11:18
zver 1
11:19
31; Job 2:11
aver
11:20
bLk 10:3842
11:21
cver 32,37
11:22
41,42; Jn 9:31
dver
11:24
eDa 12:2; Jn 5:28,29;
Ac 24:15
11:25
fJn 1:4
J ohn 1 1 : 2 6
the same one who p
oured perfume on the Lord and w
iped his feet with her hair.) n 3So
the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love o is sick.”
4 When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s
glory p so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” 5Now Jesus loved Martha and her
sister and Lazarus. 6So when he h
eard that Lazarus was sick, he s tayed where he was
two more days, 7and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.” q
8 “But Rabbi,” r they said, “a s
hort w
hile ago the Jews t here t ried to s tone you, s and
yet you are going back?”
9 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. t 10It 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 u Lazarus has fallen
asleep; v 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 speak
ing of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep. w
14 So then he 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.”
16 Then Thomas x (also known as Didymus a ) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us
also go, that we may die with him.”
Jesus Comforts Mary and Martha (166 )
17 On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. y
18 Now Bethany z was less than two m
iles b from Jerusalem, 19and many Jews had come to
Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. a 20When Martha heard that
Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home. b
21 “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. c
22 But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.” d
23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
24 Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection e at the last day.”
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. f The one who believes in me
will live, even though they die; 26and whoever lives by believing in me will never die.
Do you believe this?”
a
16 Thomas (Aramaic) and Didymus (Greek) both mean twin. b 18 Or about 3 kilometers
delays, may make us think he is not answering or is not answering the
way we want. God’s best plan for us is sometimes painful. But he will meet
all our needs according to his perfect schedule and purpose (Philippians
4:19). Patiently await his timing.
11:9-10 “Daylight” symbolizes the knowledge of God’s will and reliance
on his guidance, and “night” represents the absence of this knowledge
combined with s elf-reliance. When we move ahead in darkness, we will
likely stumble.
11:14-15 If Jesus had been with Lazarus during the final moments of
Lazarus’s sickness, he might have healed him rather than let him die.
But Lazarus died so that Jesus’ power over death could be shown to his
disciples and others. The raising of Lazarus was an essential display of
his power, and the resurrection from the dead is a crucial belief of the
Christian faith. Jesus would not only be raised from the dead (10:18)—he
also has the power to raise others.
11:16 We often remember Thomas as “the doubter” because he doubted
Jesus’ resurrection (20:25). But here he demonstrated love and courage.
The disciples knew the dangers of going with Jesus to Jerusalem, and
they tried to talk him out of it. Thomas merely expressed what all of
them were feeling. When their objections failed, they were willing to
go, even though dying with Jesus was a real possibility. They may not
have understood why Jesus would be killed, but they were loyal. Doing
God’s work has unknown dangers. Will you remain loyal to Jesus when
opposition increases?
11:16 Thomas was ready to do whatever it took to follow Jesus. Courage
often boils down to trusting Jesus and being ready to go wherever he calls.
Emotionally, the experience is much like the first time off a high dive or
the first public speech. The stakes may be high, but so are the benefits.
We don’t realize God’s power until we take the first step. Thomas was the
first to step out in faith. Sooner or later, you will have the opportunity to
take a step of courage. Your step may motivate others to take action as
well. Ask God for the courage you need.
11:25-26 Jesus has power over life and death as well as the power to
forgive sins. Because he created life (see 14:6), he can surely restore life.
Whoever believes in Jesus has a spiritual life that death cannot conquer
or diminish in any way. When we realize the power and the wonder of
Mediterranean
Sea
N
GALILEE
SAMARIA
Jerusalem
Bethany
JUDEA
IDUMEA
Sea of
Galilee
Jordan River
11:2
nMk 14:3; Lk 7:38
11:3
over 5,36
•
PE
RE
A
Dead
Sea
0
0
20 mi
20 km
JESUS RAISES
LAZARUS
Jesus had been
preaching in the
villages beyond the
Jordan, probably
in Perea, when he
received the news
of Lazarus’s sickness. Jesus did not
leave immediately
but waited two days
before returning
to Judea. He knew
Lazarus would
be dead when he
arrived in Bethany,
but he was going to
do a great miracle.