John 11 (NIV): Jesus Raises Lazarus From the Dead - Full Bible Chapter
The Death of Lazarus
1 Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha.
2 (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.)
3 So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.”
4 When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.”
5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
6 So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days,
7 and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”
8 “But Rabbi,” they said, “a short while ago the Jews there tried to stone you, 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.
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 Lazarus has fallen asleep; 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.
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 (also known as Didymus) 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.
18 Now Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem,
19 and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother.
20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.
21 “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died.
22 But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”
23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
24 Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die;
26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
27 “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”
28 After she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. “The Teacher 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.
31 When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, 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.”
33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled.
34 “Where have you laid him?” he asked. “Come and see, Lord,” they replied.
35 Jesus wept.
36 Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”
37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”
Jesus Raises Lazarus From the Dead
38 Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance.
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.”
40 Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”
41 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, 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, that they may believe that you sent me.”
43 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”
44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. 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, and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him.
46 But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done.
47 Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin. “What are we accomplishing?” they asked. “Here is this man performing many signs.
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, who was high priest that year, 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.”
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.
53 So from that day on they plotted to take his life.
54 Therefore Jesus no longer moved about publicly among the people of Judea. 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, many went up from the country to Jerusalem for their ceremonial cleansing before the Passover.
56 They kept looking for Jesus, 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.
John 11 Explained: Jesus, the Raising from the Dead, and the Life
1. The Illness and Death of Lazarus (John 11:1–16)
Key Verses:
- “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory…” (v. 4)
- “Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe.” (v. 14-15)
Explanation:
Jesus receives word that His dear friend Lazarus is sick. Instead of rushing to heal him, He deliberately delays - not out of neglect, but with divine purpose: to glorify God and reveal Himself as the resurrection and the life.
The delay challenges human logic but illustrates a central Christian truth: God’s timing is perfect and often aims to deepen our faith, not just our comfort.
✝️ Theological Insight:
Jesus doesn’t merely heal the sick, He defeats death. His knowledge of Lazarus’s death and His intention to “wake him” demonstrates His sovereignty over life and death, echoing the divine prerogatives of God alone.
2. Jesus Comforts Martha and Mary (John 11:17–37)
Key Verses:
- “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die…” (v. 25)
- “Jesus wept.” (v. 35)
Explanation:
Martha meets Jesus with sorrow and faith “If you had been here…” yet she still confesses her belief in His power. Jesus responds not with platitudes, but a revelation of His identity: “I am the resurrection and the life.”
This is a watershed moment in Christian theology:
- Jesus does not point to resurrection as a future event alone.
- He embodies it - resurrection is not just a promise; it's a Person.
Even though Jesus knew He would raise Lazarus, He weeps. This reveals His full humanity, God in Christ feels deeply with our sorrow, validating our grief.
✝️ Theological Insight:
The Christian God is not distant. He enters into our suffering, not only as our Redeemer but also as our compassionate High Priest (Hebrews 4:15). We serve a God who weeps.
3. Raising Lazarus from the Dead (John 11:38–44)
Key Verses:
- “Lazarus, come out!” (v. 43)
Explanation:
Jesus commands that the stone be rolled away, despite Martha’s protest about the smell, again reinforcing how faith must override fear and human logic.
When Jesus calls Lazarus from the grave, He demonstrates divine power, proving:
- He is the Son of God.
- He holds authority over physical death.
- His word alone can bring life out of death.
This miracle prefigures Jesus’ own resurrection, and the future resurrection of believers.
✝️ Theological Insight:
Every believer, once spiritually dead in sin, is called out of the grave by the voice of Christ (Ephesians 2:1-5). Salvation is a resurrection, not a renovation.
4. The Plot to Kill Jesus (John 11:45–57)
Key Verses:
- “It is better for you that one man die for the people…” (v. 50)
Explanation:
The religious leaders, threatened by Jesus' growing influence, decide He must die. Ironically, Caiaphas’ statement becomes a prophecy - he intends political preservation, but God uses it to foretell the substitutionary death of Christ.
✝️ Gospel Connection:
Jesus would indeed die for the people, not just Israel, but for all God's children scattered throughout the world (v. 52). This is the heart of the Gospel: Jesus dies so we may live.
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Frequently Asked Questions About Lazarus' Story
1. Did Jesus raise Lazarus from the dead?
Yes, according to the Bible, Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. This event is recorded in John 11:1–44, where Lazarus, a man from Bethany and a close friend of Jesus, had died and been buried for four days. Jesus came to his tomb, prayed to the Father, and then called out, “Lazarus, come out!” (John 11:43). Lazarus came out of the tomb alive, still wrapped in his burial clothes.
This was not only a miraculous act of compassion but also a sign revealing Jesus’ divine authority over life and death. It was intended to strengthen the faith of His followers and to glorify God (John 11:4, 40–42).
2. What did Lazarus do in the Bible?
In the biblical narrative, Lazarus is not portrayed as doing or saying much—his role is primarily as the recipient of Jesus’ miraculous power. He is introduced as the brother of Mary and Martha (John 11:1–2), and is described as someone whom Jesus loved (John 11:3, 5, 36).
After being raised, Lazarus becomes a living testimony to Jesus’ power. In John 12:9–11, we learn that many Jews came to see Lazarus after the miracle, and as a result, many believed in Jesus. The chief priests even plotted to kill Lazarus because his resurrection was causing people to follow Christ.
Thus, while Lazarus himself does not act or speak much in the narrative, his life and resurrection served as a powerful witness to Jesus’ identity as the Messiah and the Son of God.
3. What did Jesus say to Lazarus?
The specific words Jesus spoke to Lazarus are found in John 11:43:
“Lazarus, come out!” (NIV)
This short yet powerful command demonstrates Jesus' authority over death. His voice alone was enough to call Lazarus back to life. This moment echoes the divine creative power seen in Genesis—God speaks, and life comes into being.
Before this, Jesus also said to Martha:
“I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die” (John 11:25), directly connecting the miracle to a deeper theological truth about salvation and eternal life through Him.
4. What did Jesus do for Lazarus?
Jesus did several important things for Lazarus:
- He loved him deeply (John 11:3, 5, 36).
- He delayed His visit deliberately to allow God's glory to be revealed through Lazarus’s death and resurrection (John 11:6, 15).
- He comforted Mary and Martha, Lazarus’s sisters, and shared in their grief (John 11:33–35).
- He prayed publicly to the Father, affirming His dependence on God and His role as the One sent by the Father (John 11:41–42).
- He raised Lazarus from the dead, demonstrating divine power and fulfilling the claim that He is “the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25, 43–44).
In short, Jesus gave Lazarus physical life again, and through that act, pointed all onlookers to the promise of eternal life through belief in Him.
5. When did Jesus raise Lazarus?
Jesus raised Lazarus after Lazarus had been dead for four days, according to John 11:17. The timing is significant because Jewish tradition held that the soul lingered near the body for three days. By the fourth day, decomposition would have set in, making the miracle undeniable and complete.
This event took place shortly before Jesus’ own crucifixion, likely just a few weeks prior. According to John 11:55–57, the miracle led to intensified opposition from the religious leaders and became a turning point in the plot to kill Jesus.
So, Jesus raised Lazarus in the final weeks of His public ministry, near the village of Bethany, just outside Jerusalem—an act that revealed His glory and set the stage for His own death and resurrection.
