The Gospel of John Made Easy
Chapter 11
Vs. 1
Lazarus, Mary and Martha lived in Bethany. They were good friends of Jesus. He often stayed with them when he traveled.
Vs. 2 This verse is explaining who Mary is.
Mary is the woman who had been at Simon’s house. Simon had been a leper.
Leprosy is a skin disease that leads to death. You can get it from someone else. Simon had been healed by Jesus.
Simon was having Jesus and his disciples in for a meal. Mary was there,— (see John 12:2 Her sister Martha was there serving, so maybe Mary was there helping, too.)
When the men were eating , she came into the room with a box of spicy perfume. It was very expensive.
This kind of perfume was often used to put on a person’s body when they died. Then they were wrapped in a sheet and buried.
Mary brought in this box of perfume broke it open poured it on Jesus’ head.
She must have put it on his feet, too. She wiped Jesus’ feet with her hair. This seems strange to us—-but it seems it showed she felt humble. It showed her great love, respect, and willingness to serve Jesus.
Jesus said that in doing this it was like she was putting spices on his body before he died. Jesus knew he would die soon.
Vs. 3 Lazarus is sick. So the sisters sent a messenger to find Jesus and tell him about their brother. They wanted Jesus to come and heal Lazarus.
In those days, people did not have medicines and doctors like we do. People often got sick and became very, very sick quickly and died. When they died, you had to bury them soon. It was a hot country, a dead body would begin to stink.
So the sisters wanted to find Jesus and have him come right away and heal Lazarus.
Vs. 4 When Jesus heard the message, he said “This sickness will not end in death. It is so the glory of God will be shown. And so the Son of God (Jesus) will receive glory.”
Vs. 5 Now Jesus loved Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. What Jesus does next we would wonder if he cares but the verse says he loved them.
Vs.6 When Jesus heard about Lazarus he stayed there for two more days.
He knows Lazarus is sick. He knows how fast people can die. He knows how worried Mary and Martha are. But he still stayed where he was for 2 more days.
Vs. 7. After the two days were over Jesus said, “Let us go into Judea again.” Judea was the area where the town of Bethany was.
Vs. 8 The disciples do not want Jesus to go to Judea. The Jewish leaders in Judea had tried to kill Jesus with stones the last time they were in the area.
Stoning a person meant picking up very big stones and throwing them at someone to hurt them and keep throwing them until the person died.
Vs. 9, 10 Jesus said There are 12 hours of daylight. If we go in the day and are careful we should be okay.
Jesus was saying that people can see and walk safely because the “light of this world” the sun makes it so they can see. If they walk in the dark, they can not see and will fall or someone may hurt them.
Jesus may also be saying that to use it as a spiritual lesson. Jesus was saying He (Jesus) was the “light of the world” and people who walked with him would be safe and could see where they were going. But if they did not believe in Jesus they walked in darkness and without Jesus’ light they would fall and it would be dangerous.
Vs. 11 Jesus said, “Lazarus is sleeping. I am going to go and wake him up.”
Vs. 12 The disciples thought if Lazarus is sick sleeping is good for him
Vs. 13 Jesus was using the word “sleep” meaning “dead”, but the disciples thought he meant real sleep
Vs. 14 Jesus said, “Lazarus is dead.”
Vs. 15 Jesus said, “I am glad for your sake (for your good) that I was not there so you will believe Let us go to him.
Vs. 16 Thomas, KJV – Didymus means Twin said, Let us go with Jesus into Judea and if we must die we will die with him. Thomas was willing to die for Jesus if he had to.
Vs. 17 When Jesus came into the town, he heard talk that Lazarus had been in the grave for 4 days already.
Vs. 18 Bethany was about 2 miles away from Jerusalem
Vs. 19 Many Jews neighbors and friends came to comfort the sisters
Vs. 20 Martha heard that Jesus was on the way to their house. She went out to meet him. Mary stayed at the house.
Vs. 21, 22 When Martha saw Jesus she said , “If you had been here, my brother would not have died.” “But I know that even now, whatever you ask of God He will do it for you.”
Mary feels very sure that Jesus would have healed Lazarus if he had been there.
She still feels now if Jesus asks the Father in heaven for anything God would do it.
It seems she still thinks Jesus can do something.
She probably heard that he raised other people up from the dead—a little girl Matthew 9:23-26 , and a man who lived in Nain Luke 7:11-18
Vs. 23 Jesus tells her Your brother will rise again.
Vs. 24 Yet Mary does not seem to believe that Jesus means rise right now.
She said that if Jesus asked God He would do what Jesus asked and yet now when Jesus says that Lazarus will rise again she does not seem to believe that Jesus means now.
So she said I know he will rise again at the end of time on resurrection day
(When all the dead rise again and stand before God)
Vs. 25, 26 Jesus said, ” I am the resurrection and the life.”
I am the One who gives life and brings people to life from the dead—–life is in Me I am Life I give Life
He that believes in Me will never die (We die in our bodies on this earth, but our spirits live on. Our spirits will live on in heaven.)
For those who do not believe in Jesus their spirits will not have “life” but will continue in the death of hell.)
Jesus asked Martha “Do you believe this?”
Vs. 27 Martha said, “Yes, Lord, I believe you are Christ, (the Messiah, the Promised One), the One promised to come to the world the Son of God.
She believes he is God’s Son He can do miracles But she does not seem to believe he will raise Lazarus now.
Vs. 28 Martha left Jesus and went on to her house and told Mary that Jesus was coming.
She said, Jesus is calling for you.
Vs. 29 When Mary heard that she went out to find Jesus. Jesus was still in the place where Martha had talked with him. (Maybe he was resting, or eating, etc.)
Vs. 30 The friends and people in the house saw Mary leave in a hurry. They thought she was going to the grave to cry. So they followed her.
Vs. 31. When Mary found Jesus, she said, “If you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
Vs. 32, 33 Mary was crying, and the people with her were crying. Jesus saw them and he groaned in his spirit. He was troubled.
Jesus felt sorrow and sympathy. He saw how sad they were. He knew what he planned to do. But he could see they did not have hope. They were so sad. He felt their sadness.
Vs. 34 Jesus asked where they had put Lazarus. They said, Come and see.
Vs. 35 Jesus wept. (cried) This is the shortest verse in the Bible. Jesus feels great sadness for them. And he sees they do not believe that he plans to do anything.
Vs. 36 When the people saw him cry, they said He must have loved Lazarus a lot.
Jesus did love Lazarus a lot, but that is not why he is crying. Jesus sees that they do not believe.
Vs. 37. The people said, This man could heal blind eyes, why could he have not healed this man so he did not die.
Vs. 38. Jesus groaned again. None of them believed he would do anything. So he came to the place where Lazarus was.
The tomb was like a small cave hole in the side of a hill. There are many rocky hills all around the land. Many of them have openings in them, or a man could dig out a hole in the side of a hill. Then a large flat rock would be put in front of the opening.
Vs. 39 Jesus told them to take away the stone. Martha said, But Jesus his body would stink by now.
Vs. 40 Jesus said to her Did I not say If you believed you would see the glory of God?
Vs. 41, 42 They took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up to heaven and prayed.
He said, Father, I thank you that you hear me. I know you hear me always.
But because of all the people standing here I am praying so they can hear me.
So they can believe that you sent me (from heaven to earth).
Vs. 43 Then Jesus called Lazarus! Come out!
Vs. 44 Lazarus came out! He was wrapped up in cloth. Jesus told them to take off the cloth and let him go free.
Vs. 45 Many of the people who saw Lazarus come alive began to believe in Jesus that he was God’s son.
Who else could give life to a man who had been dead for 4 days!
Vs. 46 But some of the people went to tell the Jewish leaders what had happened.
Vs. 47, 48 The leaders met together. They said, What can we do with this man who does such miracles? If we let him keep on going, everyone will be following him and believing in him.
Then the Romans (who rule over us ) will come and take us out of leadership and take away our right to lead our own people.
(The Romans had let the Jewish people have their own Jewish leaders to keep peace and make all the land do right—-as long as everything went okay—-the Romans were happy. But if the Romans thought that the Jewish leaders were not able to take care of things, or if someone like Jesus should become “king” of the Jews the Romans would not like it and they would stop it.)
Vs. 49, 50,51,52 Caiaphas was the high priest. He said You people are not thinking clearly.
It would be best if one man would die rather than our whole nation.
Let one man die to save the nation.
He really did not understand what he was saying himself. Because he was really giving a prophecy of what would happen. Jesus would die for the nation, and not for that nation only but for the whole world. All who believed from the whole world would be God’s children.
Vs. 53 From that day on the Jewish leaders tried to find a way to catch Jesus so they could kill him.
Vs. 54 From then on Jesus did not walk openly out and around. He was careful to keep himself hidden. He went to the country to a town of Ephraim and stayed there with his disciples.
Vs. 55 It was time for the Passover (a holy day). So many of the Jews went to Jerusalem to get ready for it.
Vs. 56 The leaders watched for Jesus. They said to each other Do you think Jesus will come for the Passover?
Vs. 57 The Jewish leaders had told many if you see Jesus tell us so we can get him.