John 11:3

11:3 So the sisters sent a message ¹  to Jesus, ²  “Lord, look, the one you love is sick.”

John 11:6

11:6 So when he heard that Lazarus ³  was sick, he remained in the place where he was for two more days.

John 11:14-15

11:14 Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died, 11:15 and I am glad ⁴  for your sake that I was not there, so that you may believe. ⁵  But let us go to him.”

John 11:17

Speaking with Martha and Mary

11:17 When ⁶  Jesus arrived, ⁷  he found that Lazarus ⁸  had been in the tomb four days already. ⁹ 

John 11:43-44

11:43 When ¹⁰  he had said this, he shouted in a loud voice, ¹¹  “Lazarus, come out!” 11:44 The one who had died came out, his feet and hands tied up with strips of cloth, ¹²  and a cloth wrapped around his face. ¹³  Jesus said to them, “Unwrap him ¹⁴  and let him go.”

¹ tn The phrase “a message” is not in the Greek text but is implied. Direct objects in Greek were often omitted when clear from context.

² tn Grk “to him, saying”; the referent (Jesus) is specified in the translation for clarity.

³ tn Grk “that he”; the referent (Lazarus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁵ tn Grk “and I rejoice.”

⁶ sn So that you may believe. Why does Jesus make this statement? It seems necessary to understand the disciples’ belief here in a developmental sense, because there are numerous references to the disciples’ faith previous to this in John’s Gospel, notably 2:11. Their concept of who Jesus really was is continually being expanded and challenged; they are undergoing spiritual growth; the climax is reached in the confession of Thomas in John 20:28.

⁷ tn Grk “Then when.”

⁸ tn Grk “came.”

⁹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Lazarus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹⁰ tn Grk “he had already had four days in the tomb” (an idiom).

⁹ tn Grk “And when.”

¹⁰ sn The purpose of the loud voice was probably to ensure that all in the crowd could hear (compare the purpose of the prayer of thanksgiving in vv. 41-42).

¹¹ sn Many have wondered how Lazarus got out of the tomb if his hands and feet were still tied up with strips of cloth. The author does not tell, and with a miracle of this magnitude, this is not an important fact to know. If Lazarus’ decomposing body was brought back to life by the power of God, then it could certainly have been moved out of the tomb by that same power. Others have suggested that the legs were bound separately, which would remove the difficulty, but the account gives no indication of this. What may be of more significance for the author is the comparison which this picture naturally evokes with the resurrection of Jesus, where the graveclothes stayed in the tomb neatly folded (20:6-7). Jesus, unlike Lazarus, would never need graveclothes again.

¹² tn Grk “and his face tied around with cloth.”

¹³ tn Grk “Loose him.”