John 11

The Raising of Lazarus

1 A man named Lazarus was sick. He lived in Bethany with his sisters, Mary and Martha. 2 This is the Mary who later poured the expensive perfume on the Lord’s feet and wiped them with her hair. Her brother, Lazarus, was sick. 3 So the two sisters sent a message to Jesus telling him, “Lord, your dear friend is very sick.”

4 But when Jesus heard about it he said, “Lazarus’s sickness will not end in death. No, it happened for the glory of God so that the Son of God will receive glory from this.” 5 So although Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, 6 he stayed where he was for the next two days. 7 Finally, he said to his disciples, “Let’s go back to Judea.”

8 But his disciples objected. “Rabbi,” they said, “only a few days ago the people in Judea were trying to stone you. Are you going there again?”

9 Jesus replied, “There are twelve hours of daylight every day. During the day people can walk safely. They can see because they have the light of this world. 10 But at night there is danger of stumbling because they have no light.” 11 Then he said, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but now I will go and wake him up.”

12 The disciples said, “Lord, if he is sleeping, he will soon get better!” 13 They thought Jesus meant Lazarus was simply sleeping, but Jesus meant Lazarus had died.

14 So he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. 15 And for your sakes, I’m glad I wasn’t there, for now you will really believe. Come, let’s go see him.”

16 Thomas, nicknamed the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let’s go, too—and die with Jesus.”

17 When Jesus arrived at Bethany, he was told that Lazarus had already been in his grave for four days. 18 Bethany was only a few miles down the road from Jerusalem, 19 and many of the people had come to console Martha and Mary in their loss. 20 When Martha got word that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him. But Mary stayed in the house. 21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask.”

23 Jesus told her, “Your brother will rise again.”

24“Yes,” Martha said, “he will rise when everyone else rises, at the last day.”

25 Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. 26 Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?”

27 “Yes, Lord,” she told him. “I have always believed you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who has come into the world from God.” 28 Then she returned to Mary. She called Mary aside from the mourners and told her, “The Teacher is here and wants to see you.” 29 So Mary immediately went to him.

30 Jesus had stayed outside the village, at the place where Martha met him. 31 When the people who were at the house consoling Mary saw her leave so hastily, they assumed she was going to Lazarus’s grave to weep. So they followed her there. 

32 When Mary arrived and saw Jesus, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, a deep anger welled up within him, and he was deeply troubled. 34“Where have you put him?” he asked them.

They told him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Then Jesus wept. 36 The people who were standing nearby said, “See how much he loved him!” 37 But some said, “This man healed a blind man. Couldn’t he have kept Lazarus from dying?”

38 Jesus was still angry as he arrived at the tomb, a cave with a stone rolled across its entrance. 39 “Roll the stone aside,” Jesus told them. But Martha, the dead man’s sister, protested, “Lord, he has been dead for four days. The smell will be terrible.”

40 Jesus responded, “Didn’t I tell you that you would see God’s glory if you believe?” 41 So they rolled the stone aside. Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, thank you for hearing me. 42 You always hear me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here, so that they will believe you sent me.” 43 Then Jesus shouted, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 And the dead man came out, his hands and feet bound in graveclothes, his face wrapped in a headcloth. Jesus told them, “Unwrap him and let him go!”

45 Many of the people who were with Mary believed in Jesus when they saw this happen.

Delay and Love

• Jesus loved Lazarus, Martha, and Mary… so he waited.
• Sometimes God’s love comes with patience, not immediate rescue.

Faith Meets Fear

• Thomas: “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” (v16)
• Following Jesus can feel risky or confusing, yet God is present in the journey.

Grief and Honest Prayer

• Martha & Mary: “Lord, if you had been here…” (vv21, 32)
• Faith can speak honestly, even in disappointment.

Jesus as Resurrection and Life

• “I am the resurrection and the life…” (vv25–26)
• God’s presence transforms death and grief into new life.

God Weeps With Us

• “Jesus wept.” (v35)
• God enters sorrow and stands with us in the midst of pain.

Glory in the Impossible

• Even at the tomb, God calls forth life: “Lazarus, come out!” (v43)
• Resurrection often begins where hope seems gone.

A Lenten Litany of Trust

Leader:

God of love,

you meet us in the wilderness and call us your own.

People:

We trust your love.

We will stay present to the needs of others.

We will notice what we might usually pass by.

Leader:

When questions rise and answers are unclear,

People:

We trust your love.

We will pause before rushing to solutions.

We will pray and listen before acting.

Leader:

When following Jesus asks us to take risks,

People:

We trust your love.

We will speak the hard truth with care.

We will choose integrity over convenience.

Leader:

When we are seen more clearly than we expected,

People:

We trust your love.

We will bring our full selves honestly to God and others.

We will resist hiding behind excuses or masks.

Leader:

When our vision is limited and our faith feels fragile,

People:

We trust your love.

We will keep showing up, even in small ways.

We will practice patience with ourselves and others.

Leader:

When grief lingers and hope feels delayed,

People:

We trust your love.

We will stay with those who mourn.

We will care without needing immediate results.

Leader:

When Jesus is not what we expected,

People:

We trust your love.

We will follow without insisting on comfort or control.

We will look for him in surprising places and people.

Leader:

When temptation whispers that love is not enough,

People:

We trust your love.

We will resist shortcuts that harm relationships.

We will act with honesty and patience.

Leader:

Shape in us a holiness

that is not about rules,

but about loving in practical ways, day by day.

People:

We trust your love.

And we will walk in this way.

Amen.