John 11:28 - Printer Friendly

ESV: When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying in private, "The Teacher is here and is calling for you."

NIV: 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."

NASB: When she had said this, she left and called Mary her sister, saying secretly, 'The Teacher is here and is calling for you.'

CSB: Having said this, she went back and called her sister Mary, saying in private, "The Teacher is here and is calling for you."

NLT: Then she returned to Mary. She called Mary aside from the mourners and told her, 'The Teacher is here and wants to see you.'

KJV: And when she had so said, she went her way, and called Mary her sister secretly, saying, The Master is come, and calleth for thee.

NKJV: And when she had said these things, she went her way and secretly called Mary her sister, saying, “The Teacher has come and is calling for you.”

Martha has just met Jesus after His arrival in Bethany. This came four days after her brother, Lazarus, had died of an illness (John 11:1–17). In that conversation, Martha expressed her faith in Jesus' divine power. When Christ referred to Himself as "the resurrection and the life" (John 11:25–26), Martha affirmed this belief and referred to Jesus as "Lord," "Christ," and "Son of God."

Lazarus has two sisters. The other, Mary, is still at home while Jesus and Martha have their conversation (John 11:18–20). Other Scriptures show that these two women are close followers of Jesus (Luke 10:38–42). The Bible tells us that Jesus didn't merely "tolerate" their presence, He actively encouraged them. Mary was described as sitting at Jesus' feet—this was often literal, but also used as a reference to being a student of a teacher (Acts 22:3). When Martha goes to summon her sister, she uses that very term: "teacher." Jesus' relationship with these women was not patronizing or shallow. Mary, especially, seems to have grasped the meaning of Jesus' teachings better than many others (Mark 14:3–9).

It's possible that Mary didn't know Jesus had arrived until Martha's summons. Martha might have come to see Jesus so she could speak with Him free from a very-emotional Mary. It's also possible that Mary was well aware of His arrival and was simply too overcome to leave the house at that time. Either way, now is the time for her to speak with "the Teacher."

John 11:28–37 contains the meeting between Lazarus' sister, Mary, and Jesus. Lazarus had died even before word reached Jesus that he was sick. Even so, Jesus waited until four days had passed to arrive in Bethany. Mary repeats her sister Martha's lament that Jesus could have prevented Lazarus from dying in the first place. The crowd—probably including mourners and hostile observers loyal to local religious leaders—say the same thing. Heading to the tomb, Jesus weeps: expressing sorrow for the pain of others, despite knowing that His visit here will end in Lazarus' resurrection.

Jesus has left the vicinity of Jerusalem to avoid hostile religious leaders. While gone, He receives word that a good friend, Lazarus, is sick. In fact, Lazarus has died by the time this message reaches Jesus. He purposefully waits a few days before returning to Bethany, arriving four days after Lazarus' burial. In front of Lazarus' mourning sisters—who Jesus weeps with—and an assembled crowd, Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead in a stirring and spectacular miracle. This is the seventh of John's seven ''signs'' of Jesus' divine power. In response, religious leaders coordinate in their effort to have Jesus murdered.

After giving sight to a man born blind (John 9), Jesus sparred with religious leaders on at least two occasions (John 10). After another failed arrest attempt, Jesus left the area and went out where Jerusalem's politics had little influence. In this chapter, He returns to resurrect a recently-departed friend, Lazarus. That results in a renewed commitment from Jerusalem's religious leaders to have Jesus murdered. As the crucifixion draws near, Jesus will stage His triumphal entry in chapter 12, and then begin His final teachings to the disciples.

The disciple John wrote the gospel of John decades after the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke were written. The author assumes that a reader is already familiar with the content of these other works. So, John presents a different perspective, with a greater emphasis on meaning. John uses seven miracles—which he calls "signs"— to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.