John 11:3 - Printer Friendly

ESV: So the sisters sent to him, saying, "Lord, he whom you love is ill."

NIV: So the sisters sent word to Jesus, "Lord, the one you love is sick."

NASB: So the sisters sent word to Him, saying, 'Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.'

CSB: So the sisters sent a message to him: "Lord, the one you love is sick."

NLT: So the two sisters sent a message to Jesus telling him, 'Lord, your dear friend is very sick.'

KJV: Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick.

NKJV: Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.”

Mary and Martha are close followers of Jesus (Luke 10:38–42), though they do not travel with Him. They live in Bethany, which is only two miles—about three kilometers—from Jerusalem. This makes it extremely close to the religious leaders who are committed to having Jesus silenced. Presently, Jesus is in Bethabara, some twenty miles—about 32 kilometers—from the city. A fast-moving messenger could cover this distance in less than one day. This message provides some of the meager details about Jesus and Lazarus' relationship found in Scripture (John 11:5).

The content of this message echoes Jesus' mother when seeing the lack of wine at the wedding in Cana (John 2:1–3). In both that instance, and this letter, no demands are made of Jesus. A need is stated, and nothing more. This speaks to both the faith and humility of Jesus' mother, as well as Lazarus' sisters.

Later verses will lay out a timeline that fully explains what is about to happen. As it turns out, Lazarus will already have died by the time Jesus receives this message. After waiting two days, and travelling for a third, Jesus will arrive when Lazarus has been dead for four days.

This timeline is also key to understanding Jesus reply, as seen in the following verse. At the moment this messenger speaks to Jesus in Bethabara, Lazarus has already died back in Bethany. Yet Jesus will send back reassurance, knowing the message will not get to Lazarus' family until well after they've seen their brother die. This, as with all of Jesus' actions, is done for a particular purpose.

John 11:1–16 sets up the most spectacular of Jesus' earthly miracles: the resurrection of Lazarus. Jesus is given word that Lazarus is sick but delays several days before leaving to see the family. As it turns out, by the time this message gets to Jesus, Lazarus has already died. The disciples assume Jesus won't go back to Judea, since local religious leaders want to kill Him. When Jesus plans to head into dangerous territory, His followers are frightened and pessimistic. The following passage will show Jesus arriving four days after Lazarus had passed away.

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.