John 11:8 - Printer Friendly

ESV: The disciples said to him, "Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?"

NIV: "But Rabbi," they said, "a short while ago the Jews there tried to stone you, and yet you are going back?"

NASB: The disciples *said to Him, 'Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone You, and yet You are going there again?'

CSB: "Rabbi," the disciples told him, "just now the Jews tried to stone you, and you’re going there again?"

NLT: 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?'

KJV: His disciples say unto him, Master, the Jews of late sought to stone thee; and goest thou thither again?

NKJV: The disciples said to Him, “Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone You, and are You going there again?”

Jesus has responded to an urgent message about His friend, Lazarus (John 11:1–3). Lazarus and his sisters, Mary and Martha, live very close to Jerusalem, in Bethany. Based on Jesus' initial response, His disciples probably assume Lazarus will recover (John 11:4). Further, they know that Jesus had left Judea to avoid the murderous intent of local religious leaders—a group the gospel of John frequently refers to as "the Jews." After two days of staying in Bethabara, already two days' journey from Bethany, they would have assumed the issue was settled.

However, Jesus has determined to return to Mary and Martha's home (John 11:7). This is in keeping with His comforting response, given to the messenger sent by the sisters (John 11:4). While we have the benefit of hindsight, nobody else in this story knows what is going to happen, other than Jesus. Jesus' message to Mary and Martha would have arrived after their brothers' death, and the disciples can't understand why Jesus would walk back into hostile territory. From their perspective, this is virtually a suicide mission (John 11:16).

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.