John 11:23 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”

NIV: Jesus said to her, 'Your brother will rise again.'

NASB: Jesus *said to her, 'Your brother will rise from the dead.'

CSB: "Your brother will rise again," Jesus told her.

NLT: Jesus told her, 'Your brother will rise again.'

KJV: Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again.

NKJV: Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”

Several days earlier, Jesus received a message from Martha and Mary telling Him that His friend, their brother Lazarus, was sick (John 11:1–3). His response was that the sickness would not lead to death (John 11:4). Technically, His earlier statement can be translated to mean the sickness would not "end in" death, which makes perfect sense given what's about to happen (John 11:43–44). Either way, it's reasonable to think Mary and Martha would have been puzzled by that answer.

According to Scripture, Mary, Martha, and Lazarus had experience with Jesus' teachings (Luke 10:38–42). This gives context to Martha's comments that Jesus could have prevented Lazarus's death (John 11:21), and that God would give Jesus anything He requested (John 11:22). Mary's treatment of Jesus strongly suggests she had deeply considered Jesus' message, and understood it better even than most of the disciples (Mark 14:3–9). The sisters' close attention to Christ means they would have been aware of His references to resurrection (John 6:39–40).

As with any follower of Christ, though, knowledge and faith didn't lead to perfect understanding. When Jesus tells Martha that Lazarus will rise, she responds with a careful, conservative answer (John 11:24).

John 11:17–27 describes Jesus' encounter with Martha, Lazarus' brother. By the time Jesus got word of Lazarus' illness, His friend had already died, but Jesus delayed a further two days before coming to see the family. Martha is both heartbroken and resigned. She is confident that her brother will see eternal resurrection. Jesus confirms His role in salvation as He comforts her; she responds by affirming Him as the Messiah. This is the fifth of seven ''I Am'' statements by Jesus in this gospel. In the following passage, Jesus will meet with Martha and Lazarus' sister, Mary, expressing His sorrow for their pain.

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 gospel of John was written by the disciple John, decades later than the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. 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”—in order to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in all of the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.