John 11 - NLT Student Life Application Study Bible

11:1-21 Not Spared from Grief Lazarus, Mary, and Martha were Jesus’ very close friends and disciples. Jesus loved them, but he didn’t rush to spare them grief. His delay wasn’t from lack of love; he had a specific purpose in mind. God’s timing, especially his delays, may make us think that he isn’t answering our prayers—or at least answering them the way we want. The fact is that God’s best plan for us is sometimes painful in the moment. Our hope in Jesus doesn’t keep us from life’s difficulties. However, it does provide a way through and beyond them. God can use difficult experiences for good in our lives in many ways, such as making us more compassionate and understanding as we comfort others and helping us depend more on him.

11:25-26 Life and Death Jesus has power over life and death. By this time, he had already raised others from the dead, including Jairus’s daughter (Mark 5:21-24, 35-43) and a widow’s son (Luke 7:11-15). Because he created life, he can surely restore life. Whoever believes in Jesus has a spiritual life that death can’t conquer or diminish in any way. He assures those who believe, “Since I live, you also will live” (John 14:19).

11:33-37 Deep Feelings John stresses that God cares for us. When Jesus saw the weeping and wailing, he, too, wept openly. Jesus cares enough for us to weep with us in our sorrow. In this story, we see many of Jesus’ emotions—compassion, anger, sorrow, and even frustration. In his life on earth, Jesus often expressed deep emotion. We don’t have to be afraid to reveal our true feelings to him. He understands them because he experienced them too.

11:48-51 An Unintentional Prophecy The Jewish leaders were afraid that Rome’s displeasure would bring additional hardship to their nation. John regarded Caiaphas’s statement as a prophecy. God used Caiaphas, the high priest, to explain Jesus’ death even though Caiaphas didn’t realize what he was doing.