Overview:

• A) 1-6: Introduction: Jesus receives the message from Martha and Mary
  • B) 7-16: Jesus and the Disciples talk about Lazarus and death ["Lazarus is dead!" - v.14]
    • C) 17-27: Jesus and Martha dialogue about resurrection and life ["Lord, if you had been here, my brother wouldn't have died" - v. 21]
      • **Martha: "Yes, Lord;  I have believed that you are the Christ, the son of God, the one coming into the world." (v. 27)
    • C') 28-37: Jesus and Mary and some Jews express sorrow and love ["Lord, if you had been here, my brother wouldn't have died" - v. 32]
  • B') 38-44: Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead ["Lazarus come out!" - v. 43]
• A') 45-54: Conclusion: The various reactions of the Jews

Detailed Structures:

• Narrator: someone was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Martha & her sister Mary, who anointed the Lord (cf. 12:1-11); 
      brother Lazarus was ill (vv. 1-2)
  • Sisters send message: "Lord, the one you love is ill." (v. 3)
    • Jesus: "This illness is not for death, but for God's glory, so the Son of God may be glorified"  (v. 4)
  • Narrator: Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus; (v. 5)
•     Narrator: when he heard that he was ill, 
  he remained where he was two more days." (v. 6)

• Jesus to the disciples: "Let's go to Judea again." (v. 7)
  • Disciples: "Rabbi, just now the Jews were trying to stone you, and you want to go there again?" (v. 8)
    • Jesus figuratively: "Aren't there 12 hours each day? Those who walk in daylight don't stumble, for they see this world's light;
      but those who walk at night stumble, for the light isn't in them (vv. 9-10)
      • Jesus: "Our friend Lazarus is asleep; but I'm going to wake him (v. 11)
      • Disciples: "Lord, if he's asleep, he'll be saved." (v. 12)
    • Narrator: Jesus was talking about death, but they thought he meant ordinary sleep. (v. 13)
    • Jesus plainly: "Lazarus is dead. I'm glad for you that I wasn't there, so you can believe" (vv. 14-15a)
  • Jesus: "But let's go to him." (v. 15b)
• Thomas Didymus to fellow disciples: "Let's also go so we die with him." (v. 16)

• Narrator: Jesus arrives; Lazarus in tomb four days; Bethany near Jerusalem; many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them; when Martha hears Jesus was coming, she goes to meet him; Mary stays at home (vv. 17-20)
  • Martha: "Lord, if you had been here, my brother wouldn't have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask God, God will give you." (vv. 21-22)
    • Jesus: "Your brother will rise up." (v. 23)
    • Martha: "I know he will rise up, in the resurrection on the last day." (v. 24)
    • Jesus: "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, 
      and everyone living and believing in me will not die forever. Do you believe this?" (vv. 25-26)
  • Martha: "Yes, Lord;  I have believed that you are the Christ, the son of God, the one coming into the world." (v. 27)

C') 28-37: Jesus and Mary and some Jews express sorrow and love

• Narrator: She goes back and calls Mary, saying privately, "The teacher is here and is calling you"; Mary gets up quickly and goes to him; Jesus was still outside the village, where Martha met him; the Jews in the house follow Mary, thinking she's going to the tomb (vv. 28-31)
  • Mary kneels and says: "Lord, if you had been here, my brother wouldn't have died." (v. 32)
    • Narrator: When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping, he was disturbed and upset himself. (v. 33)
    • Jesus: "Where have you laid him?" (v. 34a); They: "Sir, come and see." (v. 34b)
    • Narrator: "And Jesus wept." (v. 35); Jews: "See how he loved him." (v. 36)
  • Some of them: "Couldn't he, who opened the eyes of the blind man, have kept this man from dying?" (v. 37)

• Narrator: Jesus, disturbed again, came to the tomb, a cave with a stone lying upon it. (v. 38)
  • Jesus: "Remove the stone" (v. 39a)
    • Martha: "Lord, it already smells, for it's the fourth day [since his death]" (v. 39b)
    • Jesus: "Didn't I tell you that if you believed, you'd see God's glory?" (v. 40)
  • Narrator: So they removed the stone. (v. 41a)
    • Jesus, looking up: "Father, I thank you, because you heard me. I know you always hear me, 
      but I said this for the sake of the surrounding crowd, so they believe that you sent me." (vv. 41b-42)
  • Jesus cries aloud: "Lazarus, come out!" (v. 43)
  • Narrator: The dead man came out, 
    • with hands and feet bound, and face wrapped in a cloth. (v. 44a)
    • Jesus: "Unbind him, and let him go." (v. 44b)

• Narrator: Many of the Jews who had come and seen, believed in Jesus; 
  but some went to the Pharisees and told them. (vv. 45-46)
  • Chief Priests and Pharisees in Council: "What shall we do? This man does many signs. If we let him continue, all will believe in him, and the Romans will destroy our land and people" (vv. 47-48)
    • Caiaphas, high priest that year: "You know nothing! Don't you realize that it's better for us that one person dies for the people, instead of the whole people being destroyed?" (vv. 49-50)
  • Narrator: He said this not on his own but as high priest, prophesying that Jesus would die for the people, and not just the people, but to gather all the dispersed children of God into one. From that day on, they planned to kill him. (vv. 51-53)
• Narrator: So Jesus no longer walked openly among the Jews, 
  but departed to a town, near the desert, called Ephraim; there he stayed with his disciples. (v. 54)