John 11

Go Deep

 (John 11)

Read John 11:1-16.

Why didn’t the sisters ask Jesus for anything in verse 3?

What do you suppose the sisters expected Jesus to do in response to this information?

How could Jesus be so certain of himself in verse 4? (see 5:19-20)

In the light of Lazarus’s death, was Jesus’s prediction in verse 4 correct? Explain your answer.

How might knowing verse 4 and its context help us when we are going through challenging times?

Why does John tell his readers that Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus? Was there reason to question this analysis?

In the original, verse 6 reads: “Therefore, when he heard Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was for two days.” Explain the “therefore.”

If you were the disciples, and knew how much Jesus loved Lazarus and his sisters, how might you have interpreted Jesus’s two-day delay?

Is there any evidence in the text that the disciples did not want Jesus to return to Judea?

Did Jesus’s plan to return to Judea (verse 7) test the disciples’ faith? Did they pass the test (see verse 16)?

What is the point of Jesus’s answer to the disciples’ question about returning to Judea (vv. 9-10)?

If the disciples had known what was going to happen in Judea, do you think they would have questioned Jesus’s lead?

Read verses 14 and 15. Why was Jesus glad (Greek: “I rejoice”)?

In the light of verse 15, how important does Jesus consider the belief of his followers?

What can we learn and apply from John 11:1-16?