Go Deep

 (John 11:1-16)

Read the passage. Note anything that stands out to you.

Read verse 3. What do you think the sisters expected (or hoped) would happen when they sent their message?

The sisters’ message states, “The one you love is sick,” expecting Jesus to understand who they meant. What does this tell us about the family’s relationship to Jesus?

The sisters did not ask Jesus to do anything. Why is that?

How did Jesus know Lazarus’s sickness would not end in death (verse 4)?

Why does John mention that Jesus loved Martha, her sister, and Lazarus?

Verse 6 says (literally), “Therefore … [Jesus] stayed where he was for two more days.” Why did John begin this sentence with Therefore?

Do you think the disciples thought Jesus’s idea (verses 7-8) was a bad one?

Read verse 9. What is Jesus’s point? Do you think the disciples were seeing the situation in the same light as Jesus?

Jesus (verses 11,13) speaks of death as if it were sleep. His followers did likewise (1 Thess. 4:13; 1 Cor. 11:30; 15:18, 20; Acts 7:60; 13:36.) Why is sleep a fitting image of death for the believer?

Read John 11:14-15. How can Jesus say that he is glad that he was not there to save Lazarus from dying? How do you think the disciples felt when they heard Jesus say this?

Read verse 4 again. Could it be said of the illness of ever believer, “This sickness will not end in death”? Explain your answer.

What would it take for a person’s death to be for God’s glory and for Jesus to be glorified in it? How steps could one take to get ready for such a death?

What steps could a person take now so that Christ will be glorified in his death when that day comes?

What should we think when Jesus does not answer our request when we want and in the way we expect?