John 11
1 There was someone who was weak with illness, Eleazara from Bethany,b which was the village where Miriamc—his sister Miriamd—was from 2 (Miriam was the one who anointed the Lord with perfumed oil and wiped his feet with her hair and whose brother Eleazar was weak with illness). 3 So, Miriam sent a message for Jesuse: “Lord,f the one you care aboutg is weak with illness.”
4 When he heard it, Jesus replied to her, “This illness isn’t resulting in death, but for the sake of praiseh for God with the result that the Son of God would be praisedi because of it.”j 5 (Jesus lovedk Eleazer and his sister). 6 So, after he heard he was weak with illness, he stayed where he was for two more days.
7 Then, after that, he said to his students, “We should go back to Judea.”
8 “Rabbi,” his students said to him, “just now, the Judean authorities were trying to stone you to death! And you want to go back there?”
9 “Aren’t there 12 hours during the day?” Jesus answered. “If someone walks during the day, they don’t run into anything since they see the light of this world. 10 But if someone walks during the night, they run into things since the light is not with them.”
11 He said these things, and later he told them, “Our friendl Eleazar has fallen asleep;m however, I am traveling there so I can wake him up.”
12 So his students said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he’ll be restored from his illness”n 13 (Jesus had been talking about his death, but they thought he was talking about resting in sleep).
14 So then Jesus told them openly, “Eleazar died, 15 and I’m glad for your sake that I wasn’t there, so you can trust me, but we should go to him.”
16 Then Thomaso (called Didymusp) said to his fellow students, “We should go too, so we can die with him.”
17 When Jesus arrived, he found Eleazarq already had been within the tomb for four days. 18 (Bethany was near Jerusalem, less than two milesr away. 19 Many Judeans had come to Miriam to console her regarding her brother.) 20 So, when Miriam heard Jesus was coming while sitting in her house, she went to go meet him.
21 Then Miriam said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother wouldn’t have died. 22 However, I know even now whatever you ask God for, God will give it to you.”
23 “Your brother will rise up,”s Jesus told her.
24 “I know he will rise up at the rising up on the last day,” Miriam said.
25 “I am the rising upt and life,” Jesus said to her. “Whoever places their trust in me will live even if they die, 26 and everyone who is alive and places their trust in me certainly won’t die throughout the Age. Do you trust this?”
27 “Yes, Lord,” she said, “I have trusted that you are the Christ, God’s Son who has come tou the whole world.”v
[|w 28 After she said this, she went and discretely called her sister Miriam. “The teacher has arrived and is calling for you,” she said.
29 When Miriamx heard, she got up quickly and went to him. 30 (Jesus had not yet gone into the village but was still in the place where Martha met with him.) 31 Then, the Judeans who were with her in the house consoling her followed her after they saw Miriam get up quickly and leave because they thought she was going to the tomb to mourny there. 32 Then, when Miriam arrived at the place where Jesus was and saw him, she collapsed at his feet.
“Lord,” she said to him, “If you had been here, my brother wouldn’t have died!” |]z
33 Then, as Jesus saw her mourning and the Judeans who had come with her mourning, he angrily confronted himselfaa in the spirit and worked himself upbb 34 and said, “Where have you laid him?”
“Lord,” they told him, “Come and see.”
35 Jesus wept.cc
36 Then the Judeans began saying, “Look how much he cared about him!”
37 However, some of them said, “Wasn’t hedd—since he opened the eyes of the blind man—able to make it so that Eleazaree wouldn’t die?”
38 Then, Jesus—angrily confronting himselfff again—arrived at the tomb. (It was a cave, and a stone was laid over the opening.)
39 “Lift the stone away,” Jesus said.
Miriam, the sister of the deceased, told him, “Lord, he already smells since it’s the fourth day.”
40 “Didn’t I tell you that if you trusted, you would see God’s praiseworthiness?” Jesus responded. 41 So they lifted away the stone.
Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I give thanks to you because you listened to me. 42 I had learned that you always listen to me, but for the sake of the people standing here I said it aloud so that they can trust that you sent me.”
43 After he said these things, he shouted with a loud voice, “Eleazar, come out here!”gg 44 The one who had died came out, still having his feet and hands bound with strips of cloth and a cloth wrapped around his face.
“Remove the binding and let him go,” Jesus told them.
45 Then many of the Judeans who had come with Miriam and seen the things he did placed their trust in him. 46 But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus did. 47 So the lead priests and Pharisees gathered the councilhh together and began saying, “What do we do about this person producing so many signs? 48 If we let him go on like this, everyone will place their trust in him, and the Romans will come and take away our place and our people!”
49 Then one of them, Caiaphas who was the high priest that year, said to them, “You don’t know anything! 50 You haven’t even figured out that it benefits you that one person would die for the sake of the whole populationii and not the whole peoplejj be destroyed. 51 (He didn’t say this by himself, but rather, as high priest for that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the sake of the people,kk 52 and not for the sake of that people only but so that God’s children who were scattered would be gathered into one.ll) 53 So, from that day on, they planned together that they would kill him.
54 So, Jesus didn’t travel in Judea openly anymore; instead, he went from that region to the area near the Wilderness, to a town called Ephraim, and he stayed there with the students.
55 It was almost the Jewish festival, Passover, and many people went up to Jerusalem from the countryside before Passover so that they could prepare themselves for religious participation,mm 56 so the lead priests and Phariseesnn were looking for Jesus.
As they stood in the sacred grounds, they were saying to each other, “What do you think? That it’s certain he won’t come to the festival?” 57 (The lead priests and Pharisees had given directions that if someone learned where he was, they should report it, so they could capture him.)
FOOTNOTES:
a Traditionally, ‘Lazarus.’ I have chosen to allow the Jewishness of the people described in these writings to be evident by using the names that are connected with the Hebrew origins when they are Hebrew-derived names instead of being double translated through Greek. ‘Eleazar’ in Hebrew means ‘the one whom God helps.’
b Bethany was in Judea, the area he just left to escape the authorities who were trying to kill him.
c Christian tradition has translated this name as ‘Mary.’ The Greek Mariam is a translation of the Hebrew name ‘Miriam.’ I have chosen to allow the Jewishness of the people described in these writings to be evident by using the names that are connected with the Hebrew origins when they are Hebrew-derived names instead of being double translated through Greek.
d Traditionally, ‘and her sister Martha.’ Recent research into the oldest available manuscript of John, Papyrus 66, as well as early Christian writings, such as by Tertullian, has cast doubt on the original inclusion of a Martha in this story. Even if it is about sisters Mary and Martha, it would not be the same Mary and Martha that appear in Luke 10 since their hometowns are in completely different locations. The work of Elizabeth Schrader has been instrumental in exploring the early variations in this text (Schrader, Elizabeth (2017). “Was Martha Added to the Fourth Gospel in the Second Century?” Harvard Theological Review, 110(3), 360-392). Upon contacting her, she cautioned against including her findings in a translation and suggested instead mentioning them in a footnote. Part of the problem is that her findings in early manuscript evidence only account for verses 1-5 and do not address the presence of Martha in later verses. As I review those verses, there are strange repetitions in the section of verses 20-32. Mary and Martha are said to due identical actions, say identical things. It is not conclusive, but it opens the possibility of a scribe duplicating the verses to make sense of things. For more information, see the recording and its transcript of Diana Butler Bass discussing Schrader’s findings and the impact she sees them making on our understanding of church history: https://dianabutlerbass.substack.com/p/all-the-marys and https://dianabutlerbass.substack.com/p/mary-the-tower.
e Literally, ‘him.’
f The Greek word ide follows ‘Lord’ (kurios) in the text, but it does not have a good English equivalent in this spot. It literally means ‘look’ and is used to indicate the person receiving the message should pay careful attention to what comes next. If it were a warning label or a sign about policy, it could be translated as something like ‘Attention’ or ‘Notice.’ If it were more conversational, ‘look’ could be appropriate, but in a message that your friend is seriously ill, it doesn’t fit into any conventional English pattern.
g The Greek phileo is traditionally translated ‘to love.’ It carries with it a sense of affection, emotional attachment, care, and relational bond. It is shared between friends and family members. It is a different word from the Greek agapao, also traditionally translated as ‘to love,’ which carries a sense of commitment for pursuing benefit for someone, taking care of them.
h Traditionally, ‘glory’
i Traditionally, ‘may be glorified’
j Jesus’ response seems possibly connected with Numbers 21:4-9.
k This is agapao, in contrast with phileo in verse 3.
l This word is philos, someone connected by philia (a close, relational bond) or the act of phileo (see verse 3).
m This phrase is a common euphemism for having died, much like ‘passed away’ is used in American culture.
n ‘Restored from his illness’ is translating the Greek sozo. Traditionally, sozo is translated most often as ‘saved.’ In this translation, it most often is translated as ‘liberated.’ The basic meaning is protected or rescued from danger, imprisonment, illness, or harm.
o An Aramaic name meaning ‘twin.’ Possibly, a spelling like ‘Ta’om’ could be a closer equivalent to the Aramaic.
p A Greek name meaning ‘twin.’
q Literally, ‘him’
r Literally, ‘about 15 stades.’ A stade was 607 feet, so the distance was approximately 1.72 miles (since 15 stades is an estimate).
s Or ‘stand up’ or ‘wake up’ or ‘rouse.’ This word anistemi (found also in John 6:39) is the verb form of anastasis (‘rising up’) in John 5:29. There is another verb, histemi, with a related meaning, in fact overlapping quite a bit. However, the prefix an- makes the ‘up’ part of the meaning more emphatic. Anistemi can mean literally to ‘stand up’ or ‘wake up’ and it can mean to ‘stand up’ in the metaphorical sense of taking a stand against oppressors or an army. There are examples of it being used to refer to ‘putting forward’ a champion to do battle in a duel and examples of it being used of driving people out of a land, ‘uprooting’ them from their homes. In John 5:29, the noun form is used of people being woken up from death and uprooted from their tombs and brought forth for either life or assessment (traditionally, judgment). Here, it seems to be related to that concept, being connected with life, as well as hints of those other meanings as well, particularly about rising up against oppression and being put forth as champions in the revolution when God’s reign is fully established at the last day.
t Or ‘the getting up,’ or ‘the waking up/awakening’ or ‘the uprising.’ It would be appropriate even to say ‘the revolution.’ Traditionally, it’s ‘the resurrection.’ Even the English word ‘resurrection’ shares origins with ‘insurrection.’ They have to do with standing up (being ‘erect’). The ‘re-‘ in ‘resurrection’ is about returning to a state that was previously experienced. This word is anastasis. Here are the meanings for it listed in The Cambridge Greek Lexicon (2021): 1) act of raising or rising up (from death); 2) rising, awakening, 3) rise (of persons, opposite of ptosis ‘downfall’), 4) erection (of walls), 5) removal (from one’s usual abode); evacuation (of people), 6) withdrawal (of an army), 7) breaking up, adjournment (of an assembly), 8) overthrow, destruction (of a city, country, nation, family). This is the noun form of ‘rise up’ (anistemi).
u Or ‘for.’ The Greek eis can signify movement toward or being for the advantage of something, so it could be ‘come for the benefit/advantage of the world.’
v Or ‘into the world’ or ‘in the world system’
w There is no scholarly textual criticism that questions this sections authenticity. However, I have bracketed in speculation that it may have been added or modified after the original document began to be copied. The repetition of the events and wording and the inclusion of Martha could all be explained by a scribal decision to make changes. See note on verse 1.
x Literally, ‘that one’ or ‘she’
y Or ‘weep.’ Cuturally, people expressed grief by crying and wailing loudly for others to see. v
z There is no scholarly textual criticism that questions this sections authenticity. However, I have bracketed in speculation that it may have been added or modified after the original document began to be copied. The repetition of the events and wording and the inclusion of Martha could all be explained by a scribal decision to make changes. See note on verse 1.
aa This word, embrimaomai, is traditionally something like ‘he was deeply moved’ (ESV, NIV, NASB), or ‘he was greatly disturbed’ (NRSV), or ‘he groaned’ (KJV, NKJV). The definition of the word is ‘to scold’ or ‘to warn sternly’ and is related to a word that means ‘to snort with anger.’ In the Greek resources, the only instance of this word used to justify a definition of ‘deeply moved’ is this verse, so the reasoning becomes circular in any argument for that definition. The word is in the ‘middle voice’ which means it is reflexive, directed to oneself. Objections to the translation of ‘he angrily confronted himself’ could be presented based on the idea that any expression of regret or remorse for his actions by Jesus could be construed as being flawed or even as having sinned. However, there is significant biblical precedent for God regretting choices and the course of God’s actions in the Hebrew Bible. In Exodus 34, after the Israelites made a golden calf idol, the text says that God was furious and stated plans to wipe out the people. Moses pleaded on their behalf, “And the Lord changed his mind about the disaster that he planned to bring on his people” (Exodus 32:14 NRSV). The word translated in that verse as ‘changed his mind’ is the same Hebrew word translated about people in other places as ‘repented.’ The better translation is ‘changed his mind.’ That seems to be what Jesus is doing in this verse after seeing the suffering the death caused. He feels an intense emotion about his previous decision to delay and changes his mind about it being the right way to go. There even seems to be something of anger toward himself, not because he was evil but because he wished his actions hadn’t impacted people harmfully.
bb Traditionally, ‘he was troubled’ or ‘he was greatly distressed.’ However, those translations omit a significant Greek word: ‘himself’ (heauton). It doesn’t just happen to him, he is agitating or upsetting himself. It is the same word to describe what happens to the water in the pool where the man with a 38-year illness hoped to be cleansed when the water was ‘agitated’ or ‘moving’ or ‘stirred up’ in John 5:7. That seems to be what is happening with Jesus. He experiences some anger regarding his previous decision, changes his mind, and stirs himself to action based on that distress. The next verses describe him asking where the body is and moving to the tomb where he outwardly displays his emotions that are being described as ‘in the spirit’ (inward) in this verse before changing his actions to fit his changed mind.
cc This is a different word from the one translated as ‘mourn’ in verses 31 and 33.
dd Literally, ‘this one’ or ‘this man’ or ‘this person.’
ee Literally, ‘this one’ or ‘this man’ or ‘this person.’
ff Literally, ‘being angrily confronted in himself’ or ‘being angrily confronted by himself. This instance of the word is both in the middle voice and includes en heauto, ‘in/by/with himself.’ See footnote in verse 33 for more information.
gg Compare with John 10:1-18.
hh The same word, sunedrion, can be used to refer to ‘the Sanhedrin’ which was the high council of the Judean authorities. For various contextual reasons, this seems to be an unofficial gathering of council members and not an official session of the Sanhedrin.
ii The Greek is laos, where the word ‘lay person’ or ‘laity’ comes from in church contexts, meaning all the people who aren’t clergy. The Greek word just meant all the people as a collective. It could be translated as ‘the people’ or ‘the public’ or ‘the community’ or ‘the crowd,’ etc.
jj The Greek word is ethnos, traditionally translated as ‘nation’ (not as a nation-state in the modern usage, but as a people group, ethnicity) or when it’s plural as ‘Gentiles.’ Here it is talking about the people group descended from Jacob, Israel, as a whole.
kk It is ethnos, ‘people group’ or ‘nation’ or ‘ethnicity’ again here.
ll See Genesis 11:1-9
mm The Greek hagnizo is traditionally translated here as ‘purify themselves’ or ‘ritually cleanse themselves.’ It’s no accident, however, that it looks like hagios, which is traditionally translated as ‘holy’ or when it’s describing people, ‘saints.’ Another definition listed for this word is ‘to consecrate’ or ‘make appropriate for sacred purposes or calling.’
nn Literally, ‘they’ but the context of verses 47-53 and verse 57 indicates who ‘they’ are.