NLT Life Application Study Bible, Third Edition - Flipbook - Page 47
page 1821
10:36
John 5:17-20
10:42
John 2:23; 7:31;
8:30; 11:45; 12:11, 42
11:1
Matt 21:17
Luke 10:38
11:2
John 12:3
11:4
John 9:3
•
J ohn 1 1
altered. So if those people who received God’s message were called ‘gods,’ 36why do you
call it blasphemy when I say, ‘I am the Son of God’? After all, the Father set me apart and
sent me into the world. 37Don’t believe me unless I carry out my Father’s work. 38But if
I do his work, believe in the evidence of the miraculous works I have done, even if you
don’t believe me. Then you will know and understand that the Father is in me, and I
am in the Father.”
39Once again they tried to arrest him, but he got away and left them. 40He went beyond
the Jordan River near the place where John was first baptizing and stayed there awhile.
41And many followed him. “John didn’t perform miraculous signs,” they remarked to
one another, “but everything he said about this man has come true.” 42And many who
were there believed in Jesus.
3. Jesus encounters crucial events in Jerusalem
Lazarus Becomes Sick and Dies (165)
A man named Lazarus was sick. He lived in Bethany with his sisters, Mary and
Martha. 2This is the Mary who later poured the expensive perfume on the Lord’s
feet and wiped them with her hair.* Her brother, Lazarus, was sick. 3So the two sisters
sent a message to Jesus telling him, “Lord, your dear friend is very sick.”
4But when J
esus heard about it he said, “Lazarus’s sickness will not end in death. No,
it happened for the glory of God so that the Son of God will receive glory from this.” 5So
11
11:2 This incident is recorded in chapter 12.
THE NAMES
OF JESUS
In different
settings, Jesus
gave himself
names that
pointed to
special roles
he was ready
to fulfill for
people. Some
of these refer
back to the
Old Testament
promises of the
Messiah. Others
were ways to
help people
understand him.
Reference
6:27
Name
Son of Man
Significance
In the Gospels, this is Jesus’ favorite way to refer to
himself. It emphasizes his humanity but is also understood as a claim to divinity because of the way he used it.
This refers to Jesus’ life-giving role—he is the only source
of eternal life.
6:35
Bread of Life
8:12
Light of the World
Light is a symbol of spiritual truth. Jesus is the universal
answer to people’s need for spiritual truth.
10:7
Gate for the Sheep
Jesus is the only way into God’s Kingdom.
10:11
Good Shepherd
Jesus appropriated the prophetic images of the Messiah
pictured in the Old Testament. This is a claim to divinity,
focusing on Jesus’ love and guidance.
11:25
The Resurrection
and the Life
Not only is Jesus the source of life, but he also has power
over death.
14:6
The Way, the Truth,
and the Life
Jesus is the method, the message, and the meaning for
all people. With this title, he summarized his purpose in
coming to earth.
15:1
The True Vine
This title has an important second part—“you are the
branches” (15:5). This name reminds us that just as
branches gain life from the vine and cannot live apart
from it, we are completely dependent on Christ for
spiritual life.
11:1 The village of Bethany was located about two miles east of Jerusalem on the road to Jericho. It was near enough to Jerusalem for Jesus
and the disciples to be in danger, but far enough away so as not to attract
attention prematurely.
11:1 When they heard that Lazarus was ill, the disciples may have wondered, Who sinned? or perhaps, What did he do wrong? like they had
for the blind man (9:2). But Jesus clearly explained to his disciples that
sickness and death do not indicate that God has rejected someone or that
the afflicted person has done something wrong (9:3). Neither we nor our
loved ones are exempt from pain and death. Lazarus, Mary, and Martha
were Jesus’ very close friends and disciples. Jesus loved them, yet he did
not rush to spare them grief. The presence of pain and suffering in the
lives of both believers and nonbelievers can teach us that Christians do
not have different experiences in life. Rather, we experience life differently. Our hope in Jesus does not insulate us from life’s difficulties, but
it does provide a way through and beyond them. God can use difficult
experiences for good in our lives in many ways, one of which is to make
us more compassionate servants for him as we comfort others.
11:3 As their brother grew very sick, Mary and Martha turned to Jesus
for help. They believed in his ability to help because they had seen his
miracles. We, too, know of Jesus’ miracles, both from Scripture and
through changed lives we have seen. When we need extraordinary help,
Jesus offers extraordinary resources. We should not hesitate to ask him
for assistance.
11:4 Any difficult situation a believer faces can ultimately bring glory to
God because God can bring good out of any bad circumstance (Genesis
50:20; Romans 8:28). When trouble comes, do you grumble, complain,
and blame God, or do you see your problems as opportunities to honor
him and grow in your spiritual maturity?
11:5-7 Jesus loved this family and often stayed with them. He knew
their pain but did not respond immediately. His delay was not from lack