NLT Life Application Study Bible, Third Edition - Flipbook - Page 50
J ohn 1 1
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Jesus Raises Lazarus from the Dead (167)
38Jesus was still angry as he arrived at the tomb, a cave with a stone rolled across its
entrance. 39“Roll the stone aside,” Jesus told them.
But Martha, the dead man’s sister, protested, “Lord, he has been dead for four days.
The smell will be terrible.”
40Jesus responded, “Didn’t I tell you that you would see God’s glory if you believe?” 41So
they rolled the stone aside. Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, thank you
for hearing me. 42You always hear me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people
standing here, so that they will believe you sent me.” 43Then Jesus shouted, “Lazarus,
come out!” 44And the dead man came out, his hands and feet bound in graveclothes, his
face wrapped in a headcloth. Jesus told them, “Unwrap him and let him go!”
Religious Leaders Plot to Kill Jesus (168)
45Many of the people who were with Mary believed in Jesus when they saw this happen.
46But some went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. 47Then the leading
priests and Pharisees called the high council* together. “What are we going to do?” they
asked each other. “This man certainly performs many miraculous signs. 48If we allow
him to go on like this, soon everyone will believe in him. Then the Roman army will come
and destroy both our Temple* and our nation.”
49Caiaphas, who was high priest at that time,* said, “You don’t know what you’re
talking about! 50You don’t realize that it’s better for you that one man should die for the
people than for the whole nation to be destroyed.”
51He did not say this on his own; as high priest at that time he was led to prophesy
that Jesus would die for the entire nation. 52And not only for that nation, but to bring
together and unite all the children of God scattered around the world.
53So from that time on, the Jewish leaders began to plot Jesus’ death. 54As a result,
Jesus stopped his public ministry among the people and left Jerusalem. He went to a
place near the wilderness, to the village of Ephraim, and stayed there with his disciples.
55It was now almost time for the Jewish Passover celebration, and many people from
all over the country arrived in Jerusalem several days early so they could go through
the purification ceremony before Passover began. 56They kept looking for Jesus, but as
they stood around in the Temple, they said to each other, “What do you think? He won’t
come for Passover, will he?” 57Meanwhile, the leading priests and Pharisees had publicly
ordered that anyone seeing Jesus must report it immediately so they could arrest him.
11:39
John 11:17
11:41
Matt 11:25
11:42
John 12:30
11:43
Luke 7:14
11:47
Matt 26:3-5
11:49
Matt 26:3
11:50
John 18:13-14
11:51
Exod 28:30
Num 27:21
11:52
Isa 49:6
John 10:16
1 Jn 2:2
11:53
Matt 26:4
11:55
Exod 12:13
2 Chr 30:17-19
Matt 26:1-2
Mark 14:1
11:47 Greek the Sanhedrin.
11:48 Or our position; Greek reads our place.
11:49 Greek that year; also in 11:51.
11:38 Tombs at this time were usually caves carved in the limestone
rock of hillsides. They were often large enough for people to walk inside.
Several bodies would be placed in one tomb. After burial, a large stone
would be rolled across the entrance.
11:44 Jesus had raised others from the dead, including Jairus’s daughter (Matthew 9:18-26; Mark 5:42-43; Luke 8:40-56) and a widow’s son
(Luke 7:11-15).
11:45-53 Even when confronted p
oint-blank with the power of Jesus’
deity, some refused to believe. These eyewitnesses not only rejected
Jesus—they plotted his murder. They were so hardened that they preferred
rejecting God’s Son to admitting they were wrong. They wanted to fit
God into their own plans instead of be open to his marvelous power.
Beware of pride. If we allow it to grow, it can lead us into enormous sin
and spiritual blindness.
11:48 The Jewish leaders knew that Jesus was becoming dangerous to
their way of life. They feared that if they didn’t stop him, the Romans would
misunderstand the kind of Kingdom Jesus had come to establish and lash
out against them. Rome gave partial freedom to the Jews as long as they
were quiet and obedient. But Jesus’ miracles often caused disturbances
as people began to wrongly think he was a political leader who would
lead a rebellion against Rome. The Jewish leaders feared that Rome’s
displeasure would bring additional hardship to their people and nation.
11:51 John regarded Caiaphas’s statement as a prophecy. As high priest,
Caiaphas was used by God to explain Jesus’ death even though Caiaphas
didn’t realize what he was doing.
11:52 John highlights that Jesus wanted to unite the children of God
scattered around the world, both Jews and Gentiles (see 10:11, 16). This
began with Jesus’ ministry but took a giant leap forward at Pentecost,
when people from many nations were converted and filled with the
Holy Spirit (Acts 2:4-8).
12:3 Essence of nard was a fragrant ointment imported from the mountains of India. It was very expensive. The amount Mary used was worth a
year’s wages. Mark records Jesus as saying that Mary’s act of love would
be remembered throughout history and around the world (Mark 14:9).
12:4-6 Judas often dipped into the disciples’ money bag for his own
use. Jesus would have known what Judas was doing (2:24-25; 6:64), but
he did not do or say anything about it. Similarly, when we choose the
way of sin, God may not immediately do anything to stop us, but this
does not mean he approves of our actions. We will get what we deserve.
12:5-6 Judas used a pious cover to hide his true motives. But Jesus
knew what was in his heart. Judas’s life had become a lie, and the devil
was gaining more and more control over him (13:27). Satan is the father
of lies, and a person like Judas with a lying character opens the door to
his influence. Jesus’ knowledge of us should make us want to keep our
actions consistent with our words. Because we have nothing to fear with
him, we should have nothing to hide.
12:7-8 This act—and Jesus’ response to it—does not give us permission
to ignore people who are poor, nor does it give us permission to spend
excessively in our churches or Christian ministries. This was a unique
act for a specific occasion—an anointing that anticipated Jesus’ burial
and a public declaration of faith in him as the Messiah. Jesus’ words
should have taught Judas a valuable lesson about the worth of money.
Unfortunately, Judas did not take heed; soon he would sell his master’s
life for 30 pieces of silver.
