Jesus’ friend, Lazarus, died.

John 11:1-16

11 One time there was a man whose name was Lazarus who was very sick. He lived in Bethany village, where his older sisters Mary and Martha also lived. 2 Mary was the woman who later poured perfume on the feet of the Lord Jesus, and then wiped his feet with her hair. 3 So the two sisters sent someone to tell Jesus about Lazarus, saying, “Lord, the one you love very much is very sick.” 4 They hoped that Jesus would come, but when Jesus heard the message, he said, “His being sick will not end in his dying. Instead, it will result in people realizing how great God is, and that I, God’s son, may be honored {that people may honor me, God’s son}, because of what I will do.” 5 Jesus loved Martha and her younger sister Mary and Lazarus. 6 But when Jesus heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was for two more days.

7 But Jesus wanted to see Lazarus. So he said to us disciples, “Let’s go back to Judea.” 8 We said, “Teacher, just a short while ago the Jewish leaders [SYN] wanted to kill you by throwing stones at you. So ◄we think that you should not go back there again!/are you sure that you want to go back there again?► [RHQ]” 9 To show us that nothing bad could happen to him until the time that God had chosen [MET], Jesus replied, “There are [RHQ] twelve hours in the daytime, which is enough time to do what God wants us to do. People who walk in the daytime will not stumble over things they cannot see, because they see things by the light from the sun. 10 It is when people walk in the nighttime that they stumble over things, because they have no light.”

11 After he said that, he told us, “Our friend Lazarus has gone to sleep. But I will go there so that I can wake him up.” 12 So we said to him, “Lord, if he is sleeping, he will get well. So you do not need to risk your life by going there.” 13 Jesus was speaking figuratively about Lazarus’ death, but we thought that he was talking about really being asleep. 14 So then he told us plainly, “Lazarus is dead. 15 But for your sake I am glad that I was not there when he died, because I want you to believe more firmly that I ◄am the Messiah/came from God►. So now, instead of staying here, let’s go to him.” 16 Then Thomas, who was {whom they} called ‘The Twin’, said to the rest of us disciples, “Let’s all go, so that we may die with Jesus when his enemies kill him.”