JESUS LOSES A DEAR FRIEND

10. What happens while Jesus is preaching across the Jordan from Bethany, and what does he do? (John 11:1-3)

¹⁰ Read John 11:1-3. Imagine the scene in Bethany toward the end of 32 C.E. Jesus has close friends in this village​—Lazarus and his two sisters, Mary and Martha. (Luke 10:38-42) But Lazarus has become ill, and his sisters are worried. They send a message to Jesus, who is across the Jordan, about a two-day walk from Bethany. (John 10:40) Sadly, Lazarus dies about the time the messenger reaches Jesus.

11. What lesson about friendship can we learn from this account?

¹¹ We learn a lesson about friendship from this account. Consider: When Mary and Martha sent the message to Jesus, they did not ask him to come to Bethany. They simply said that his dear friend was sick. (John 11:3)