John 11:3

John 11:3, in plain English

The sisters send an urgent message to Jesus: 'Lord, the one you love is sick.'

Why it's here

They don't ask Him to come or heal. They simply tell Him the situation and trust that His love will take care of the rest.

Who's speaking

Mary and Martha reach out to Jesus with a message that appeals to His love for their brother.

Where it sits in the story

There's beautiful trust in this message. They don't beg or demand. They just say, 'The one you love needs you.' Sometimes that's the best prayer.

The scholarly reading

The sisters send word to Jesus using the intimate appeal 'hon phileis' (the one you love/are fond of), relying on Jesus' personal affection rather than making an explicit request for healing.

Language and setting

The verb 'phileō' emphasizes personal, affectionate love. The message's restraint—no demand for action—reflects the sisters' trust that informing Jesus is sufficient to prompt His response.

Voice

Martha and Mary send a message to Jesus, appealing to His love for Lazarus.

Significance

The sisters compose a message of elegant simplicity: they don't ask for healing; they simply inform Jesus that the one He loves is ill, trusting that His love will determine His response.

1At this time a man named Lazarus was sick. He lived in Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha.

2(Mary, whose brother Lazarus was sick, was to anoint the Lord with perfume and wipe His feet with her hair.)

3So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one You love is sick.”

4When Jesus heard this, He said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

5Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.

Read all of John 11 — Jesus weeps at a tomb. Then He calls a dead man out of it. The shortest verse in the Bible and the most powerful — separated by minutes.