The Death of Lazarus
1-2 A man by the name of Lazarus was sick in the village of Bethany. He had two sisters, Mary and Martha. This was the same Mary who later poured perfume on the Lord's head and wiped his feet with her hair. 3 The sisters sent a message to the Lord and told him that his good friend Lazarus was sick.
4 When Jesus heard this, he said, “His sickness won't end in death. It will bring glory to God and his Son.”
5 Jesus loved Martha and her sister and brother. 6 But he stayed where he was for two more days. 7 Then he said to his disciples, “Now we will go back to Judea.”
8 “Teacher,” they said, “the people there want to stone you to death! Why do you want to go back?”
9 Jesus answered, “Aren't there twelve hours in each day? If you walk during the day, you will have light from the sun, and you won't stumble. 10 But if you walk during the night, you will stumble, because you don't have any light.” 11 Then he told them, “Our friend Lazarus is asleep, and I am going there to wake him up.”
12 They replied, “Lord, if he is asleep, he will get better.” 13 Jesus really meant that Lazarus was dead, but they thought he was talking only about sleep.
14 Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead! 15 I am glad I wasn't there, because now you will have a chance to put your faith in me. Let's go to him.”
16 Thomas, whose nickname was “Twin,” said to the other disciples, “Come on. Let's go, so we can die with him.”
Jesus Brings Lazarus to Life
17 When Jesus got to Bethany, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. 18 Bethany was less than three kilometers from Jerusalem, 19 and many people had come from the city to comfort Martha and Mary because their brother had died.
20 When Martha heard that Jesus had arrived, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed in the house. 21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 Yet even now I know that God will do anything you ask.”
23 Jesus told her, “Your brother will live again!”
24 Martha answered, “I know he will be raised to life on the last day, when all the dead are raised.”
25 Jesus then said, “I am the one who raises the dead to life! Everyone who has faith in me will live, even if they die. 26 And everyone who lives because of faith in me will never really die. Do you believe this?”
27 “Yes, Lord!” she replied. “I believe you are the Christ, the Son of God. You are the one we hoped would come into the world.”
28 After Martha said this, she went and privately said to her sister Mary, “The Teacher is here, and he wants to see you.” 29 As soon as Mary heard this, she got up and went out to Jesus. 30 He was still outside the village where Martha had gone to meet him. 31 Many people had come to comfort Mary, and when they saw her quickly leave the house, they thought she was going out to the tomb to cry. So they followed her.
32 Mary went to where Jesus was. Then as soon as she saw him, she knelt at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
33 When Jesus saw that Mary and the people with her were crying, he was terribly upset 34 and asked, “Where have you put his body?”
They replied, “Lord, come and you will see.”
35 Jesus started crying, 36 and the people said, “See how much he loved Lazarus.”
37 Some of them said, “He gives sight to the blind. Why couldn't he have kept Lazarus from dying?”
38 Jesus was still terribly upset. So he went to the tomb, which was a cave with a stone rolled against the entrance. 39 Then he told the people to roll the stone away. But Martha said, “Lord, you know that Lazarus has been dead four days, and there will be a bad smell.”
40 Jesus replied, “Didn't I tell you that if you had faith, you would see the glory of God?”
41 After the stone had been rolled aside, Jesus looked up toward heaven and prayed, “Father, I thank you for answering my prayer. 42 I know that you always answer my prayers. But I said this, so the people here would believe you sent me.”
43 When Jesus had finished praying, he shouted, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The man who had been dead came out. His hands and feet were wrapped with strips of burial cloth, and a cloth covered his face.
Jesus then told the people, “Untie him and let him go.”
The Plot To Kill Jesus
(Matthew 26.1-5Mark 14.1Mark 2Luke 22.1Luke 2)45 Many of the people who had come to visit Mary saw the things Jesus did, and they put their faith in him. 46 Others went to the Pharisees and told what Jesus had done. 47 Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called the council together and said, “What should we do? This man is working a lot of miracles. 48 If we don't stop him now, everyone will put their faith in him. Then the Romans will come and destroy our temple and our nation.”
49 One of the council members was Caiaphas, who was also high priest that year. He spoke up and said, “You people don't have any sense at all! 50 Don't you know it is better for one person to die for the people than for the whole nation to be destroyed?” 51 Caiaphas did not say this on his own. As high priest that year, he was prophesying that Jesus would die for the nation. 52 Yet Jesus would not die just for the Jewish nation. He would die to bring together all of God's scattered people. 53 From that day on, the council started making plans to put Jesus to death.
54 Because of this plot against him, Jesus stopped going around in public. He went to the town of Ephraim, which was near the desert, and he stayed there with his disciples.
55 It was almost time for Passover. Many of the Jewish people who lived out in the country had come to Jerusalem to get themselves ready for the festival. 56 They looked around for Jesus. Then when they were in the temple, they asked each other, “You don't think he will come here for Passover, do you?”
57 The chief priests and the Pharisees told the people to let them know if any of them saw Jesus. This is how they hoped to arrest him.
1 And a certaine man was sicke, named Lazarus of Bethania, the towne of Marie, and her sister Martha. 2 (And it was that Mary which anointed the Lord with oyntment, and wiped his feete with her heare, whose brother Lazarus was sicke.) 3 Therefore his sisters sent vnto him, saying, Lord, beholde, he whome thou louest, is sicke. 4 When Iesus heard it, he saide, This sickenes is not vnto death, but for the glorie of God, that the Sonne of God might be glorified thereby. 5 Nowe Iesus loued Martha and her sister, and Lazarus. 6 And after he had heard that he was sicke, yet abode hee two dayes still in the same place where he was. 7 Then after that, said he to his disciples, Let vs goe into Iudea againe. 8 The disciples saide vnto him, Master, the Iewes lately sought to stone thee, and doest thou goe thither againe? 9 Iesus answered, Are there not twelue houres in the day? If a man walke in the day, hee stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world. 10 But if a man walke in the night, hee stumbleth, because there is no light in him. 11 These things spake he, and after, he said vnto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth: but I goe to wake him vp. 12 Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleepe, he shalbe safe. 13 Howbeit, Iesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of the naturall sleepe. 14 Then saide Iesus vnto them plainely, Lazarus is dead. 15 And I am glad for your sakes, that I was not there, that ye may beleeue: but let vs go vnto him. 16 Then saide Thomas (which is called Didymus) vnto his felow disciples, Let vs also goe, that we may die with him. 17 Then came Iesus, and found that he had lien in the graue foure dayes alreadie. 18 (Nowe Bethania was neere vnto Hierusalem, about fifteene furlongs off.) 19 And many of ye Iewes were come to Martha and Marie to comfort them for their brother. 20 Then Martha, when shee heard that Iesus was comming, went to meete him: but Mary sate still in the house. 21 Then said Martha vnto Iesus, Lord, if thou hadst bene here, my brother had not bene dead. 22 But now I know also, that whatsoeuer thou askest of God, God will giue it thee. 23 Iesus said vnto her, Thy brother shall rise againe. 24 Martha said vnto him, I know that he shall rise againe in the resurrection at the last day. 25 Iesus saide vnto her, I am the resurrection and the life: he that beleeueth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he liue. 26 And whosoeuer liueth, and beleeueth in me, shall neuer die: Beleeuest thou this? 27 She said vnto him, Yea, Lord, I beleeue that thou art that Christ that Sonne of God, which should come into the world. 28 And when she had so saide, she went her way, and called Mary her sister secretly, saying, The Master is come, and calleth for thee. 29 And when she heard it, shee arose quickly, and came vnto him. 30 For Iesus was not yet come into the towne, but was in the place where Martha met him. 31 The Iewes then which were with her in the house, and comforted her, when they sawe Marie, that she rose vp hastily, and went out, folowed her, saying, She goeth vnto the graue, to weepe there. 32 Then when Mary was come where Iesus was, and sawe him, she fell downe at his feete, saying vnto him, Lord, if thou haddest bene here, my brother had not bene dead. 33 When Iesus therefore saw her weepe, and the Iewes also weepe which came with her, hee groned in the spirit, and was troubled in himselfe, 34 And saide, Where haue ye layde him? They said vnto him, Lord, come and see. 35 And Iesus wept. 36 Then saide the Iewes, Beholde, how he loued him. 37 And some of them saide, Coulde not he, which opened the eyes of the blinde, haue made also, that this man should not haue died? 38 Iesus therefore againe groned in himselfe, and came to the graue. And it was a caue, and a stone was layde vpon it. 39 Iesus saide, Take ye away the stone. Martha the sister of him that was dead, said vnto him, Lord, he stinketh alreadie: for he hath bene dead foure dayes. 40 Iesus saide vnto her, Saide I not vnto thee, that if thou diddest beleeue, thou shouldest see the glorie of God? 41 Then they tooke away the stone from the place where the dead was layde. And Iesus lift vp his eyes, and saide, Father, I thanke thee, because thou hast heard me. 42 I knowe that thou hearest me alwayes, but because of the people that stand by, I said it, that they may beleeue, that thou hast sent me. 43 As hee had spoken these things, hee cried with a loude voyce, Lazarus, come foorth. 44 Then he that was dead, came forth, bound hande and foote with bandes, and his face was bound with a napkin. Iesus said vnto them, Loose him, and let him goe. 45 Then many of the Iewes, which came to Mary, and had seene the thinges, which Iesus did, beleeued in him. 46 But some of them went their way to the Pharises, and told them what things Iesus had done. 47 Then gathered the hie Priests, and the Pharises a councill, and said, What shall we doe? For this man doeth many miracles. 48 If we let him thus alone, all men will beleeue in him, and the Romanes will come and take away both our place, and the nation. 49 Then one of them named Caiaphas, which was the hie Priest that same yere, said vnto them, Ye perceiue nothing at all, 50 Nor yet doe you consider that it is expedient for vs, that one man die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not. 51 This spake hee not of himselfe: but being hie Priest that same yere, he prophecied that Iesus should die for that nation: 52 And not for that nation onely, but that he shoulde gather together in one the children of God, which were scattered. 53 Then from that day foorth they consulted together, to put him to death. 54 Iesus therefore walked no more openly among the Iewes, but went thence vnto a countrey neere to the wildernes, into a citie called Ephraim, and there continued with his disciples. 55 And the Iewes Passeouer was at hande, and many went out of the countrey vp to Hierusalem before the Passeouer, to purifie themselues. 56 Then sought they for Iesus, and spake among themselues, as they stoode in the Temple, What thinke ye, that he cometh not to the feast? 57 Now both the high Priestes and the Pharises had giuen a commandement, that if any man knew where he were, he should shew it, that they might take him.