John
Chapter 11: 1-44
The Death of Lazarus
1Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He
was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2This
Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord
and wiped his feet with her hair. 3So the sisters sent word
to Jesus, "Lord, the one you love is sick."
4When he heard this, Jesus said,
"This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may
be glorified through it." 5Jesus loved Martha and her
sister and Lazarus. 6Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick,
he stayed where he was two more days.
7Then he said to his disciples,
"Let us go back to Judea."
8"But Rabbi," they said,
"a short while ago the Jews tried to stone you, and yet you are going back
there?"
9Jesus answered, "Are there not
twelve hours of daylight? A man who walks by day will not stumble, for he sees by this
world's light. 10It is when he walks by night that he
stumbles, for he has no light."
11After he had said this, he went on to
tell them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him
up."
12His disciples replied, "Lord, if
he sleeps, he will get better." 13Jesus had been
speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.
14So then he told them plainly,
"Lazarus is dead, 15and for your sake I am glad I was
not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him."
16Then Thomas (called Didymus) said to
the rest of the disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with him."
Jesus Comforts the Sisters
17On his arrival, Jesus found that
Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. 18Bethany
was less than two miles from Jerusalem, 19and many Jews had
come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. 20When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet
him, but Mary stayed at home.
21"Lord," Martha said to
Jesus, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22But
I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask."
23Jesus said to her, "Your brother
will rise again."
24Martha answered, "I know he will
rise again in the resurrection at the last day."
25Jesus said to her, "I am the
resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; 26and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you
believe this?"
27"Yes, Lord," she told him,
"I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the
world."
28And after she had said this, she went
back and called her sister Mary aside. "The Teacher is here," she said,
"and is asking for you." 29When Mary heard this,
she got up quickly and went to him. 30Now Jesus had not yet
entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. 31When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting
her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was
going to the tomb to mourn there.
32When Mary reached the place where
Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, "Lord, if you had been here, my
brother would not have died."
33When Jesus saw her weeping, and the
Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled.
34"Where have you laid him?" he asked.
"Come and see, Lord," they replied.
35Jesus wept.
36Then the Jews said, "See how he
loved him!"
37But some of them said, "Could
not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?"
Jesus Raises Lazarus From the Dead
38Jesus, once more deeply moved, came
to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. 39"Take
away the stone," he said.
"But, Lord," said Martha, the sister of the
dead man, "by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days."
40Then Jesus said, "Did I not tell
you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?"
41So they took away the stone. Then
Jesus looked up and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit
of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me."
43When he had said this, Jesus called
in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" 44The dead
man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his
face.
Jesus said to them, "Take off the grave clothes
and let him go."
