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The Death and Resurrection of Lazarus

¹ Now a certain man named Lazarus was sick. He was from ^(F1)(C1)Bethany, the village where Mary and her sister ^(C2)Martha lived.² It was the Mary who ^(C1)anointed ^(C2)the Lord with perfume and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. ^(VR1)3 So the sisters sent word to Him, saying, "^(C1)Lord, ^(C2)he our brother and Your friend whom You love is sick."⁴ When Jesus heard this, He said, "This sickness will not end in death; but on the contrary it is for ^(C1)the glory and honor of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it."⁵ Now Jesus loved and was concerned about ^(C1)Martha and her sister and Lazarus and considered them dear friends.^6 (F1)So even when He heard that Lazarus was sick, He stayed in the same place two more days.⁷ Then He said to His disciples, "^(C1)Let us go back to Judea."⁸ The disciples said to Him, "^(C1)Rabbi (Teacher), the Jews were only recently going ^(C2)to stone You, and You are thinking of going back there again?"⁹ Jesus answered, "^(C1)Are there not twelve hours of light in the day? Anyone who walks in the daytime does not stumble, because he sees by the light of this world.¹⁰ "But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because there is no light in him."¹¹ He said this, and after that said, "Our ^(C1)friend Lazarus ^(C2)has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him."¹² The disciples answered, "Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover."¹³ However, ^(C1)Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that He was referring to natural sleep.¹⁴ So then Jesus told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead.¹⁵ "And for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him."^16 (C1)Then Thomas, who was called ^(C2)Didymus (the twin), said to his fellow disciples, "Let us go too, that we may die with Him."

¹⁷ So when Jesus arrived, He found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb ^(F1)(C1)four days.^18 (C1)Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away;¹⁹ and many of ^(C1)the Jews had come to see ^(C2)Martha and Mary, ^(C3)to comfort them concerning the loss of their brother.²⁰ So when ^(C1)Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet Him, while ^(C1)Mary remained sitting in the house.²¹ Then Martha said to Jesus, "^(C1)Lord, ^(C2)if You had been here, my brother would not have died.²² "Even now I know that ^(C1)whatever You ask of God, God will give to You."²³ Jesus told her, "Your brother will rise from the dead."²⁴ Martha replied, "^(C1)I know that he will rise from the dead in the resurrection on the last day."²⁵ Jesus said to her, "^(F1)(C1)I am the Resurrection and the Life. Whoever believes in (adheres to, trusts in, relies on) Me as Savior will live even if he dies;²⁶ and everyone who lives and believes in Me as Savior ^(C1)will never die. Do you believe this?"²⁷ She said to Him, "Yes, Lord; I have believed and continue to believe that You are ^(C1)the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed), the Son of God, ^(F1)(C2)He who was destined and promised to come into the world and it is for You that the world has waited."

²⁸ After she had said this, she ^(C1)left and called her sister Mary, privately whispering to her, "^(C2)The Teacher is here and is asking for you."²⁹ And when she heard this, she got up quickly and went to Him.

³⁰ Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but ^(C1)was still at the place where Martha had met Him.^31 (C1)So when the Jews who were with her in the house ^(C2)comforting her, saw how quickly Mary got up and left, they followed her, assuming that she was going to the tomb to weep there.³² When Mary came to the place where Jesus was and saw Him, she fell at His feet, saying to Him, "^(C1)Lord, ^(C2)if You had been here, my brother would not have died."³³ When Jesus saw her sobbing, and ^(C1)the Jews who had come with her also sobbing, He ^(C2)was ^(F1)deeply moved in spirit to the point of anger at the sorrow caused by death and ^(C3)was troubled,³⁴ and said, "Where have you laid him?" They said, "Lord, come and see."³⁵ Jesus ^(C1)wept.^36 (C1)So the Jews were saying, "See how He ^(C2)loved him as a close friend!"³⁷ But some of them said, "Could not this Man, who ^(C1)opened the blind man's eyes, have kept this man from dying?"

³⁸ So Jesus, again deeply moved within to the point of anger, approached the tomb. It was a ^(C1)cave, and a boulder was lying against it to cover the entrance.³⁹ Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to Him, "Lord, by this time there will be an offensive odor, for he has been dead ^(C1)four days! It is hopeless!"⁴⁰ Jesus said to her, "^(C1)Did I not say to you that if you believe in Me, you will see the glory of God the expression of His excellence?"⁴¹ So they took away the ^(C1)stone. And Jesus ^(C2)raised His eyes toward heaven and said, "^(C3)Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.⁴² "I knew that You always hear Me and listen to Me; but I have said this ^(C1)because of the people standing around, so that they may believe that ^(C2)You have sent Me and that You have made Me Your representative."⁴³ When He had said this, He shouted with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!"⁴⁴ Out came the man who had been dead, his ^(C1)hands and feet tightly wrapped in burial cloths (linen strips), and with a burial ^(C2)cloth wrapped around his face. Jesus said to them, "Unwrap him and release him."

^45 (C1)So then, many of the Jews ^(C2)who had come to be with Mary and who ^(C3)were eyewitnesses to what Jesus had done, believed in Him.⁴⁶ But some of them went back to the ^(C1)Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done.

Conspiracy to Kill Jesus

⁴⁷ So ^(C1)the chief priests and Pharisees ^(C2)convened a ^(C3)council of the leaders in Israel, and said, "What are we doing? For this man performs many ^(C4)signs (attesting miracles).⁴⁸ "If we let Him go on like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our holy ^(C1)place (the temple) and our nation."⁴⁹ But one of them, ^(F1)(C1)Caiaphas, ^(C2)who was the high priest that year the year of Christ's crucifixion, said to them, "You know nothing at all!⁵⁰ "Nor do you understand that ^(C1)it is expedient and politically advantageous for you that one man die for the people, and that the whole nation not perish."⁵¹ Now he did not say this simply on his own initiative; but ^(C1)being the high priest that year, he was unknowingly used by God and prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation, ^(VR1)52 and not only for the nation, but also for the purpose of ^(C1)gathering together into one body the children of God who have been scattered abroad. ^(VR1)53 So from that day on they ^(C1)planned together to kill Him.

⁵⁴ For that reason Jesus ^(C1)no longer walked openly among the Jews, but left there and went to the district that borders on the uninhabited wilderness, to a town called ^(C2)Ephraim; and He stayed there with the disciples.

⁵⁵ Now ^(C1)the Passover of the Jews was approaching, and many from the country went up to Jerusalem before Passover ^(C2)to purify themselves ceremonially, so that they would be able to participate in the feast.⁵⁶ So they ^(C1)were looking for Jesus as they stood in the temple area, and saying among themselves, "What do you think? Will He not come to the feast at all?"⁵⁷ Now ^(C1)the chief priests and Pharisees had given orders that if anyone knew where He was, he was to report it so that they might arrest Him.