11John 11

The Death of Lazarus

2A 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.Select John 11:2

3The sisters sent a message to the Lord and told him that his good friend Lazarus was sick.Select John 11:3

4When Jesus heard this, he said, “His sickness won't end in death. It will bring glory to God and his Son.”Select John 11:4

5Jesus loved Martha and her sister and brother.Select John 11:5

6But he stayed where he was for two more days.Select John 11:6

7Then he said to his disciples, “Now we will go back to Judea.”Select John 11:7

8“Teacher,” they said, “the people there want to stone you to death! Why do you want to go back?”Select John 11:8

9Jesus 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.Select John 11:9

10But if you walk during the night, you will stumble, because you don't have any light.”Select John 11:10

11Then he told them, “Our friend Lazarus is asleep, and I am going there to wake him up.”Select John 11:11

12They replied, “Lord, if he is asleep, he will get better.”Select John 11:12

13Jesus really meant that Lazarus was dead, but they thought he was talking only about sleep.Select John 11:13

14Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead!Select John 11:14

15I am glad I wasn't there, because now you will have a chance to put your faith in me. Let's go to him.”Select John 11:15

16Thomas, whose nickname was “Twin,” said to the other disciples, “Come on. Let's go, so we can die with him.”Select John 11:16

Jesus Brings Lazarus to Life

17When Jesus got to Bethany, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days.Select John 11:17

18Bethany was less than three kilometers from Jerusalem,Select John 11:18

19and many people had come from the city to comfort Martha and Mary because their brother had died.Select John 11:19

20When Martha heard that Jesus had arrived, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed in the house.Select John 11:20

21Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.Select John 11:21

22Yet even now I know that God will do anything you ask.”Select John 11:22

23Jesus told her, “Your brother will live again!”Select John 11:23

24Martha answered, “I know he will be raised to life on the last day, when all the dead are raised.”Select John 11:24

25Jesus then said, “I am the one who raises the dead to life! Everyone who has faith in me will live, even if they die.Select John 11:25

26And everyone who lives because of faith in me will never really die. Do you believe this?”Select John 11:26

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.”Select John 11:27

28After Martha said this, she went and privately said to her sister Mary, “The Teacher is here, and he wants to see you.”Select John 11:28

29As soon as Mary heard this, she got up and went out to Jesus.Select John 11:29

30He was still outside the village where Martha had gone to meet him.Select John 11:30

31Many 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.Select John 11:31

32Mary 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.”Select John 11:32

33When Jesus saw that Mary and the people with her were crying, he was terribly upsetSelect John 11:33

34and asked, “Where have you put his body?” They replied, “Lord, come and you will see.”Select John 11:34

35Jesus started crying,Select John 11:35

36and the people said, “See how much he loved Lazarus.”Select John 11:36

37Some of them said, “He gives sight to the blind. Why couldn't he have kept Lazarus from dying?”Select John 11:37

38Jesus was still terribly upset. So he went to the tomb, which was a cave with a stone rolled against the entrance.Select John 11:38

39Then 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.”Select John 11:39

40Jesus replied, “Didn't I tell you that if you had faith, you would see the glory of God?”Select John 11:40

41After the stone had been rolled aside, Jesus looked up toward heaven and prayed, “Father, I thank you for answering my prayer.Select John 11:41

42I know that you always answer my prayers. But I said this, so the people here would believe you sent me.”Select John 11:42

43When Jesus had finished praying, he shouted, “Lazarus, come out!”Select John 11:43

44The 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.”Select John 11:44

The Plot To Kill Jesus

45Many of the people who had come to visit Mary saw the things Jesus did, and they put their faith in him.Select John 11:45

46Others went to the Pharisees and told what Jesus had done.Select John 11:46

47Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called the council together and said, “What should we do? This man is working a lot of miracles.Select John 11:47

48If 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.”Select John 11:48

49One 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!Select John 11:49

50Don't you know it is better for one person to die for the people than for the whole nation to be destroyed?”Select John 11:50

51Caiaphas did not say this on his own. As high priest that year, he was prophesying that Jesus would die for the nation.Select John 11:51

52Yet Jesus would not die just for the Jewish nation. He would die to bring together all of God's scattered people.Select John 11:52

53From that day on, the council started making plans to put Jesus to death.Select John 11:53

54Because 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.Select John 11:54

55It 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.Select John 11:55

56They 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?”Select John 11:56

57The 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.Select John 11:57