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11
The Death of Lazarus
1 Now there was a certain man who was sick, Lazarus from Bethany, of the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 Now it was that Mary who had anointed the Lord with myrrh, and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. 3 Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.”
4 And when Jesus heard, He said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”
5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 Therefore when He heard that he was sick, He then stayed in the place where He was for two days. 7 Then after this He said to the disciples, “Let us go into Judea again.”
8 The disciples said to Him, “Rabbi, just now the Jews were seeking to stone You, and are You going there again?”
9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. 10 But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” 11 These things He said, and after this He said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going so that I may awaken him.”
12 Then His disciples said, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep he will get well.” 13 However, Jesus spoke about his death, but they thought that He was speaking about resting in sleep.
14 Then Jesus said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. 15 And I rejoice for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may believe. Nevertheless let us go to him.”
16 Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, so that we may die with Him.”
I AM the Resurrection and the Life
17 Therefore when He had come, Jesus found that he had already been in the tomb four days. 18 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away. 19 And many of the Jews had come to the women around Martha and Mary, so that they might console them concerning their brother.
20 Then Martha, when she heard that Jesus was coming, met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house. 21 Then Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that whatever You may ask of God, God will give You.”
23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
24 Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.”
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He that believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. 26 And everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
27 She said to Him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”
28 And when she had said these things, she went out and secretly called Mary her sister, saying, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” 29 As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly and came to Him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was in the place where Martha met Him. 31 Then the Jews who were with her in the house and consoling her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, “She is going to the tomb, so that she may weep there.”
32 Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, seeing Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.”
33 Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled. 34 And He said, “Where have you laid him?”
They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.”
35 Jesus wept. 36 Therefore the Jews were saying, “Look how He loved him!”
37 But some of them said, “Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, have done something to keep this man from dying?”
Lazarus Raised from the Dead
38 Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. Now it was a cave, and a stone was lying upon it. 39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.”
Martha, the sister of the one having died, said to Him, “Lord, already there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.”
40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” 41 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. 42 And I knew that You always hear Me, but because of the people standing around I said this, so that they may believe that You sent Me.” 43 And having said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” 44 And the one having died came out, bound hands and feet with grave clothes, and his face was wrapped in a handkerchief. Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.”
The Conspiracy to Kill Jesus
45 Therefore many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and seeing the things which Jesus had done, believed in Him. 46 But some of them went away to the Pharisees, and told them the things which Jesus had done. 47 Therefore the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, “What are we doing? For this Man works many signs. 48 If we leave Him alone in this way, all will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and will take away both our place and nation.”
49 But a certain one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, “You don't know anything, 50 nor do you consider that it is advantageous for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish.” 51 Now this he did not say on his own, but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus was about to die for the nation, 52 and not for that nation only, but also that He would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad.
53 Therefore from that day on they took counsel together, that they might kill Him. 54 Therefore Jesus no longer walked openly among the Jews, but He went away from there into the country near the desert, to a city called Ephraim, and there He stayed with His disciples.
55 Now the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went from the country up to Jerusalem before the Passover, so that they might purify themselves. 56 Then they were seeking Jesus, and they were speaking with one another, standing in the temple, “What do you think—that He will definitely not come to the feast?” 57 Now both the chief priests and the Pharisees had given a command, that if anyone knew where He was, he should report it, so that they might seize Him.

- John
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© 2014 Dr. Paul W. Esposito