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Lazarus Is Dead

11 Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Miriam and her sister Martha. This was the same Miriam who anointed the Master with perfume and wiped His feet with her hair. It was her brother Lazarus who was sick. So the sisters sent a word to Yeshua, saying, “Master, the one you love is sick!”

When Yeshua heard this, He said, “This sickness will not end in death. It is for God’s glory, so that Ben-Elohim may be glorified through it.” Now Yeshua loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. However, when He heard that Lazarus was sick, He stayed where He was for two more days.

Then after this, He said to His disciples, “Let’s go up to Judea again.”

“Rabbi,” the disciples say to Him, “just now the Judean leaders were trying to stone You! And You’re going back there again?”

Yeshua answered, “Aren’t there twelve hours in the day? If a man walks in the day, he doesn’t stumble, because he sees the light of the world. 10 But if a man should walk around at night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.”

11 After He said this, He tells them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I’m going there to wake him up.”

12 So the disciples said to Him, “Master, if he has fallen asleep, he will get better.” 13 Now Yeshua had spoken about his death, but they thought He was talking about ordinary sleep.

14 Then Yeshua told them clearly, “Lazarus is dead! 15 I’m glad for your sake I wasn’t there, so that you may believe. Anyway, let’s go to him!”

16 Then Thomas called the Twin[a] said to the other disciples, “Let’s go too, so that we may die with Him!”

Comforting the Mourners

17 So when Yeshua arrived, He discovered that Lazarus had been in the tomb already for four days. 18 Bethany was less than two miles[b] from Jerusalem, 19 and many of the Judeans had come to Martha and Miriam to console them about their brother.

20 When Martha heard that Yeshua was coming, she went out to meet Him; but Miriam sat in the house. 21 Martha said to Yeshua, “Master, if You had been here, my brother wouldn’t have died! 22 But I know, even now, that whatever You may ask of God, He will give You.”

23 Yeshua said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”

24 Martha said to Him, “I know, he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.”

25 Yeshua said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life! Whoever believes in Me, even if he dies, shall live. 26 And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

27 She says to Him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, Ben-Elohim who has come into the world.” 28 After she said this, she left and secretly told her sister Miriam, “The Teacher is here, and He’s calling for you.” 29 As soon as Miriam heard, she quickly got up and was coming to Him. 30 Now Yeshua had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha had met Him. 31 The Judeans, who were with Miriam in the house and comforting her, seeing how quickly she got up and went out, followed her. They thought she was going to the tomb to weep there.

32 So when Miriam came to where Yeshua was, she saw Him and fell at His feet, saying to Him, “Master, if You had been here, my brother would not have died!”

33 When Yeshua saw her weeping, and the Judeans who came with her weeping, He was deeply troubled in spirit and Himself agitated. 34 “Where have you laid him?” He asked.

“Come and see, Master,” they tell Him.

35 Yeshua wept. 36 So the Judeans said, “See how He loved him!”

37 But some of them said, “Couldn’t this One, who opened the eyes of the blind man, have also kept this man from dying?”

Yeshua’s Word Raises the Dead

38 So Yeshua, again deeply troubled within Himself, comes to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. 39 Yeshua says, “Roll away the stone!”

Martha, the dead man’s sister, said to Him, “Master, by this time he stinks! He’s been dead for four days!”

40 Yeshua says to her, “Didn’t I tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?”

41 So they rolled away the stone. Yeshua lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard Me. 42 I knew that You always hear Me; but because of this crowd standing around I said it, so that they may believe that You sent Me.”

43 And when He had said this, He cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 He who had been dead came out, wrapped in burial clothes binding his hands and feet, with a cloth over his face. And Yeshua tells them, “Cut him loose, and let him go!”

Better that One Man Die

45 Therefore many of the Judeans, who had come to Miriam and had seen what Yeshua had done, put their trust in Him. 46 But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Yeshua had done.

47 So the ruling kohanim and Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin. “What are we doing?” they asked. “This Man is performing many signs! 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 place and our nation.”

49 But one of them, Caiaphas, who was kohen gadol that year, said to them, “You know nothing! 50 You don’t take into account that it is better for you that one man die for the people rather than for the whole nation to be destroyed.”

51 Now he did not say this by himself; but as the kohen gadol that year, he prophesied that Yeshua would die for the nation. [c] 52 And not for the nation only, but also so that He might gather together into one the scattered children of God.[d]

53 So from that day on, they plotted to kill Him. 54 Therefore Yeshua no longer walked openly among the Judeans, but went from there to the country near the wilderness, to a city called Ephraim. He stayed there with His disciples.

55 Now the Jewish Passover was near; and many people went up out of the regions to Jerusalem before Passover, to purify themselves. 56 So they were searching for Yeshua, saying to one another as they stood in the Temple, “What do you think? Won’t He come to the feast at all?” 57 Now the ruling kohanim and Pharisees had given orders that if anyone knew where He was, he should report it so that they might arrest Him.

Footnotes

  1. John 11:16 Grk. Didymus.
  2. John 11:18 Lit. 15 stadia; 1 stadion is about 607 feet or 187 meters.
  3. John 11:52 cf. Is. 53:8.
  4. John 11:52 cf. Is. 11:10-11; 56:6-7; Jer. 3:17; Mic. 2:12-13.

The Death of Lazarus

11 Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany,(A) the village of Mary and her sister Martha.(B) (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.)(C) So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love(D) is sick.”

When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory(E) so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”(F)

“But Rabbi,”(G) they said, “a short while ago the Jews there tried to stone you,(H) and yet you are going back?”

Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Anyone who walks in the daytime will not stumble, for they see by this world’s light.(I) 10 It is when a person walks at night that they stumble, for they have no light.”

11 After he had said this, he went on to tell them, “Our friend(J) Lazarus has fallen asleep;(K) but I am going there to wake him up.”

12 His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.” 13 Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.(L)

14 So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, 15 and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”

16 Then Thomas(M) (also known as Didymus[a]) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

Jesus Comforts the Sisters of Lazarus

17 On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days.(N) 18 Now Bethany(O) was less than two miles[b] from Jerusalem, 19 and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother.(P) 20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.(Q)

21 “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died.(R) 22 But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”(S)

23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”

24 Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection(T) at the last day.”(U)

25 Jesus said to her, “I am(V) the resurrection and the life.(W) The one who believes(X) in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing(Y) in me will never die.(Z) Do you believe this?”

27 “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah,(AA) the Son of God,(AB) who is to come into the world.”(AC)

28 After she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. “The Teacher(AD) is here,” she said, “and is asking for you.” 29 When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him.(AE) 31 When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her,(AF) noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there.

32 When 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.”(AG)

33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved(AH) in spirit and troubled.(AI) 34 “Where have you laid him?” he asked.

“Come and see, Lord,” they replied.

35 Jesus wept.(AJ)

36 Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”(AK)

37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man(AL) have kept this man from dying?”(AM)

Jesus Raises Lazarus From the Dead

38 Jesus, once more deeply moved,(AN) came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance.(AO) 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.”(AP)

40 Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe,(AQ) you will see the glory of God?”(AR)

41 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up(AS) and said, “Father,(AT) I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here,(AU) that they may believe that you sent me.”(AV)

43 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”(AW) 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen,(AX) and a cloth around his face.(AY)

Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”

The Plot to Kill Jesus

45 Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary,(AZ) and had seen what Jesus did,(BA) believed in him.(BB) 46 But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. 47 Then the chief priests and the Pharisees(BC) called a meeting(BD) of the Sanhedrin.(BE)

“What are we accomplishing?” they asked. “Here is this man performing many signs.(BF) 48 If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our nation.”

49 Then one of them, named Caiaphas,(BG) who was high priest that year,(BH) spoke up, “You know nothing at all! 50 You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.”(BI)

51 He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, 52 and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one.(BJ) 53 So from that day on they plotted to take his life.(BK)

54 Therefore Jesus no longer moved about publicly among the people of Judea.(BL) Instead he withdrew to a region near the wilderness, to a village called Ephraim, where he stayed with his disciples.

55 When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover,(BM) many went up from the country to Jerusalem for their ceremonial cleansing(BN) before the Passover. 56 They kept looking for Jesus,(BO) and as they stood in the temple courts they asked one another, “What do you think? Isn’t he coming to the festival at all?” 57 But the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that anyone who found out where Jesus was should report it so that they might arrest him.

Footnotes

  1. John 11:16 Thomas (Aramaic) and Didymus (Greek) both mean twin.
  2. John 11:18 Or about 3 kilometers