John 11 : 1 (NCV)
A man named Lazarus was sick. He lived in the town of Bethany, where Mary and her sister Martha lived.
John 11 : 2 (NCV)
Mary was the woman who later put perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair. Mary's brother was Lazarus, the man who was now sick.
John 11 : 3 (NCV)
So Mary and Martha sent someone to tell Jesus, "Lord, the one you love is sick."
John 11 : 4 (NCV)
When Jesus heard this, he said, "This sickness will not end in death. It is for the glory of God, to bring glory to the Son of God."
John 11 : 5 (NCV)
Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
John 11 : 6 (NCV)
But when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was for two more days.
John 11 : 7 (NCV)
Then Jesus said to his followers, "Let's go back to Judea."
John 11 : 8 (NCV)
The followers said, "But Teacher, the Jews there tried to stone you to death only a short time ago. Now you want to go back there?"
John 11 : 9 (NCV)
Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the daylight, he will not stumble, because he can see by this world's light.
John 11 : 10 (NCV)
But if anyone walks at night, he stumbles because there is no light to help him see."
John 11 : 11 (NCV)
After Jesus said this, he added, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to wake him."
John 11 : 12 (NCV)
The followers said, "But Lord, if he is only asleep, he will be all right."
John 11 : 13 (NCV)
Jesus meant that Lazarus was dead, but his followers thought he meant Lazarus was really sleeping.
John 11 : 14 (NCV)
So then Jesus said plainly, "Lazarus is dead.
John 11 : 15 (NCV)
And I am glad for your sakes I was not there so that you may believe. But let's go to him now."
John 11 : 16 (NCV)
Then Thomas (the one called Didymus) said to the other followers, "Let us also go so that we can die with him."
John 11 : 17 (NCV)
When Jesus arrived, he learned that Lazarus had already been dead and in the tomb for four days.
John 11 : 18 (NCV)
Bethany was about two miles from Jerusalem.
John 11 : 19 (NCV)
Many of the Jews had come there to comfort Martha and Mary about their brother.
John 11 : 20 (NCV)
When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed home.
John 11 : 21 (NCV)
Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.
John 11 : 22 (NCV)
But I know that even now God will give you anything you ask."
John 11 : 23 (NCV)
Jesus said, "Your brother will rise and live again."
John 11 : 24 (NCV)
Martha answered, "I know that he will rise and live again in the resurrectionn on the last day."
John 11 : 25 (NCV)
Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me will have life even if they die.
John 11 : 26 (NCV)
And everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Martha, do you believe this?"
John 11 : 27 (NCV)
Martha answered, "Yes, Lord. I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the One coming to the world."
John 11 : 28 (NCV)
After Martha said this, she went back and talked to her sister Mary alone. Martha said, "The Teacher is here and he is asking for you."
John 11 : 29 (NCV)
When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to Jesus.
John 11 : 30 (NCV)
Jesus had not yet come into the town but was still at the place where Martha had met him.
John 11 : 31 (NCV)
The Jews were with Mary in the house, comforting her. When they saw her stand and leave quickly, they followed her, thinking she was going to the tomb to cry there.
John 11 : 32 (NCV)
But Mary went to the place where Jesus was. When she saw him, she fell at his feet and said, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died."
John 11 : 33 (NCV)
When Jesus saw Mary crying and the Jews who came with her also crying, he was upset and was deeply troubled.
John 11 : 34 (NCV)
He asked, "Where did you bury him?" "Come and see, Lord," they said.
John 11 : 35 (NCV)
Jesus cried.
John 11 : 36 (NCV)
So the Jews said, "See how much he loved him."
John 11 : 37 (NCV)
But some of them said, "If Jesus opened the eyes of the blind man, why couldn't he keep Lazarus from dying?"
John 11 : 38 (NCV)
Again feeling very upset, Jesus came to the tomb. It was a cave with a large stone covering the entrance.
John 11 : 39 (NCV)
Jesus said, "Move the stone away." Martha, the sister of the dead man, said, "But, Lord, it has been four days since he died. There will be a bad smell."
John 11 : 40 (NCV)
Then Jesus said to her, "Didn't I tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?"
John 11 : 41 (NCV)
So they moved the stone away from the entrance. Then Jesus looked up and said, "Father, I thank you that you heard me.
John 11 : 42 (NCV)
I know that you always hear me, but I said these things because of the people here around me. I want them to believe that you sent me."
John 11 : 43 (NCV)
After Jesus said this, he cried out in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!"
John 11 : 44 (NCV)
The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with pieces of cloth, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, "Take the cloth off of him and let him go."
John 11 : 45 (NCV)
Many of the Jews, who had come to visit Mary and saw what Jesus did, believed in him.
John 11 : 46 (NCV)
But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done.
John 11 : 47 (NCV)
Then the leading priests and Pharisees called a meeting of the Jewish council. They asked, "What should we do? This man is doing many miracles.
John 11 : 48 (NCV)
If we let him continue doing these things, everyone will believe in him. Then the Romans will come and take away our Temple and our nation."
John 11 : 49 (NCV)
One of the men there was Caiaphas, the high priest that year. He said, "You people know nothing!
John 11 : 50 (NCV)
You don't realize that it is better for one man to die for the people than for the whole nation to be destroyed."
John 11 : 51 (NCV)
Caiaphas did not think of this himself. As high priest that year, he was really prophesying that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation
John 11 : 52 (NCV)
and for God's scattered children to bring them all together and make them one.
John 11 : 53 (NCV)
That day they started planning to kill Jesus.
John 11 : 54 (NCV)
So Jesus no longer traveled openly among the Jews. He left there and went to a place near the desert, to a town called Ephraim and stayed there with his followers.
John 11 : 55 (NCV)
It was almost time for the Jewish Passover Feast. Many from the country went up to Jerusalem before the Passover to do the special things to make themselves pure.
John 11 : 56 (NCV)
The people looked for Jesus and stood in the Temple asking each other, "Is he coming to the Feast? What do you think?"
John 11 : 57 (NCV)
But the leading priests and the Pharisees had given orders that if anyone knew where Jesus was, he must tell them. Then they could arrest him.
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