John 11:6-40

⁶and had heard that Lazarus was sick, he remained where he was for two more days.

⁷Then he told the disciples, “Let's return to Judea.”

⁸The disciples replied, “Rabbi, just a few days ago the Jews were trying to stone you. Do you really want to go back there now?”

⁹“Aren't there twelve hours in a day?” Jesus replied.

¹⁰“If you walk during the day you don't stumble because you can see where you're going by the light of this world. But if you walk during the night you stumble because you have no light.”

¹¹After telling them this, he said, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I'm going to go there and wake him up!”

¹²The disciples said, “Lord, if he's sleeping then he'll get better.”

¹³Jesus had been referring to the death of Lazarus, but the disciples thought he meant actual sleep.

¹⁴So Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead.

¹⁵For your sake I'm glad I wasn't there, because now you will be able to trust in me. Let's go and see him.”

¹⁶Thomas, the Twin, said to his fellow-disciples, “Let's go too so we can die with him.”

¹⁷When he arrived, Jesus learned that Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days.

¹⁸Bethany was just two miles from Jerusalem,

¹⁹and many Jews had come to console Mary and Martha at the loss of their brother.

²⁰When Martha found out that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.

²¹Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you'd been here, my brother wouldn't have died.

²²But I'm certain that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”

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

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

²⁵Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who trust in me will live, even though they die.

²⁶All who live in me and trust in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

²⁷“Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one expected to come to this world.”

²⁸When she had said this, she went and told her sister Mary in private, “The Teacher's here, and asking to see you.”

²⁹As soon as she heard, Mary quickly got up and went to see him.

³⁰Jesus hadn't arrived in the village yet. He was still at the place where Martha had met him.

³¹The Jews who had been comforting Mary in the home saw how she'd got up quickly and left. So they followed her, thinking she was going to the tomb to weep there.

³²When Mary arrived at the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you'd been here, my brother wouldn't have died.”

³³When Jesus saw her crying, and the Jews who had come with her crying as well, he was very troubled and upset.

³⁴“Where have you laid him?” he asked. They replied, “Lord, come and see.”

³⁵Then Jesus cried too.

³⁶“See how much he loved him,” the Jews said.

³⁷But some of them said, “If he could open the eyes of a blind man, couldn't he have kept Lazarus from dying?”

³⁸Very troubled, Jesus went to the tomb. It was a cave with a large stone placed at the entrance.

³⁹“Remove the stone,” Jesus told them. But Martha, the dead man's sister, said, “Lord, by now there will be a terrible smell, for he's been dead for four days.”

⁴⁰“Didn't I tell you that if you trusted me you would see God's glory?” Jesus replied.