Thematic Bible: The raising of lazarus
Thematic Bible
Select readings » The raising of lazarus
Now a man was sick; it was Lazarus who lived in Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. It was the Mary who poured the perfume upon the Lord and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. So the sisters sent this message to Jesus, "Lord, listen! the one you love so well is sick."
Now Bethany is only about two miles from Jerusalem, and a goodly number of Jews had come out to see Martha and Mary, to sympathize with them over their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet Him, but Mary stayed at home. read more.
Then Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask God for He will give you." Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." Martha said to Him, "I know that he will rise at the resurrection, on the last day." Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life myself. Whoever continues to believe in me will live right on even though he dies, and no person who continues to live and believe in me will ever die at all. Do you believe this?" She said to Him, "Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world." On saying this she went back and called her sister Mary, whispering to her, "The Teacher is here and is asking for you." As soon as she heard it, she jumped up and started to Jesus, for He had not yet come into the village, but He was still at the place where Martha had met Him. So the Jews who were with her in the house sympathizing with her, when they saw Mary jump up and go out, followed her, because they supposed that she was going to the grave to pour out her grief there. When Mary came where Jesus was and saw Him, she threw herself at His feet, and said, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." So when Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who had come with her weeping too, He sighed in sympathy and shook with emotion, and asked, "Where have you laid him?" They answered, "Lord, come and see." Jesus burst into tears. So the Jews said, "See how tenderly He loved him!" But some of them said, "Could not this man, who made that blind man see, have kept Lazarus from dying?" Now Jesus sighed again and continued to sigh as He went to the grave. It was a cave with a stone lying over the mouth of it. Jesus said, "Slip the stone aside." The dead man's sister, Martha, said to Him, "Lord, by this time he is offensive, for he has been dead four days." Jesus said to her, "Did I not promise you that if you would believe in me, you should see the glory of God?" So they slipped the stone aside. And Jesus looked up and said, "Father, I thank you for listening to me; yes, I knew that you always listen to me. But I have said this for the sake of the crowd that is standing by, that they may come to believe that you have sent me." On saying this, He shouted aloud, "Lazarus, come out!" Then out came the dead man, his feet and hands tied with wrappings, and his face tied up with a handkerchief. Jesus said to them, "Untie him and let him go." Thus many of the Jews, who came to see Mary and who saw what Jesus had done, believed in Him; but some of them went back to the Pharisees and told them what He had done.
Then Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask God for He will give you." Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." Martha said to Him, "I know that he will rise at the resurrection, on the last day." Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life myself. Whoever continues to believe in me will live right on even though he dies, and no person who continues to live and believe in me will ever die at all. Do you believe this?" She said to Him, "Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world." On saying this she went back and called her sister Mary, whispering to her, "The Teacher is here and is asking for you." As soon as she heard it, she jumped up and started to Jesus, for He had not yet come into the village, but He was still at the place where Martha had met Him. So the Jews who were with her in the house sympathizing with her, when they saw Mary jump up and go out, followed her, because they supposed that she was going to the grave to pour out her grief there. When Mary came where Jesus was and saw Him, she threw herself at His feet, and said, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." So when Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who had come with her weeping too, He sighed in sympathy and shook with emotion, and asked, "Where have you laid him?" They answered, "Lord, come and see." Jesus burst into tears. So the Jews said, "See how tenderly He loved him!" But some of them said, "Could not this man, who made that blind man see, have kept Lazarus from dying?" Now Jesus sighed again and continued to sigh as He went to the grave. It was a cave with a stone lying over the mouth of it. Jesus said, "Slip the stone aside." The dead man's sister, Martha, said to Him, "Lord, by this time he is offensive, for he has been dead four days." Jesus said to her, "Did I not promise you that if you would believe in me, you should see the glory of God?" So they slipped the stone aside. And Jesus looked up and said, "Father, I thank you for listening to me; yes, I knew that you always listen to me. But I have said this for the sake of the crowd that is standing by, that they may come to believe that you have sent me." On saying this, He shouted aloud, "Lazarus, come out!" Then out came the dead man, his feet and hands tied with wrappings, and his face tied up with a handkerchief. Jesus said to them, "Untie him and let him go." Thus many of the Jews, who came to see Mary and who saw what Jesus had done, believed in Him; but some of them went back to the Pharisees and told them what He had done.