Historical

The Death and Resurrection of Lazarus

11 Now a certain man named Lazarus was sick. He was from ^[a]Bethany, the village where Mary and her sister Martha lived. ² It was the Mary who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.^{(A) 3} So the sisters sent word to Him, saying, “Lord, he [our brother and Your friend] whom You love is sick.” ⁴ When Jesus heard this, He said, “This sickness will not end in death; but [on the contrary it is] for the glory and honor of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it.” ⁵ Now Jesus loved and was concerned about Martha and her sister and Lazarus [and considered them dear friends]. ^6 [b]So [even] when He heard that Lazarus was sick, He stayed in the same place two more days. ⁷ Then He said to His disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.” ⁸ The disciples said to Him, “Rabbi (Teacher), the Jews were only recently going to stone You, and You are [thinking of] going back there again?” ⁹ Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours [of light] in the day? Anyone who walks in the daytime does not stumble, because he sees [by] the light of this world. ¹⁰ But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because there is no light in him.” ¹¹ He said this, and after that said, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him.” ¹² The disciples answered, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” ¹³ However, Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that He was referring to natural sleep. ¹⁴ So then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. ¹⁵ And for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” ¹⁶ Then Thomas, who was called Didymus (the twin), said to his fellow disciples, “Let us go too, that we may die with Him.”

¹⁷ So when Jesus arrived, He found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb ^[c]four days. ¹⁸ Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away; ¹⁹ and many of the Jews had come to see Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning [the loss of] their brother. ²⁰ So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet Him, while Mary remained sitting in the house. ²¹ Then Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. ²² Even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give to You.” ²³ Jesus told her, “Your brother will rise [from the dead].” ²⁴ Martha replied, “I know that he will rise [from the dead] in the resurrection on the last day.” ²⁵ Jesus said to her, “^[d]I am the Resurrection and the Life. Whoever believes in (adheres to, trusts in, relies on) Me [as Savior] will live even if he dies; ²⁶ and everyone who lives and believes in Me [as Savior] will never die. Do you believe this?” ²⁷ She said to Him, “Yes, Lord; I have believed and continue to believe that You are the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed), the Son of God, ^[e]He who was [destined and promised] to come into the world [and it is for You that the world has waited].”

²⁸ After she had said this, she left and called her sister Mary, privately whispering [to her], “The Teacher is here and is asking for you.” ²⁹ And when she 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. ³¹ So when the Jews who were with her in the house comforting her, saw how quickly Mary got up and left, they followed her, assuming that she was going to the tomb to weep there. ³² When Mary came [to the place] where Jesus was and saw Him, she fell at His feet, saying to Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” ³³ When Jesus saw her sobbing, and the Jews who had come with her also sobbing, He was ^[f]deeply moved in spirit [to the point of anger at the sorrow caused by death] and was troubled, ³⁴ and said, “Where have you laid him?” They said, “Lord, come and see.” ³⁵ Jesus wept. ³⁶ So the Jews were saying, “See how He loved him [as a close friend]!” ³⁷ But some of them said, “Could not this Man, who opened the blind man’s eyes, have kept this man from dying?”

³⁸ So Jesus, again deeply moved within [to the point of anger], approached the tomb. It was a cave, and a boulder was lying against it [to cover the entrance]. ³⁹ Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there will be an offensive odor, for he has been dead four days! [It is hopeless!]” ⁴⁰ Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you believe [in Me], you will see the glory of God [the expression of His excellence]?” ⁴¹ So they took away the stone. And Jesus raised His eyes [toward heaven] and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. ⁴² I knew that You always hear Me and listen to Me; but I have said this because of the people standing around, so that they may believe that You have sent Me [and that You have made Me Your representative].” ⁴³ When He had said this, He shouted with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” ⁴⁴ Out came the man who had been dead, his hands and feet tightly wrapped in burial cloths (linen strips), and with a [burial] cloth wrapped around his face. Jesus said to them, “Unwrap him and release him.”

⁴⁵ So then, many of the Jews who had come to [be with] Mary and who were eyewitnesses to what Jesus had done, believed in Him. ⁴⁶ But some of them went back to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done.

Conspiracy to Kill Jesus

⁴⁷ So the chief priests and Pharisees convened a council [of the leaders in Israel], and said, “What are we doing? For this man performs many signs (attesting miracles). 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 (the temple) and our nation.” ⁴⁹ But one of them, ^[g]Caiaphas, who was the high priest that year [the year of Christ’s crucifixion], said to them, “You know nothing at all! ⁵⁰ Nor do you understand that it is expedient and politically advantageous for you that one man die for the people, and that the whole nation not perish.” ⁵¹ Now he did not say this [simply] on his own initiative; but being the high priest that year, he [was unknowingly used by God and] prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation,^{(B) 52} and not only for the nation, but also for the purpose of gathering together into one body the children of God who have been scattered abroad.^{(C) 53} So from that day on they planned together to kill Him.

⁵⁴ For that reason Jesus no longer walked openly among the Jews, but left there and went to the district that borders on the uninhabited wilderness, to a town called Ephraim; and He stayed there with the disciples.

⁵⁵ Now the Passover of the Jews was approaching, and many from the country went up to Jerusalem before Passover to purify themselves [ceremonially, so that they would be able to participate in the feast]. ⁵⁶ So they were looking for Jesus as they stood in the temple [area], and saying among themselves, “What do you think? Will He not come to the feast at all?” ⁵⁷ Now the chief priests and Pharisees had given orders that if anyone knew where He was, he was to report it so that they might arrest Him.

Mary Anoints Jesus

12 Six days before the Passover, Jesus went to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom He had raised from the dead.^{(D) 2} So they gave a supper for Him there. Martha was serving, and Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with Him. ³ Then ^[h]Mary took a pound of very expensive perfume of pure ^[i]nard, and she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. ⁴ But Judas Iscariot, one of His disciples, the one who was going to betray Him, said, ⁵ “Why was this perfume not sold for ^[j]three hundred denarii and [the money] given to the poor?” ⁶ Now he said this, not because he cared about the poor [for he had never cared about them], but because he was a thief; and since he had the money box [serving as treasurer for the twelve disciples], he used to pilfer what was put into it. ⁷ So Jesus said, “Let her alone, so that she may keep [the rest of] it for the day of My burial. ⁸ You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have Me.”

⁹ A large crowd of Jews learned that He was there [at Bethany]; and they came, not only because of Jesus, but also to see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead. ¹⁰ So the chief priests planned to kill Lazarus also, ¹¹ because on account of him many of the Jews were going away [from the teaching and traditions of the Jewish leaders] and believing in Jesus [following Him as Savior and Messiah].

The Triumphal Entry

¹² The next day, when the large crowd who had come to the Passover feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem,^{(E) 13} they took branches of palm trees [in homage to Him as King] and went out to meet Him, and they began shouting and kept shouting “Hosanna! Blessed (celebrated, praised) is He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!”^{(F) 14} And Jesus, finding a young donkey, sat on it; just as it is written [in Scripture], ¹⁵ “Do not fear, Daughter of Zion; Behold, Your King is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.”^{(G) 16} His disciples did not understand [the meaning of] these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified and exalted, they remembered that these things had been written about Him and had been done to Him. ¹⁷ So the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead, continued to tell others about Him. ¹⁸ For this reason the crowd went to meet Him, because they heard that He had performed this [miraculous] sign. ¹⁹ Then the Pharisees [argued and] said to one another, “You see that your efforts are futile. Look! The whole world has gone [running] after Him!”

Greeks Seek Jesus

²⁰ Now there were some Greeks (Gentiles) among those who were going up to worship at the feast; ²¹ these came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request, saying, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” ²² Philip came and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. ²³ And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified and exalted. ²⁴ I assure you and most solemnly say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone [just one grain, never more]. But if it dies, it produces much grain and yields a harvest. ²⁵ The one who loves his life [eventually] loses it [through death], but the one who hates his life in this world [and is concerned with pleasing God] will keep it for life eternal. ²⁶ If anyone serves Me, he must [continue to faithfully] follow Me [without hesitation, holding steadfastly to Me, conforming to My example in living and, if need be, suffering or perhaps dying because of faith in Me]; and wherever I am [in heaven’s glory], there will My servant be also. If anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.

Jesus Foretells His Death

²⁷ “Now My soul is troubled and deeply distressed; what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour [of trial and agony]’? But it is for this [very] purpose that I have come to this hour [this time and place]. ²⁸ [Rather, I will say,] ‘Father, glorify (honor, extol) Your name!’” Then a ^[k]voice came from heaven saying, “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.” ²⁹ The crowd of people who stood nearby and heard the voice said that it had thundered; others said, “An angel has spoken to Him!” ³⁰ Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not for mine. ³¹ Now judgment is upon this world [the sentence is being passed]. Now the ruler of this world (Satan) will be cast out. ³² And I, if and when I am lifted up from the earth [on the cross], will draw all people to Myself [Gentiles, as well as Jews].” ³³ He said this to indicate the kind of death by which He was to die. ³⁴ At this the crowd answered Him, “^[l]We have heard from the Law that the Christ is to remain forever; how then can You say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this Son of Man?”^{(H) 35} So Jesus said to them, “The Light is among you [only] a little while longer. Walk while you have the Light [keep on living by it], so that darkness will not overtake you. He who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going [he is drifting aimlessly]. ³⁶ While you have the Light, believe and trust in the Light [have faith in it, hold on to it, rely on it], so that you may become sons of Light [being filled with Light as followers of God].”

Jesus said these things, and then He left and hid Himself from them. ³⁷ Even though He had done so many signs (attesting miracles) right before them, yet they still did not believe and failed to trust Him— ³⁸ This was to fulfill what Isaiah the prophet said: “Lord, who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm (the power) of the Lord been shown (unveiled, revealed)?”^{(I) 39} Therefore they could not believe, for Isaiah said again, ⁴⁰ “He has blinded their eyes and He hardened their heart, to keep them from seeing with their eyes and understanding with their heart and being converted; otherwise, I [their God] would heal them.” ⁴¹ Isaiah said these things because he saw His glory and spoke about Him.^{(J) 42} Nevertheless, even many of the leading men believed in Him [as Savior and Messiah], but because of the Pharisees they would not confess it, for fear that [if they acknowledged Him openly] they would be put out of the synagogue (excommunicated); ⁴³ for they loved the approval of men more than the approval of God.

⁴⁴ But Jesus loudly declared, “The one who believes and trusts in Me does not believe [only] in Me but [also believes] in Him who sent Me. ⁴⁵ And whoever sees Me sees the One who sent Me. ⁴⁶ I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes and trusts in Me [as Savior—all those who anchor their hope in Me and rely on the truth of My message] will not continue to live in darkness. ⁴⁷ If anyone hears My words and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge and condemn the world [that is, to initiate the final judgment of the world], but to save the world. ⁴⁸ Whoever rejects Me and refuses to accept My teachings, has one who judges him; the very word that I spoke will judge and condemn him on the last day. ⁴⁹ For I have never spoken on My own initiative or authority, but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me a commandment regarding what to say and what to speak.^{(K) 50} I know that His commandment is eternal life. So the things I speak, I speak [in accordance with His exact instruction,] just as the Father has told Me.”