拉撒路病死

11 伯大尼村有个名叫拉撒路的人病倒了。伯大尼是玛丽亚和她姐姐玛大居住的村庄。 就是这个玛丽亚后来用香膏抹主,又用自己的头发擦干祂的脚,患病的拉撒路是她的弟弟。 她们姊妹两个托人去告诉耶稣,说:“主啊,你所爱的人病了!”

耶稣听见后,说:“这病不会致命,而是为了上帝的荣耀,使祂的儿子借此得到荣耀。” 耶稣一向爱玛大、玛丽亚和拉撒路, 可是祂听到拉撒路有病的消息后,仍逗留了两天, 然后才对门徒说:“我们去犹太吧!”

门徒说:“老师,犹太人近来想拿石头打你,你还要去那里吗?”

耶稣说:“白天不是有十二个小时吗?人在白天走路,不会跌倒,因为他看得见这世上的光。 10 人在夜间走路,才会跌倒,因为没有光。” 11 接着耶稣又说:“我们的朋友拉撒路已经睡了,我去叫醒他。”

12 门徒说:“主啊,如果他睡了,肯定会好的。” 13 其实耶稣是指他已经死了,门徒却以为他真的睡了。

14 于是,耶稣清楚地对他们说:“拉撒路死了。 15 为了你们的缘故,我很高兴自己不在那里,好叫你们信我。现在我们可以去了。” 16 绰号“双胞胎”的多马对其他门徒说:“我们也去,好跟祂一块儿死吧。”

拉撒路死而复活

17 耶稣到了伯大尼,得知拉撒路已经在坟墓里四天了。 18 伯大尼离耶路撒冷不远,大约只有三公里的路, 19 很多犹太人来看玛大和玛丽亚,为她们兄弟的事来安慰她们。

20 玛大听说耶稣来了,就去迎接祂,玛丽亚却仍然坐在家里。 21 玛大对耶稣说:“主啊,你如果早在这里,我弟弟就不会死了。 22 就是现在我也知道你无论向上帝求什么,上帝必定赐给你。”

23 耶稣说:“你弟弟必定复活。”

24 玛大说:“我知道,在末日复活的时候,他必复活。”

25 耶稣说:“我是复活,我是生命。信我的人虽然死了,也必复活。 26 凡活着信我的人必永远不死。你相信吗?”

27 玛大说:“主啊,我信!我相信你是来到世界的基督,是上帝的儿子。”

28 玛大说完了,就回去悄悄地告诉她妹妹玛丽亚:“老师来了,祂叫你去。”

29 玛丽亚听了,急忙起来到耶稣那里。 30 那时,耶稣还没有进村子,仍在玛大迎接祂的地方。 31 那些在家里安慰玛丽亚的犹太人,见她匆匆忙忙地跑了出去,以为她要去坟墓那里哭,就跟着出去。

32 玛丽亚来到耶稣那里,俯伏在祂脚前说:“主啊,你如果早在这里,我弟弟就不会死了。”

33 耶稣看见她和陪她来的犹太人都在哭,心中感动,十分难过, 34 便问:“你们把他葬在哪里了?”

他们答道:“主啊,你来看。”

35 耶稣哭了。

36 犹太人说:“你看!祂多么爱拉撒路啊!”

37 其中也有人说:“祂既然能医好瞎眼的人,难道不能叫这个人不死吗?”

38 耶稣又十分感动地来到坟墓前。那坟墓是个洞,洞口堵着一块大石头。

39 耶稣说:“把石头挪开。”

死者的姐姐玛大对祂说:“主啊,他死了四天了,已经臭了。”

40 耶稣说:“我不是跟你说过,只要你信,就会看见上帝的荣耀吗?”

41 于是,他们把石头挪开,耶稣望着天说:“父啊,我感谢你,因为你已垂听了我的祷告, 42 我知道你常常垂听我的祷告。我这样说是为了周围站着的众人,好叫他们相信是你差了我来。”

43 说完,就大声呼喊:“拉撒路,出来!” 44 那死者就出来了,手脚都缠着布条,脸上也包着布。

耶稣对他们说:“给他解开,让他走!”

谋害耶稣

45 许多来看玛丽亚的犹太人看见耶稣所行的事,就信了祂, 46 但也有些人去见法利赛人,把耶稣所行的事告诉他们。 47 祭司长和法利赛人便召开公会会议,说:“这人行了这么多神迹,我们该怎么办呢? 48 如果让祂这样继续下去,所有的人都会信祂,那时罗马人一定会来夺取我们的土地,掳掠我们的人民。”

49 当年担任大祭司的该亚法对他们说:“你们什么都不懂! 50 你们没有认识到,祂一个人替众人死,而不是整个民族灭亡,对你们来说更好。” 51 其实这句话不是出于他自己,只因那年他是大祭司,上帝借着他预言耶稣将要替犹太民族死。 52 祂不单是要替犹太民族死,也要把散居在各处的上帝的儿女聚集在一起。

53 从那天起,他们就计划要杀害耶稣, 54 所以耶稣不再公开地在犹太人中间露面。祂离开伯大尼,前往靠近旷野的地方,到了以法莲城,就和门徒住下来。

55 犹太人的逾越节快到了,有很多人从乡下上耶路撒冷,预备在过节前洁净自己。 56 他们四处寻找耶稣,又彼此在圣殿里谈论:“你们怎么想?祂不会来过节吧?” 57 当时祭司长和法利赛人早已下令,如果有人知道耶稣在哪里,就来报告,他们好去抓祂。

Jesus Hears That Lazarus Is Sick

11 Now there was a certain one being sick— Lazarus, from Bethany, of the village of Mary and Martha, her sister. And it was Mary, the one having anointed[a] the Lord with perfume and having wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. So the sisters sent out a message to Him, saying, “Lord, look— the one whom You love is sick”. And having heard, Jesus said “This sickness is not leading to death, but for the glory of God, in order that the Son of God may be glorified through it”.

Jesus Returns To Judea To Raise Lazarus From The Dead

Now Jesus was loving Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus. So when He heard that he was sick, at that time He remained for two days in which place He was— then after this, says to the disciples, “Let us be going to Judea again”. The disciples say to Him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just-now seeking to stone You, and You are going there again?” Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of the day? If one walks during the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. 10 But if one walks during the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him”. 11 He said these things, and after this He says to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen-asleep, but I am going in order that I may awaken him”. 12 So the disciples said to Him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will be restored”. 13 Now Jesus had spoken concerning his death, but those ones thought that He was speaking concerning the sleep of slumber[b]. 14 So at-that-time Jesus said to them with plainness, “Lazarus died. 15 And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us be going to him”. 16 Then Thomas, the one being called Didymus[c], said to his fellow-disciples, “Let us indeed be going, so that we may die with Him[d]”.

Jesus Says, I Am The Resurrection And The Life. The One Believing In Me Will Live

17 So having come, Jesus found him already having four days in the tomb. 18 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about fifteen stades[e] away. 19 And many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary in order that they might console them concerning their brother. 20 So Martha, when she heard that Jesus was coming, met Him. But Mary was sitting in the house. 21 Then Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that whatever You ask God, God will give You”. 23 Jesus says to her, “Your brother will rise-up”. 24 Martha says to Him, “I know that he will rise-up in the resurrection at the last day”. 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one believing in Me— even though he dies, he will live. 26 And everyone living and believing in Me will never die, ever. Do you believe this?” 27 She says to Him, “Yes, Lord. I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God, the One coming into the world”. 28 And having said this, she went away and called Mary her sister secretly, having said, “The Teacher is here and is calling you”. 29 And that one, when she heard, arose quickly and was going to Him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha met Him. 31 So the Jews— the ones being with her in the house and consoling her—having seen that Mary stood up quickly and went out, followed her, having supposed that she was going to the tomb in order that she might weep there. 32 Then Mary— when she came where Jesus was, having seen Him— fell at His feet, saying to Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died”. 33 Then Jesus— when He saw her weeping, and the Jews having come with her weeping— was deeply-moved[f] in His spirit, and troubled[g] Himself. 34 And He said, “Where have you laid him?” They say to Him, “Lord, come and see”. 35 Jesus wept. 36 So the Jews were saying, “Look— how He was loving him!” 37 And[h] some of them said, “Was not this One— the One having opened the eyes of the blind one— able to cause that this one also should not die?”

Jesus Calls Lazarus Out of The Tomb. Many Believe In Him

38 Then Jesus, again being deeply-moved in Himself, comes to the tomb. Now it was a cave, and a stone was lying upon[i] it. 39 Jesus says, “Take away the stone”. Martha, the sister of the one having come-to-an-end[j], says to Him, “Lord, he already stinks, for it is the fourth-day”. 40 Jesus says to her, “Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” 41 So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted His eyes upward, and said, “Father, I thank You that You heard Me. 42 Now I knew that You always hear Me. But I said this for the sake of the crowd having stood around— in order that they may believe that You sent Me forth”. 43 And having said these things, He shouted with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come outside!” 44 The one having died came out, having been bound as to the feet and the hands with grave-cloths. And his face had been bound-around with a face-cloth. Jesus says to them, “Unbind him, and allow him to go”. 45 Therefore many of the Jews— the ones having come to Mary, and having seen the things which He did— believed in Him.

Some Told The Pharisees. Caiaphas Prophesies, Better For One To Die For The People

46 But some[k] of them went to the Pharisees and told them the things which Jesus did. 47 So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered together a council[l]. And they were saying, “What are we doing? Because this man is doing many signs! 48 If we tolerate Him in this manner, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place[m] and nation”. 49 But a certain one of them, Caiaphas, being the high priest of that year, said to them, “You do not know anything— 50 nor do you consider that it is better for you that one Man die for the people, and the whole nation not perish”. 51 Now he did not say this from himself, but being the high priest of that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation. 52 And not for the nation only, but in order that He might also gather together into one the children of God having been scattered [in the world]. 53 Therefore from that day, they planned to kill Him.

Jesus Withdraws From The Public

54 Therefore Jesus was no longer walking in public among the Jews, but went away from there to the region near the wilderness, to a city being called Ephraim. And He stayed there with the disciples.

At The Passover, Everyone Was Looking For Jesus

55 Now the Passover [Feast] of the Jews was near. And many went up to Jerusalem from the country[n] before the Passover [Feast], in order that they might purify themselves. 56 So they were seeking Jesus, and saying, standing with one another in the temple, “What seems right to you— that He will by no means come to the Feast?” 57 And the chief priests and the Pharisees had given commands that if anyone came-to-know where He was, he should disclose it— so that they might seize Him.

Footnotes

  1. John 11:2 That is, in 12:3.
  2. John 11:13 That is, consisting of physical sleep.
  3. John 11:16 Thomas is a Greek rendering of the Aramaic word for ‘twin’. Didymus is the Greek word meaning ‘twin’.
  4. John 11:16 Or, him (Lazarus).
  5. John 11:18 That is, 1.7 miles or 2.8 kilometers.
  6. John 11:33 The emotion in view must be determined from the context. Some think Jesus shared their bereaved perspective, culminating in the weeping in v 35; others think anger at death is in view. If this intense emotion was expressed, this may be rendered ‘groaned’.
  7. John 11:33 Or, stirred, agitated.
  8. John 11:37 Or, But.
  9. John 11:38 Or, against, over.
  10. John 11:39 That is, died.
  11. John 11:46 That is, some Jews who did not believe; or, some of the many who believed, to present proof of who Jesus was.
  12. John 11:47 That is, an informal meeting of some of the leaders. Or, the Sanhedrin, the whole council of elders.
  13. John 11:48 That is, our position; or, our Holy Place, our temple.
  14. John 11:55 That is, the land of Judea. Passover could only be celebrated inside Jerusalem.