John 11:28-44

New Testament for Everyone

Jesus goes to the tomb

²⁸ With these words, Martha went back and called her sister Mary.

“The teacher has come,” she said to her privately, “and he’s asking for you.”

²⁹ When she heard that, she got up quickly and went to him. ³⁰ Jesus hadn’t yet arrived in the village. He was still in the place where Martha had met him.

³¹ The Judaeans who were in the house with Mary, consoling her, saw her get up quickly and go out. They guessed that she was going to the tomb to weep there, and they followed her.

³² When Mary came to where Jesus was, she saw him and fell down at his feet.

“Master!” she said. “If only you’d been here, my brother wouldn’t have died!”

³³ When Jesus saw her crying, and the Judaeans who had come with her crying, he was deeply stirred in his spirit, and very troubled.

³⁴ “Where have you laid him?” he asked.

“Master,” they said, “come and see.”

³⁵ Jesus burst into tears.

³⁶ “Look,” said the Judaeans, “see how much he loved him!”

³⁷ “Well, yes,” some of them said, “but he opened the eyes of a blind man, didn’t he? Couldn’t he have done something to stop this fellow from dying?”

The raising of Lazarus

³⁸ Jesus was once again deeply troubled within himself. He came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was placed in front of it.

³⁹ “Take away the stone,” said Jesus.

“But, Master,” said Martha, the dead man’s sister, “there’ll be a smell! It’s the fourth day already!”

⁴⁰ “Didn’t I tell you,” said Jesus, “that if you believed you would see God’s glory?”

⁴¹ So they took the stone away. Jesus lifted up his eyes.

“Thank you, Father,” he said, “for hearing me! ⁴² I know you always hear me, but I’ve said this because of the crowd standing around, so that they may believe that you sent me.”

⁴³ With these words, he gave a loud shout: “Lazarus—come out!”

⁴⁴ And the dead man came out. He was tied up, hand and foot, with strips of linen, and his face was wrapped in a cloth.

“Untie him,” said Jesus, “and let him go.”