Book of Common Prayer

¹¹ This is the word you have heard from the beginning. `We must love one another.'

¹² We must not be like Cain. He was a child of the devil and killed his brother. Why did he kill him? He killed him because the things he himself did were wrong, and the things his brother did were right with God.

¹³ My brothers, do not be surprised if people in this world hate you.

¹⁴ We know that we have gone from death to life. We know this because we love the Christian brothers. Anyone who does not love them has not gone from death to life.

¹⁵ Everyone who hates his brother is like a man who kills a person. And you know that no one who kills a person has life that will live for ever.

¹⁶ Christ died for us. That is how we know what love is. We also should be willing to die for our brothers.

¹⁷ Perhaps a man has plenty of food and things. He sees that his brother needs some. If he does not want to help his brother, does he love God?

¹⁸ My children, we must not only talk about loving people; we must show we love people by what we do for them. We must really love them.

11 A man named Lazarus was sick. He lived at Bethany, the home of Mary and her sister Martha.

² Mary was the same woman that put oil on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair. It was her brother Lazarus who was sick.

³ So the sisters sent someone to tell Jesus. They said, `Lord, the one whom you love is sick.'

⁴ Jesus heard the message. He said, `The man is sick, but he will not die from it. But this will show people that God is great, and his Son also.'

⁵ Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.

⁶ When he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was for two days more.

⁷ After that, he said to his disciples, `Let us go back again to Judea.'

⁸ They said, `Master, it is not long since the Jews wanted to kill you with stones. Are you going back there again?'

⁹ Jesus answered them, `Are there not twelve hours in the day? If a person walks in the daylight, then he will not fall. He can see by the light that is in the world.

¹⁰ But if a person walks at night, he will fall because there is no light for him to see.'

¹¹ After he said this, he said also, `Our friend Lazarus is sleeping, but I am going to wake him up.'

¹² His disciples said, `Lord, if he is sleeping then he will get well again.'

¹³ But Jesus meant that Lazarus had died. The disciples thought that Lazarus was sleeping to have a rest.

¹⁴ Then Jesus told them plainly. He said, `Lazarus is dead.

¹⁵ For your sake I am glad that I was not there. You will really believe in me. But come, let us go to him.'

¹⁶ Then Thomas, who was called the Twin, said to the other disciples, `Let us all go and die with Jesus.'