Book of Common Prayer

¹³ Now I say this to you who are not Jews. I am an apostle to those who are not Jews, so I think highly of the work I have been sent to do.

¹⁴ I want the people of my own nation, the Jews, to be jealous. Then I may be able to save some of them.

¹⁵ God turned away from the Jews in order to bring the world back to himself. Then if that is true, when he takes the Jews back to himself, will not that be like making dead people live?

¹⁶ If the first piece of bread is holy, so is all the rest which came from the same bread mix. If the root of a tree is holy, the branches are holy also.

¹⁷ Maybe some of the tree's branches were broken off. And you, a branch from a wild olive tree, were made to grow on the tree among the branches. You then have the good water that comes from the root of the olive tree.

¹⁸ But do not think that you are better than the tree's own branches. If you do, remember it is not you that holds the root in place. But it is the root that holds you.

¹⁹ Then you will say, `The branches were broken off so that I might be joined to the tree.'

²⁰ That is true. They were broken off because they did not believe. And you have your place only because you believe. So do not be proud, but fear.

²¹ If God punished the tree's own branches, he will punish you also.

²² See how kind God is. And see how hard he is. He is hard on those who have fallen. But God is kind to you if you go on following in his ways. If you do not, you also will be broken off.

²³ God will also put back the other branches if they believe. God is able to put the Jews back where they belong.

²⁴ You were cut off from a wild olive tree. And you were put on a good olive tree. That is not the way trees grow. But it can be done. And so, even more, the Jewish branches will be put back on their own olive tree.

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.'

¹⁷ When Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had been buried four days.

¹⁸ Bethany was only about two miles from Jerusalem.

¹⁹ Many Jews had come out to see Martha and Mary. They came to comfort them because their brother had died.

²⁰ As soon as Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him. But Mary just stayed in the house.

²¹ Martha said to Jesus, `Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.

²² But even yet, I know that God will give you anything that you ask for.'

²³ Jesus said, `Your brother will rise again.'

²⁴ Martha said, `I know that he will rise when the dead people are raised up on the last day.'

²⁵ Jesus said, `I am the one who will raise people up and give them life. The person who believes in me will live, even though he has died.

²⁶ Anyone who is living and who believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?'

²⁷ She said, `Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ. I believe that you are the Son of God who was to come into the world.'

12 Six days before the Passover Feast Jesus came to Bethany where Lazarus lived. This was the Lazarus that Jesus had raised from death.

² The people made supper for Jesus. Martha helped give food for the people, and Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Jesus.

³ Mary had a jar of oil. It smelled very nice and cost much money. She put some of it on Jesus' feet. Then she wiped his feet with her hair. The smell of oil went all through the house.

⁴ Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, was there. He was one of the disciples, the one who was going to give Jesus over to the people who hated him.

⁵ He said, `This oil is worth a year's wages! Why did we not sell it and give the money to poor people?'

⁶ Judas did not say this because he cared for poor people. But he used to steal. He carried the disciples' money bag and he used to take money out of the bag for himself.

⁷ Then Jesus said, `Leave her alone. She has kept this oil for the time when they will bury me.

⁸ You will have poor people with you always. But you will not always have me with you.'

⁹ Many of the Jews knew that Jesus was at Bethany. So they came because Jesus was there. But they also came to see Lazarus, whom Jesus had raised from death.

¹⁰ The chief priests planned to kill Lazarus also.