Book of Common Prayer

¹³ I preach to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles. I will magnify my office, ¹⁴ so that I might rally those who are my flesh, and might save some of them. ¹⁵ For if the casting away of them is the reconciling of the world, what is the receiving of them but life again from death? ¹⁶ For if one piece is holy, the whole lump is holy. And if the root is holy, the branches are holy also.

¹⁷ Though some of the branches are broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, are grafted in among them and made partaker of the root and sap of the olive tree, ¹⁸ do not boast against the branches. For if you boast, remember that you do not bear the root, but the root bears you. ¹⁹ You will say then that the branches are broken off so that you may be grafted in. ²⁰ Well said: because of unbelief they are broken off, and you stand steadfast in faith. Be not high-minded, but fear, ²¹ seeing that God spared not the natural branches, lest perhaps he also not spare you.

²² Behold the kindness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity, but towards you, kindness – if you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you will be hewn off. ²³ And they, if they do not persist in unbelief, will be grafted in again. For God is of power to graft them in again. ²⁴ For if you were cut out of a natural, wild olive tree, and were grafted contrary to nature into a true olive tree, how much more may the natural branches be grafted into their own olive tree again?

Christ raises Lazarus from death. The high priests and Pharisees gather a council against him. He gets himself out of the way.

11 A certain man was sick, named Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. ² It was that Mary who had anointed Jesus with oyntment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. ³ And his sisters sent to him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom you love is sick.

⁴ When Jesus heard that, he said, This infirmity is not unto death, but for the laud of God, so that the Son of God may be praised by reason of it.

⁵ Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. ⁶ Then, after he had heard that he was sick, he remained still two days in the same place where he was.

⁷ Then after that he said to his disciples, Let us go into Judea again. ⁸ His disciples said to him, Master, lately the Jews tried to stone you, and will you go there again? ⁹ Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If a man walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. ¹⁰ But if a man walks in the night, he stumbles, because there is no light in him.

¹¹ This he said, and after that he said to them, Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go to wake him out of sleep. ¹² Then his disciples said, Lord, if he sleeps he will do well enough. ¹³ However, Jesus was speaking of his death. But they thought that he had spoken of the natural sleep. ¹⁴ Then Jesus said to them plainly, Lazarus is dead. ¹⁵ And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.

¹⁶ Then Thomas who is called Didymus said to the disciples, Let us also go, so that we may die with him.

¹⁷ Then Jesus went, and found that Lazarus had lain in his grave four days already. ¹⁸ Bethany was near Jerusalem, about fifteen furlongs off, ¹⁹ and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them over their brother. ²⁰ Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him, but Mary sat still in the house.

²¹ Then Martha said to Jesus, Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not be dead. ²² But nevertheless, I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you. ²³ Jesus said to her, Your brother will rise again. ²⁴ Martha said to him, I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.

²⁵ Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes on me, yea though he be dead, yet shall he live. ²⁶ And whoever lives and believes on me shall never die. Do you believe this?

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

Mary anoints Christ’s feet. Judas murmurs. Christ defends her, and rides into Jerusalem.

12 Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus went to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had been dead, and whom Jesus raised from death. ² There they made him a supper, and Martha served. Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with him. ³ Then Mary took a pound of oyntment called nard, perfect and precious, and anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oyntment.

⁴ Then one of his disciples, named Judas Iscariot (Simon’s son, who afterward betrayed him), said, ⁵ Why was this oyntment not sold for three hundred denarii, and given to the poor? ⁶ He said this, not because he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and kept the bag, and carried that which was given. ⁷ Then Jesus said, Let her alone. She kept it for the day of my burial. ⁸ The poor you will always have with you, but me you will not always have.

⁹ A great many of the Jews learned that he was there, and they went to Bethany, not for Jesus’ sake only, but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from death. ¹⁰ The high priests therefore held a council, how they could put Lazarus to death also,