Read the Gospels in 40 Days

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.

²⁸ And as soon as she had so said, she went her way and called Mary her sister quietly, saying, The Teacher has come and is calling for you. ²⁹ And Mary, as soon as she heard that, arose quickly and went to him.

³⁰ Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met him. ³¹ Then the Jews who were with Mary in the house and comforting her, when they saw that she rose up hastily and went out, followed her, saying, She is going to the grave, to weep there.

³² Then when Mary arrived where Jesus was and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying to him, Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not be dead.

³³ When Jesus saw her weep, and the Jews who came with her also weep, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled in himself, ³⁴ and said, Where have you laid him? They said to him, Lord, come and see. ³⁵ And Jesus wept. ³⁶ Then the Jews said, See how he loved him! ³⁷ And some of them said, Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind, have made also that this man should not have died? ³⁸ Jesus again groaned in himself, and came to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. ³⁹ And Jesus said, Take away the stone.

Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to him, Lord, by this time he will smell, for he has been dead four days. ⁴⁰ Jesus said to her, Did I not say to you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?

⁴¹ Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, Father, I thank you, because you have heard me. ⁴² I know that you hear me always. But because of the people that stand by, I said this – so that they may believe that you have sent me.

⁴³ And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth! ⁴⁴ And he that was dead came forth wrapped hand and foot with grave bonds, and his face was bound about with a headcloth.

Jesus said to them, Loose him and let him go.

⁴⁵ Then many of the Jews who had come to Mary and seen the things that Jesus did, believed on him. ⁴⁶ But some of them went their ways to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done.

⁴⁷ Then the high priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, What should we do? This man does many miracles. ⁴⁸ If we let him go on this way, everyone will believe on him, and the Romans will come and take away our country and the people.

⁴⁹ And one of them named Caiaphas, who was the high priest that same year, said to them, You perceive nothing at all, ⁵⁰ nor yet consider that it is better for us that one man die for the people, and not that all the people perish. ⁵¹ This he spoke not of himself, but, being high priest that same year, he prophesied that Jesus would die for the people – ⁵² and not for the people only, but that he would gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad.

⁵³ From that day forth they took counsel together about how to put him to death. ⁵⁴ Jesus therefore no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went his way from there to a region near to a wilderness, into a village called Ephraim, and there continued with his disciples.

⁵⁵ And the Jews’ Passover was at hand, and many people went out of the country up to Jerusalem before the Passover, to purify themselves. ⁵⁶ Then they sought for Jesus, and spoke between themselves as they stood in the temple: What do you think, seeing he is not coming to the feast? ⁵⁷ The high priests and Pharisees had given a commandment that if anyone knew where he was, they should report it so that they might seize him.

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, ¹¹ because on his account many of the Jews went away and believed on Jesus.

¹² On the next day, many people who had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, ¹³ took branches of palm trees and went and met him, and cried, Hosanna! Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord, the king of Israel! ¹⁴ And Jesus got a young donkey and sat on it, according to that which was written: ¹⁵ Fear not, daughter of Zion. Behold, your king comes, sitting on a donkey’s colt.

¹⁶ These things his disciples did not understand at the first. But when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that such things were written of him, and that people had done such things to him.

¹⁷ The people that had been with Jesus when he called Lazarus out of his grave and raised him from death were speaking about it. ¹⁸ Therefore the crowd met him, because they heard that he had done such a miracle. ¹⁹ The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, See how we are accomplishing nothing? Look, the world is going away after him.

²⁰ There were among them certain Greeks who came to pray at the feast. ²¹ They came to Philip, who was of Bethsaida, a village in Galilee, and asked him, saying, Sir, we would like to see Jesus. ²² Philip went and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus.

²³ And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come that the Son of man must be glorified. ²⁴ Truly truly I say to you, unless the wheat seed falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone. If it dies, it brings forth much fruit. ²⁵ He who loves his life will destroy it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it unto life eternal. ²⁶ If anyone serves me, let him follow me, and where I am, there also shall my servant be. And if anyone serves me, him will my Father honour.

²⁷ Now is my soul troubled, and what shall I say? Father, deliver me from this hour? But for this cause I have come to this hour. ²⁸ Father, glorify your name. 

Then there came a voice from heaven:  I have glorified it, and will glorify it again. ²⁹ Then the people that stood by and heard said, It thundered!  Others said an angel spoke to him. 

³⁰ Jesus answered and said, This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes. ³¹ Now is the judgment of this world; now shall the prince of this world be cast out. ³² And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples unto me.

³³ This Jesus said signifying what death he would die.

³⁴ The people answered him, We have heard out of the law that Christ endures forever, so how do you say then that the Son of man must be lifted up? Who is that Son of man?

³⁵ Then Jesus said to them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while you have light, lest the darkness come on you. He who walks in the dark does not know where he is going. ³⁶ While you have light, believe on the light, so that you may be the children of the light.

These things Jesus spoke, and departed, and hid himself from them. ³⁷ And though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they did not believe on him, ³⁸ so that the saying of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, what he spoke: Lord, who believes our message? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? ³⁹ Therefore they could not believe, because Isaiah says again: ⁴⁰ He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, so that they will not see with their eyes and understand with their hearts and be reformed, and I would heal them. ⁴¹ Such things Isaiah said when he saw his glory and spoke of him.

⁴² Nevertheless, among the chief rulers many believed on him. But because of the Pharisees, they would not acknowledge it, lest they should be excommunicated. ⁴³ For they loved the praise that is given by men more than the praise that comes of God.

⁴⁴ And Jesus cried out and said, He who believes on me, believes not on me, but on him who sent me. ⁴⁵ And he who sees me, sees him who sent me.  ⁴⁶ I am come a light into the world, so that whoever believes on me will not remain in darkness. ⁴⁷ And if a person hears my words and does not believe, I do not judge him. For I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. ⁴⁸ He who refuses me, and does not receive my words, has one that judges him. The words that I have spoken, they will judge him in the last day. ⁴⁹ For I have not spoken of myself, but the Father who sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say and what I should speak. ⁵⁰ And I know that this commandment is life everlasting. Whatever I speak, therefore, just as the Father has said to me, so I speak.