João 11

Jesus’ friend, Lazarus, died.

1 One time there was a man whose name was Lazarus who was very sick. He lived in Bethany village, where his older sisters Mary and Martha also lived. 2 Mary was the woman who later poured perfume on the feet of the Lord Jesus, and then wiped his feet with her hair. 3 So the two sisters sent someone to tell Jesus about Lazarus, saying, "Lord, the one you love very much is very sick." 4 They hoped that Jesus would come, but when Jesus heard the message, he said, "His being sick will not end in his dying. Instead, it will result in people realizing how great God is, and that I, God’s son, may be honored {that people may honor me, God’s son}, because of what I will do." 5 Jesus loved Martha and her younger sister Mary and Lazarus. 6 But when Jesus heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was for two more days.

7 But Jesus wanted to see Lazarus. So he said to us disciples, "Let’s go back to Judea." 8 We said, "Teacher, just a short while ago the Jewish leaders [SYN] wanted to kill you by throwing stones at you. So ◄we think that you should not go back there again!/are you sure that you want to go back there again?► [RHQ]" 9 To show us that nothing bad could happen to him until the time that God had chosen [MET], Jesus replied, "There are [RHQ] twelve hours in the daytime, which is enough time to do what God wants us to do. People who walk in the daytime will not stumble over things they cannot see, because they see things by the light from the sun. 10 It is when people walk in the nighttime that they stumble over things, because they have no light."

11 After he said that, he told us, "Our friend Lazarus has gone to sleep. But I will go there so that I can wake him up." 12 So we said to him, "Lord, if he is sleeping, he will get well. So you do not need to risk your life by going there." 13 Jesus was speaking figuratively about Lazarus’ death, but we thought that he was talking about really being asleep. 14 So then he told us plainly, "Lazarus is dead. 15 But for your sake I am glad that I was not there when he died, because I want you to believe more firmly that I ◄am the Messiah/came from God►. So now, instead of staying here, let’s go to him." 16 Then Thomas, who was {whom they} called ‘The Twin’, said to the rest of us disciples, "Let’s all go, so that we may die with Jesus when his enemies kill him."

Lazarus’ sisters expressed disappointment that Jesus did not come and heal Lazarus before he died.

17 When we arrived close to Bethany, someone told Jesus that Lazarus had died and had been buried and his body had been in the tomb for four days. 18 Bethany is less than ◄two miles/three kilometers► from Jerusalem. 19 Many Jews had come from Jerusalem to console Martha and Mary over the death of their younger brother. 20 When Martha heard someone say that Jesus was coming, she went along the road to meet him. But Mary stayed in the house. 21 When Martha got to where Jesus was, she said to him, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died because you would have healed him! 22 But I know that even now God will do for you whatever you ask concerning my brother." 23 Jesus said to her, "Your brother will become alive again!" 24 Martha said to him, "I know that he will become alive again when all people become alive again on the Judgment day." 25 Jesus said to her, "I am the one who enables people to become alive again and who causes people to live eternally. Those who believe in me, even if they die, will live again. 26 Furthermore, all those who believe in me while they are alive, their souls will not die forever. Do you believe that?" 27 She said to him, "Yes, Lord! I believe that you are the Messiah, ◄the Son of God/the man who is also God►. You are the one God promised to send into the world!"

28 After she said that, she returned to the house and took her younger sister, Mary, aside and said to her, "The Teacher is close to our village, and he wants to talk to you." 29 When Mary heard that, she got up quickly and went to him. 30 Jesus had not yet entered the village; he was still at the place where Martha met him. 31 The Jews who were in the house with Mary, consoling her, saw Mary get up quickly and go outside. So they followed her, thinking that she was going to the tomb where they had buried Lazarus, in order to cry there.

32 When Mary got to where Jesus was and saw him, she prostrated herself at his feet and said, "Lord, if you had been here, my younger brother would not have died!" 33 When Jesus saw her crying, and saw that the Jews who had come with her were also crying, he was very angry that Satan had caused Lazarus to die (OR, very troubled) and disturbed in his spirit. 34 He said, "Where have you buried ◄him/his body►?" They said to him, "Lord, come and see." 35 Jesus began to cry. 36 Then some of the Jews said, "Look how much he loved Lazarus!" 37 But some others said, "He enabled a blind man to see. So ◄he should have been able to heal this man so that he did not die!/why did he not heal this man so that he did not die?► [RHQ]"

38 Within himself Jesus was again very angry about Lazarus dying (OR, very troubled). He came to the tomb. It was a cave. The entrance had been covered with a large stone. 39 Jesus said, "Take away the stone!" Martha, who, as I mentioned before, was an older sister of the man who had died, said, "Lord, his body has been in the tomb for four days, so now there will be a bad smell!" 40 Jesus said to her, "I told [RHQ] you that if you believed in ◄me/what I can do►, you would see how great God is! Have you forgotten that?"

Jesus caused Lazarus to be alive again.

41 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up toward heaven and said, "My Father, I thank you that you heard me when I prayed about this earlier. 42 I know that you always hear me when I pray. But instead of just praying silently, I said that for the sake of the people who are standing here. I want them to believe that you sent me." 43 After he said that, he shouted, "Lazarus, come out!" 44 The man who had been dead came out! The strips of cloth were still wrapped around his hands and feet, and a cloth was still around his face, but he came out! Jesus said to them, "Take off the cloths so that he can walk easily!" So they did that.