John 11:1-30

1A man named Lazarus was sick. He lived in Bethany with his sisters, Mary and Martha.

2This is the Mary who later poured the expensive perfume on the Lord’s feet and wiped them with her hair. Her brother, Lazarus, was sick.

3So the two sisters sent a message to Jesus telling him, “Lord, your dear friend is very sick.”

4But when Jesus heard about it he said, “Lazarus’s sickness will not end in death. No, it happened for the glory of God so that the Son of God will receive glory from this.”

5So although Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus,

6he stayed where he was for the next two days.

7Finally, he said to his disciples, “Let’s go back to Judea.”

8But his disciples objected. “Rabbi,” they said, “only a few days ago the people in Judea were trying to stone you. Are you going there again?”

9Jesus replied, “There are twelve hours of daylight every day. During the day people can walk safely. They can see because they have the light of this world.

10But at night there is danger of stumbling because they have no light.”

11Then he said, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but now I will go and wake him up.”

12The disciples said, “Lord, if he is sleeping, he will soon get better!”

13They thought Jesus meant Lazarus was simply sleeping, but Jesus meant Lazarus had died.

14So he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead.

15And for your sakes, I’m glad I wasn’t there, for now you will really believe. Come, let’s go see him.”

16Thomas, nicknamed the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let’s go, too—and die with Jesus.”

17When Jesus arrived at Bethany, he was told that Lazarus had already been in his grave for four days.

18Bethany was only a few miles down the road from Jerusalem,

19and many of the people had come to console Martha and Mary in their loss.

20When Martha got word that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him. But Mary stayed in the house.

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

22But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask.”

23Jesus told her, “Your brother will rise again.”

24“Yes,” Martha said, “he will rise when everyone else rises, at the last day.”

25Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying.

26Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?”

27“Yes, Lord,” she told him. “I have always believed you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who has come into the world from God.”

28Then she returned to Mary. She called Mary aside from the mourners and told her, “The Teacher is here and wants to see you.”

29So Mary immediately went to him.

30Jesus had stayed outside the village, at the place where Martha met him.