Lazarus

1A man named Lazarus was sick. He lived in Bethany. That was the town of Mary and her sister Martha.

Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.

NoteBethany was a small town close to Jerusalem. Walking there took less than an hour.

2This Mary was the one who poured sweet-smelling oil on the Lord's feet. She wiped his feet with her hair. Lazarus was her brother.

(It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.)

NotePouring sweet-smelling oil on someone showed love and honor. The oil cost a lot of money.

3So the two sisters sent a message to Jesus. They said, "Lord, your dear friend is sick."

Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick.

NotePeople said "Lord" to show great respect. It is a bit like saying "sir."

4Jesus heard this and said, "This sickness will not end in death. It will show how great God is. It will show how great God's Son is."

When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.

5Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.

Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus.

6But when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was for two more days.

When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was.

7After that he said to his followers, "Let us go back to Judea."

Then after that saith he to his disciples, Let us go into Judaea again.

NoteJudea was the part of the country around Jerusalem. Jesus was far away in the north.

8They said, "Teacher, people there just tried to kill you with stones. Are you going back?"

His disciples say unto him, Master, the Jews of late sought to stone thee; and goest thou thither again?

NoteThrowing stones was how people killed someone they thought had done a terrible wrong.

9Jesus answered, "There are twelve hours of daylight in a day. If someone walks in the daytime, he does not trip. He can see by the light of this world."

Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world.

NotePeople counted the daylight as twelve hours long. There were no lights outside, so night was very dark.

10"But if someone walks at night, he trips. He has no light to see by."

But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him.

11Then Jesus said, "Our friend Lazarus is asleep. I am going there to wake him up."

These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep.

NotePeople often said "asleep" when they meant someone had died. It was a gentler way to say it.

12His followers said, "Lord, if he is sleeping, he will get better."

Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well.

13Jesus meant that Lazarus had died. But they thought he meant ordinary sleep.

Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep.

14So Jesus told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead."

Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.

15"I am glad for you that I was not there. It is so that you may believe. Let us go to him."

And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him.

16Thomas, who was also called Didymus, spoke to the other followers. He said, "Let us go too. Then we can die with him."

Then said Thomas, which is called Didymus, unto his fellowdisciples, Let us also go, that we may die with him.

NoteDidymus means "twin." Thomas had a twin brother or sister.

17When Jesus got there, Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days.

Then when Jesus came, he found that he had lain in the grave four days already.

NoteA tomb is a place where a dead body is laid. It is like a grave.

18Bethany was near Jerusalem, a little less than two miles away.

Now Bethany was nigh unto Jerusalem, about fifteen furlongs off:

19Many Jewish people had come to Martha and Mary. They came to comfort them about their brother.

And many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.

NoteWhen someone died, friends came and stayed for days. They cried with the family to help them.

20Martha heard that Jesus was coming and went out to meet him. Mary stayed in the house.

Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary sat still in the house.

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

Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.

22"But even now I know this. God will give you whatever you ask him for."

But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee.

23Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."

Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again.

24Martha said, "I know he will rise on the last day, when God raises the dead."

Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.

NoteMany Jewish people believed God would raise all dead people to life someday. They called it the last day.

25Jesus said to her, "I am the one who raises the dead. I am life itself. Anyone who trusts me will live, even if he dies."

Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:

26"And everyone who lives and trusts me will never die. Do you believe this?"

And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?

27She said, "Yes, Lord. I believe you are the Christ, the king God promised to send. You are God's Son, the one who was coming into the world."

She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.

Note"Christ" means the special king God promised long ago. People had waited many years for him.

28Then Martha went and called her sister Mary quietly. She said, "The Teacher is here. He is asking for you."

And when she had so said, she went her way, and called Mary her sister secretly, saying, The Master is come, and calleth for thee.

29As soon as Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him.

As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly, and came unto him.

30Jesus had not come into the town yet. He was still where Martha had met him.

Now Jesus was not yet come into the town, but was in that place where Martha met him.

31The people in the house were comforting Mary. They saw her get up fast and go out. They followed her. They thought she was going to the tomb to cry.

The Jews then which were with her in the house, and comforted her, when they saw Mary, that she rose up hastily and went out, followed her, saying, She goeth unto the grave to weep there.

NotePeople cried out loud at a tomb. That was how they showed their sadness.

32Mary came to Jesus and saw him. She fell down at his feet. She said, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died."

Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.

33Jesus saw her crying. He saw the people with her crying too. Deep sadness moved him, and he was troubled inside.

When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled,

NoteThe old words say Jesus "groaned in the spirit." He felt something strong and sad deep inside.

34He asked, "Where have you put him?" They said, "Lord, come and see."

And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see.

35Jesus cried.

Jesus wept.

36Then the people said, "Look how much he loved him!"

Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him!

37But some of them said, "He opened the eyes of a blind man. Could he not have kept Lazarus from dying?"

And some of them said, Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died?

38Jesus was moved deeply again. He came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the door.

Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it.

NoteGraves were often caves cut into a hillside. A big stone was set across the doorway.

39Jesus said, "Take the stone away." Martha, the dead man's sister, said, "Lord, he will smell bad by now. He has been dead four days."

Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days.

NoteFour days was a long time. By then the body would smell.

40Jesus said to her, "I told you something. If you believed, you would see how great God is."

Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?

41So they took the stone away. Jesus looked up and said, "Father, thank you for hearing me."

Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.

NotePeople often prayed standing up and looking at the sky. They did not always close their eyes.

42"I know you always hear me. I said it for the people standing here. Now they can believe that you sent me."

And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me.

43Then he called out in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!"

And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.

44The man who had died came out. Strips of cloth were wrapped around his hands and feet. A cloth covered his face. Jesus said, "Take the cloths off him. Let him go."

And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.

NoteDead bodies were wrapped in long strips of cloth. Another cloth was tied over the face.

1Six days before Passover, Jesus came to the town of Bethany. Lazarus lived there. He was the man Jesus had brought back to life.

Then Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead.

NotePassover was a big holiday. Jewish families ate a special meal together. It helped them remember how God set their people free long ago.

2The people there made a dinner for Jesus. Martha served the food. Lazarus sat at the table with Jesus.

There they made him a supper; and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him.

NoteMartha, Mary, and Lazarus were a sister, a sister, and a brother. They were close friends of Jesus. At that time people did not sit up on chairs to eat. They leaned on low couches around a low table.

3Mary brought about a pint of sweet-smelling oil called nard. It cost a lot of money. She poured it on Jesus' feet. Then she wiped his feet with her hair. The whole house smelled like the oil.

Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment.

NoteNard was a sweet-smelling oil. It was made from a plant that grew very far away. That is why it cost so much. People poured a little on a guest to honor him. Mary used a whole jar. Washing feet was a servant's job, so this was a very humble thing to do.

4Then one of Jesus' followers spoke up. It was Judas Iscariot. He was the one who would later hand Jesus over to his enemies.

Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, which should betray him,

NoteFollowers here means the disciples. Jesus had twelve close friends who went everywhere with him. Judas was one of them.

5He said, "Why wasn't this oil sold for three hundred silver coins? The money could have been given to poor people."

Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor?

NoteOne silver coin paid a worker for one whole day of work. Three hundred coins was almost a whole year of pay.

6Judas did not say this because he cared about poor people. He said it because he was a thief. He carried the money bag, and he took money out of it.

This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein.

7Jesus said, "Leave her alone. She saved this oil for the day I am buried.

Then said Jesus, Let her alone: against the day of my burying hath she kept this.

NoteWhen someone died, people rubbed sweet oil on the body. It was their way of showing love and saying goodbye.

8"Poor people will always be with you. But I will not always be here with you."

For the poor always ye have with you; but me ye have not always.

9A big crowd of Jewish people heard that Jesus was in Bethany. They came to see Jesus. They also came to see Lazarus, the man Jesus raised from the dead.

Much people of the Jews therefore knew that he was there: and they came not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead.

10So the chief priests, the top leaders at the temple, made a plan to kill Lazarus too.

But the chief priests consulted that they might put Lazarus also to death;

NoteThe temple was the huge building in Jerusalem where people worshiped God. The chief priests were the leaders in charge there.

11Because of Lazarus, many Jewish people were leaving those leaders and believing in Jesus.

Because that by reason of him many of the Jews went away, and believed on Jesus.

12The next day a huge crowd was in Jerusalem for the holiday. They heard that Jesus was coming.

On the next day much people that were come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem,

NoteJerusalem was the most important city for Jewish people. At Passover, huge crowds came there from all over.

13They took branches from palm trees and went out to meet him. They shouted, "Hosanna! God bless the one who comes in the Lord's name! God bless the King of Israel!"

Took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord.

NotePeople waved palm branches to welcome a king or a winner. Hosanna was a shout. It first meant "please save us now." By this time it was also a happy cheer.

14Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it. This matched words written long ago:

And Jesus, when he had found a young ass, sat thereon; as it is written,

NoteKings rode big horses when they came to fight. A king riding a donkey was showing he came in peace.

15"Do not be afraid, city of Zion. Look, your King is coming. He is riding on a young donkey."

Fear not, daughter of Sion: behold, thy King cometh, sitting on an ass’s colt.

NoteZion was another name for the city of Jerusalem.

16At first Jesus' followers did not understand any of this. Later, after Jesus was given glory, they remembered. Then they saw that these words had been written about him. They saw that they had done these things for him.

These things understood not his disciples at the first: but when Jesus was glorified, then remembered they that these things were written of him, and that they had done these things unto him.

Note"Given glory" means shown to everyone how great he is.

17Some people had been there when Jesus called Lazarus out of his grave. They kept telling others what they saw.

The people therefore that was with him when he called Lazarus out of his grave, and raised him from the dead, bare record.

NoteGraves then were often small caves cut into rock. A big stone was rolled across the door.

18That is why the crowd came out to meet Jesus. They had heard about this wonderful thing he did.

For this cause the people also met him, for that they heard that he had done this miracle.

19So the Pharisees said to each other, "See? Nothing we do is working. The whole world is going after him!" The Pharisees were teachers who cared very much about keeping the rules.

The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, Perceive ye how ye prevail nothing? behold, the world is gone after him.

NoteThe Pharisees were a group of teachers. They studied God's rules and tried to keep every single one.