Martha

38As they traveled, Jesus came to a village. A woman named Martha welcomed him into her house.

Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.

39Martha had a sister named Mary. Mary sat down at Jesus' feet and listened to what he said.

And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word.

NoteSitting at a teacher's feet was how students learned. Mary was learning, just like the men did.

40But Martha was busy with all the work of serving. She came to Jesus and said, "Lord, don't you care that my sister left me to serve alone? Tell her to help me."

But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.

41Jesus answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things."

And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:

NoteThe King James says Martha was "careful." Back then that meant full of worry, not being careful crossing a road.

42"But only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen the good part, and no one will take it away from her."

But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

NoteA "part" meant a share, like your share of food at a meal. Jesus says Mary picked the best share.

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.

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.