Source Channel · retold from John 11:1–44
In Bethany a man lies sick. His name is Lazarus. His sisters Mary and Martha send word to Jesus: Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick.
Two days of waiting
Jesus stays two more days in the place where he is. Then he says to his disciples: Let us go into Judaea again. The disciples remind him that people there wanted to stone him.
Jesus tells them plainly: Lazarus is dead. Thomas says to the other disciples: Let us also go, that we may die with him.
In Bethany
When Jesus arrives, Lazarus has already been in the grave four days. Many have come to Martha and Mary to comfort them. Martha goes to meet Jesus and says: Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.
“Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live”
– John 11:25
Then Mary comes too. She falls down at Jesus' feet and says the same words as her sister. She weeps, and those who came with her weep as well.
Jesus wept
Jesus groans in the spirit and is troubled. He asks: Where have ye laid him? They say: Lord, come and see.
“Jesus wept.”
– John 11:35
Then the Jews say:
“Behold how he loved him!”
– John 11:36
The grave is a cave, and a stone lies upon it. Jesus says: Take ye away the stone. Martha objects that he has been dead four days.
They take away the stone. Jesus lifts up his eyes and gives thanks to the Father. Then he cries with a loud voice: Lazarus, come forth!
The man who was dead comes out, bound hand and foot with graveclothes, his face bound about with a napkin. Jesus says: Loose him, and let him go.
What this has to do with you today
Jesus said beforehand that he was going to wake Lazarus up. And still he weeps when he sees Mary and the others weeping. If you are grieving someone right now, you can know this: in this story, tears have their place.
Never Alone Guide: When it hurts →
Bible quotes: King James Version (public domain). This retelling stays with the Bible text and adds no events. Photos: Unsplash.
