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40 hand, and went away again near to the Jordan, to the place where John at first baptized; and 41 there he abode. And many resorted unto him, and said, John did no miracle: but all things that John spake of this person, were true. 42 And many believed on him there.

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CHAP. XI.

NOW a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her 2 sister Martha. (It was the Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.) 3 Then his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, 4 behold, he whom thou lovest is sick.* When Jesus heard it, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the 5 Son of God may be glorified thereby. Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister, and LazarYet when he had heard that he was sick, he abode two days still in the place where he 7 was. Then after that, he saith to his disciples, 8 Let us go into Judea again. The disciples

6 us.

say unto him, Master, the Jews lately sought to stone thee; and wilt thou go thither again? 9 Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in

* Mary and Martha thought it enough merely to notify Jesus, that their brother, his friend, was sick. They solicit nothing, but presumed, no doubt, that Christ would come and heal him.

†That is, he shall be raised up again, and the power of God displayed by his resurrection.

the day? If any man walk in the day, he will not stumble, because he seeth the light of this 10 world. But if a man walk in the night, he will

stumble, because there is no light in him. 11 Thus Jesus spake to them, and afterwards he said, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go 12 that I may awake him out of sleep. Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do 13 well. Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but

they thought that he had spoken of taking rest 14 in sleep. Then Jesus said unto them plainly, 15 Lazarus is dead. And I am glad for your sakes, that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless, let us go unto him. 16 Then Thomas (who is called Didymus,) said

unto his fellow-disciples, Let us also go, that 17 we may die with him.* And when Jesus

came, he found that he had laid in the gravė 18 four days already. (Now Bethany was near

unto Jerusalem, about fifteen furlongs off.) 19 And many of the Jews came to Martha and

Mary, to comfort them concerning their broth20 er. Then as soon as Martha heard that Jesus

:

was coming, she went and met him but Mary 21 sat still in the house. Then Martha said unto

Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother 22 had not died. But I know, that even now, whatever thou wilt ask of God, God will give

There are two constructions to this declaration of Thomas: one, that his affection was so great for Lazarus, he wished not to live, as his friend was dead: the other that though Jesus, his Master, might be destroyed by the Jews, he was resolved to attend him, even at the risk of life. See 8th verse.

23 it thee. Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall 24 rise again. Martha saith unto him, I know

that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the 25 last day. Jesus said unto her, I am the resur

rection, and the life: he that believeth in me, 26 though he were dead, yet shall he live:† And

whosoever liveth, and believeth in me, shall 27 never die. Believest thou this? She saith unto him, Yea, Lord, I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, who should come into 28 the world. And when she had said this, she went her way, and called Mary her sister secretly, saying, The master is come, and calleth 29 for thee. As soon as she heard that, she arose 30 quickly, and came unto him. Now Jesus was not yet come into the town, but was in that 31 place where Martha met him. The Jews then who 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 32 goeth unto the grave, to weep there. 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 33 had not died. When Jesus therefore saw her

weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and

*Some of the Jews then believed in a resurrection at the end of the world. See Daniel chap. xii. 2.

† No prophet or apostle ever used such language. See chap. x. 18; v. 21, 22, 26, 28.

See chap. xvii. 3. A belief and confession that Jesus was the Messiah, or Christ, was sufficient to constitute one a Christian. See also Mat. xvi. 16 ;- Aets viji. 37.

34 was troubled. And said, Where have ye laid him? They say unto him, Lord, come and

36 see.

Jesus wept. Then said the Jews, Be37 hold how he loved him! And some of them said, Could not this person, who opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this 38 man should not have died? Then Jesus again groaning in himself, cometh to the grave. (It 39 was a cave, and a stone lay upon it.) Jesus said, Take away the stone. Martha, the sister of him who was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath 40 been dead four days. Jesus saith unto her, Did I not say unto thee, that if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God? 41 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 42 thou hast heard me : And I knew that thou hearest me always; but because of the people which stand by, I said it, that they may believe 43 that thou hast sent me. And when he had

thus spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Laz44 arus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with grave-clothes : and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him 45 go. Then many of the Jews who came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus 46 did, believed on him. But some of them went their ways to the Pharisees, and told them what things Jesus had done.

47

Then the chief priests and Pharisees gathered a council, and said, What do we? for

48 this man doeth many miracles. If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him and the Romans will come and take away both our 49 place and nation. And one of them, named

Caiaphas, being the high priest that year, said 50 unto them, Ye know nothing at all,* nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and not that the 51 whole nation perish. This he spake not of himself but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that na52 tion:† And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the child53 ren of God, that were scattered abroad. Then,

from that day they took counsel together to 54 put him to death. Jesus therefore walked no more publicly among the Jews; but went thence into a country near to the wilderness, into a city called Ephraim, and there continued with his disciples.

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And the Jews' passover was nigh at hand : and many went from the country up to Jerusa lem before the passover, to purify themselves. 56 Then they sought for Jesus, and spake among

* This miracle the Jewish priests and rulers could not deny; nor did they ascribe it to the power of the devil; yet they were determined to destroy Jesus; and to effect their purpose, resorted to the plea of expediency.

+ It would seem, that the high Priest was under a divine impulse, as Balaam was, who was yet a wicked man. God brings good out of evil, and causes the ungodly sometimes to be instrumental in effecting his wise and holy purposes. The high priest had reference only to the good of his own nation. But the purpose of God was, as the evangelist says, to preduce spiritual benefit to all the nations of the world.

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