Study Desk

The Jews who heard these words were again divided.^(ab)

Many of them said, "He is demon-possessed^(ac) and raving mad.^(ad) Why listen to him?"

But others said, "These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon.^(ae) Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?"^(af)

Then came the Festival of Dedication^[b] at Jerusalem. It was winter,

and Jesus was in the temple courts walking in Solomon's Colonnade.^(ag)

The Jews^(ah) who were there gathered around him, saying, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly."^(ai)

Jesus answered, "I did tell you,^(aj) but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father's name testify about me,^(ak)

but you do not believe because you are not my sheep.^(al)

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them,^(am) and they follow me.^(an)

I give them eternal life,^(ao) and they shall never perish;^(ap) no one will snatch them out of my hand.^(aq)

My Father, who has given them to me,^(ar) is greater than all^[c];^(as) no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand.

I and the Father are one."^(at)

Again his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him,^(au)

but Jesus said to them, "I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?"

"We are not stoning you for any good work," they replied, "but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God."^(av)

Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your Law,^(aw) ‘I have said you are "gods"'^[d]?^(ax)

If he called them ‘gods,' to whom the word of God^(ay) came—and Scripture cannot be set aside^(az)—

what about the one whom the Father set apart^(ba) as his very own^(bb) and sent into the world?^(bc) Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God's Son'?^(bd)

Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father.^(be)

But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father."^(bf)

Again they tried to seize him,^(bg) but he escaped their grasp.^(bh)

Then Jesus went back across the Jordan^(bi) to the place where John had been baptizing in the early days. There he stayed,

and many people came to him. They said, "Though John never performed a sign,^(bj) all that John said about this man was true."^(bk)

And in that place many believed in Jesus.^(bl)

The Death of Lazarus

Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany,^(a) the village of Mary and her sister Martha.^(b)

(This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.)^(c)

So the sisters sent word to Jesus, "Lord, the one you love^(d) is sick."

When he heard this, Jesus said, "This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory^(e) so that God's Son may be glorified through it."

Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.

So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days,

and then he said to his disciples, "Let us go back to Judea."^(f)

"But Rabbi,"^(g) they said, "a short while ago the Jews there tried to stone you,^(h) and yet you are going back?"

Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Anyone who walks in the daytime will not stumble, for they see by this world's light.⁽ⁱ⁾

It is when a person walks at night that they stumble, for they have no light."

After he had said this, he went on to tell them, "Our friend^(j) Lazarus has fallen asleep;^(k) but I am going there to wake him up."

His disciples replied, "Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better."

Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.^(l)

So then he told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead,

and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him."

Then Thomas^(m) (also known as Didymus^[a]) said to the rest of the disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with him."

On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days.⁽ⁿ⁾

Now Bethany^(o) was less than two miles^[b] from Jerusalem,

and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother.^(p)

When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.^(q)

"Lord," Martha said to Jesus, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died.^(r)

But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask."^(s)

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

Martha answered, "I know he will rise again in the resurrection^(t) at the last day."^(u)

Jesus said to her, "I am^(v) the resurrection and the life.^(w) The one who believes^(x) in me will live, even though they die;

and whoever lives by believing^(y) in me will never die.^(z) Do you believe this?"

"Yes, Lord," she replied, "I believe that you are the Messiah,^(aa) the Son of God,^(ab) who is to come into the world."^(ac)

After she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. "The Teacher^(ad) is here," she said, "and is asking for you."

When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him.

Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him.^(ae)

When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her,^(af) noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there.

When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died."^(ag)

When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved^(ah) in spirit and troubled.^(ai)

"Where have you laid him?" he asked. "Come and see, Lord," they replied.

Jesus wept.^(aj)

Then the Jews said, "See how he loved him!"^(ak)

But some of them said, "Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man^(al) have kept this man from dying?"^(am)

Jesus, once more deeply moved,^(an) came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance.^(ao)

"Take away the stone," he said. "But, Lord," said Martha, the sister of the dead man, "by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days."^(ap)

Then Jesus said, "Did I not tell you that if you believe,^(aq) you will see the glory of God?"^(ar)

So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up^(as) and said, "Father,^(at) I thank you that you have heard me.

I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here,^(au) that they may believe that you sent me."^(av)

When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!"^(aw)

The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen,^(ax) and a cloth around his face.^(ay) Jesus said to them, "Take off the grave clothes and let him go."

Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary,^(az) and had seen what Jesus did,^(ba) believed in him.^(bb)

But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done.

Then the chief priests and the Pharisees^(bc) called a meeting^(bd) of the Sanhedrin.^(be) "What are we accomplishing?" they asked. "Here is this man performing many signs.^(bf)

If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our nation."

Then one of them, named Caiaphas,^(bg) who was high priest that year,^(bh) spoke up, "You know nothing at all!

You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish."^(bi)

He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation,

and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one.^(bj)

So from that day on they plotted to take his life.^(bk)

Therefore Jesus no longer moved about publicly among the people of Judea.^(bl) Instead he withdrew to a region near the wilderness, to a village called Ephraim, where he stayed with his disciples.

When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover,^(bm) many went up from the country to Jerusalem for their ceremonial cleansing^(bn) before the Passover.

They kept looking for Jesus,^(bo) and as they stood in the temple courts they asked one another, "What do you think? Isn't he coming to the festival at all?"

But the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that anyone who found out where Jesus was should report it so that they might arrest him.

Jesus Anointed at Bethany^(a)

Six days before the Passover,^(b) Jesus came to Bethany,^(c) where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.

Here a dinner was given in Jesus' honor. Martha served,^(d) while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him.

Then Mary took about a pint^[a] of pure nard, an expensive perfume;^(e) she poured it on Jesus' feet and wiped his feet with her hair.^(f) And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him,^(g) objected,

"Why wasn't this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year's wages.^[b]"

He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag,^(h) he used to help himself to what was put into it.

"Leave her alone," Jesus replied. "It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial.⁽ⁱ⁾

You will always have the poor among you,^[c](j) but you will not always have me."

Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came, not only because of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead.^(k)

So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well,

for on account of him^(l) many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and believing in him.^(m)