The Lord be with you. The gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, according to John.
Glory to you Lord.
There was a man who was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Martha and Mary. Mary was the one who anointed Jesus with precious ointment and then dried his feet with her hair. Her brother was Lazarus, who was ill. Martha and Mary sent word to Jesus saying, “The one whom you love is ill.” Jesus said, “This illness is not unto death. It is for the glory of God and the glorification of the son of man.” Jesus loved Martha and Mary and Lazarus, and yet he stayed where he was for two days. After that, he said to his disciples, “Let us now return to Judea,” and they said to him, “Those people try to stone you and you want to go back?” Jesus said, “You know well that there are 12 hours in the day, and one who walks in the day does not stumble because he has the light of the world, and yet one who walks at night will stumble because there is no light in him. Come, let us go.” Thomas spoke up and said, “Let us go with him. We can die with him there.”
Now, when Jesus arrived, he heard that Lazarus had been dead for four days. The village was not far from Jerusalem, just under two miles, and many people from the city had come out to console Martha and Mary over the death of their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she got up and she left the house and she went out to meet him while Mary stayed at home. When she saw Jesus, she said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would never have died, and yet I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.” Jesus said, “Your brother will rise again.” She said, “I know he will rise again and the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, even if he dies shall live, and whoever is alive and believes in me never really dies. Do you believe that?”
She said, “Yes, Lord. I have come to believe you are the Christ, the son of the living God.” Now, after she had said this, she went back to the house, and quietly she informed her sister that the master was here and that he wanted to speak to her. Mary got up and she left the house. Jesus had not come into the village. He was still at the spot where Martha had greeted him. After Mary left the house, those people who were with her consoling her, they also went behind her, followed her. They thought she was going to the tomb, that there she might grieve. When she saw Jesus, she fell to her knees and she said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would never have died.”
Jesus saw her weeping and he saw those who were with her also weeping, and there was a great sadness that came over him. He said to them, “Where have you laid him?” And they said, “Come and see.” Jesus wept, and some people said, “See how deeply he loved that man?” And others said, “How was it that one who was able to open the eyes of a man born blind was unable to do something to save this man’s life?” They came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone rolled to the entrance. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha said, “There will be a great stench. He’s been dead for four days.” And Jesus said, “Didn’t I tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?”
Then Jesus looked up to heaven and he said, “Father, hear my prayer. I know that you always hear my prayer, but I say this for those standing around here that they may know that you have sent me.” They rolled away the stone, and the dead man emerged from the cave. He was bound, hand and foot. Jesus cried out, “Come forth, Lazarus,” and then he cried, “Unbind him and set him free.” The gospel of the Lord.
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