Lazarus, along with his sisters Mary and Martha, lived in Bethany, a village near Jerusalem. Lazarus became seriously ill, so his sisters sent word to Jesus, saying, “Lord, the one you love is sick.”

When Jesus heard this, he stayed where he was for two more days. Then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”

The disciples were alarmed. “Rabbi, the people there were just trying to stone you. Why go back?”

Jesus answered that Lazarus had fallen asleep and that he was going to wake him. When they misunderstood, he spoke plainly: “Lazarus is dead. And for your sake, I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. Now let us go to him.”

By the time Jesus arrived, Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days. Many people had come to comfort Mary and Martha in their grief.

Martha went out to meet Jesus. “Lord,” she said, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know God will give you whatever you ask.”

Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”

Martha replied, “I know he will rise in the resurrection at the last day.”

Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never truly die. Do you believe this?”

“Yes, Lord,” she said. “I believe you are the Messiah, the Son of God.”

She went back and quietly called her sister Mary, saying, “The Teacher is here and is asking for you.”

Mary quickly went to Jesus. When she saw him, she fell at his feet weeping, saying, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” Seeing her grief and the sorrow of those with her, Jesus was deeply moved. He wept.

They led him to the tomb, a cave with a stone across its entrance. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.”

Martha protested, “Lord, by now there will be a bad odor; he has been there four days.”

Jesus answered, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”

So they removed the stone. Jesus looked upward and prayed, thanking the Father for hearing him. Then he cried out in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”

The dead man came out, still wrapped in burial cloths. Jesus said, “Unwrap him and let him go.”

Many who saw this believed in him, but others went and reported it to the religious leaders. From that day on, they began to plot how they might put Jesus to death.