Thursday narrative 5

THE RAISING OF LAZARUS

Chapter 56 of The Gospel of the Holy Twelve

 

Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha (It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair whose brother Lazarus was sick).

Therefore his sisters sent to him saying, “Lord, behold he whom you love is sick.” When Jesus heard that, he said, “This sickness is not unto death, but that the glory of God might be manifest in him.”

Now Jesus loved Mary and her sister and Lazarus.

When he heard that he was sick, he remained two days still in the same place where he was. Then after that, he said to his disciples, “Let us go into Judea again.”

His disciples said to him, “Master, the Jews of late sought to stone you and do you go there again?” Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walks in the day he does not stumble because he sees the light of this world.

But if a man walks in the night, he stumbles because there is no light in him.” These things he said, and after that he said to them, “Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may awaken him out of sleep.”

Then his disciples said, “Lord if he sleeps, he shall do well.” And a messenger came to him saying, “Lazarus is dead.”

When Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had lain in the grave four days already (Bethany was near Jerusalem). And many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary to comfort them concerning their brother.

Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him, but Mary still sat in the house. Then Martha said to Jesus, “Lord if you had been here my brother would not have died. But I know that even now, whatever you will ask of God, God will give it to you.”

Jesus said to her, “Your brother sleeps and he shall rise again.” Martha said to him, “I know that he shall rise again at the resurrection on the last day.”

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he that believes in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die.”

She said to him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.” And when she had so said, she went her way and called Mary her sister secretly saying, “The Master is come and calls for you.” As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly and came to him.

Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in that place where Martha met him. The Jews which were with her in the house and comforting her when they saw Mary rise up hastily and go out, they followed her saying, “She goes to the grave to weep there.”

When Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying to him, “Lord if you had been here my brother would not have died.” When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews that came with her also weeping, he groaned in the spirit and was troubled and said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” And Jesus wept.

Then said the Jews, “Behold, how he loved him!” And some of them said, “Could not this man who opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died?” Jesus therefore groaning again in himself (for he feared that he might be already dead) came to the grave. It was a cave and a stone lay upon it.

Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of him who was supposed to be dead, said to him, “Lord by this time he stinks, for he has been dead four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you, that if you would believe you should see the glory of God?” Then they took away the stone from the place where Lazarus was laid.

Jesus lifted up his eyes and chanted, invoking the great Name and said, “My Parent, I thank Thee that thou has heard me. And I know that Thou hear me always, but because of the people which stand by I call upon Thee that they may believe that Thou has sent me.” And when he had thus spoken he cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth.”

And he that was as dead came forth bound hand and foot with grave clothes, and his face was bound about with a napkin.

Jesus said to them, “Loose him and let him go. When the thread of life is cut indeed, it does not come again, but when it is whole there is hope.”

Then many of the Jews who came to Mary and had seen the things that Jesus did, believed in him.