As soon as Mary heard, she got up quickly and went to Him. Jesus was not yet in the town but was where Martha met Him. Some of the Jews who were comforting her in the house saw Mary hastily rise up and go out. They followed her, saying, She goes to the grave to weep there.
When Mary saw Jesus, she fell down at His feet saying to Him, Lord, if you had been here my brother would not have died. When Jesus saw her weeping, and those who came with her also weeping, He became troubled and was very upset. He said, Where have you laid him? They said, Lord, come and see. Jesus wept.
Then the Jews said, Look how much He loved him! And some of them said, Could He, who opened the eyes of the blind, not have prevented this man's death? Jesus, again upset, went to the grave. It was a cave and a stone lay upon it. Jesus said, Take away the stone. Martha, the sister of Lazarus, said, Lord, by this time there will be a stench, he has been dead for four days. Jesus said to her, Did I not tell you that, if you believe, you would see the glory of God? They removed the stone from the grave.
Then Jesus lifted His eyes and said, Father, I thank you for hearing me. And I know that you hear me always. For the sake of those standing here, I say this so they may believe that you sent me. Then Jesus cried out in a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. Now he who was dead came forth bound hand and foot with graveclothes and his face was wound about with a scarf. Jesus said to them, Loose him and let him go.
Many of the Jews who saw the things Jesus did, believed in Him. But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what was done. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council, and said, What can we do? This man does many miracles? If we leave Him alone, everyone will believe in Him and the Romans will come and take away both our land and our nation.
One of them, named Caiaphas, who was the high priest that year, said to them, You know nothing at all, nor do you consider it expedient that one man should die so the whole nation does not perish. He said this not of himself, but as high priest, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation, and not for that nation only, but also for the children of God who were scattered abroad. Then, from that day, they were in agreement to put Him to death. Jesus, therefore, no longer walked openly among the Jews but went to a country near the wilderness, into a city called Ephraim. He stayed there with His disciples.
Passover was near at hand. Many people went to Jerusalem in order to purify themselves. Then they looked for Jesus. As they stood in the temple, they said to eachother, What do you think? Will He stay away from the feast? The chief priests and Pharisees had given an order that, if any man knew where Jesus was, he should speak out so they could arrest Him.
12. Six days before the passover, Jesus went to Bethany where He had raised Lazarus from the dead. There they made Him a supper. Martha served. Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him. Then Mary took a pound of very costly ointment of spikenard and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the ointment.
Then one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, who would betray Him, said, Why was this ointment not sold for its great worth and the money given to the poor? He said this, not out of concern for the poor but, because he was a thief who held their money bag and controlled what was put in it. Jesus said, Leave her alone. She has saved this toward the day of my burial. And, as for the poor, you always have them to care for, but you will not always have me.
Many of the Jews knew that He was there. But they did not come for Jesus' sake only, but also to see Lazarus whom He had raised from the dead. The chief priests considered putting Lazarus to death also because he was the reason many of the Jews left and believed in Jesus.