João 11

¹ NowChrist, in restoring the rotting body of his friend to life, shows an example both of his mighty power, and also of his singular good will toward men: and this is also an image of the resurrection to come.a certain [man] was sick, [named] Lazarus, of Bethany, theWhere his sisters dwelt.town of Mary and her sister Martha.

² (And it was that Mary which anointed the Lord with oyntment, and wiped his feete with her heare, whose brother Lazarus was sicke.)

³ Therefore his sisters sent vnto him, saying, Lord, beholde, he whome thou louest, is sicke.

⁴ When Iesus heard it, he saide, This sickenes is not vnto death, but for the glorie of God, that the Sonne of God might be glorified thereby.

⁵ Nowe Iesus loued Martha and her sister, and Lazarus.

⁶ In that thing which God sometimes seems to linger in helping us, he does it both for his glory, and for our salvation, as the end result of the matter clearly proves.When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was.

⁷ Then after that, said he to his disciples, Let vs goe into Iudea againe.

⁸ This alone is the sure and right way to life, to follow God boldly without fear, who calls us and shines before us in the darkness of this world.[His] disciples say unto him, Master, the Jews of late sought to stone thee; and goest thou thither again?

⁹ Jesus answered, Are there notAll things happen in a proper way and are brought to pass in their due time.twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world.

¹⁰ But if a man walke in the night, hee stumbleth, because there is no light in him.

¹¹ These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend LazarusThe Jews used a milder kind of speech and called death «sleep», and this same manner of speech is found in other languages, who call the place of burial where the dead are laid waiting for the resurrection a «sleeping place».sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep.

¹² Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleepe, he shalbe safe.

¹³ Howbeit, Iesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of the naturall sleepe.

¹⁴ Then saide Iesus vnto them plainely, Lazarus is dead.

¹⁵ And I am glad for your sakes, that I was not there, that ye may beleeue: but let vs go vnto him.

¹⁶ Then saide Thomas (which is called Didymus) vnto his felow disciples, Let vs also goe, that we may die with him.

¹⁷ Then came Iesus, and found that he had lien in the graue foure dayes alreadie.

¹⁸ (Nowe Bethania was neere vnto Hierusalem, about fifteene furlongs off.)

¹⁹ God, who is the maker of nature, does not condemn natural emotions, but shows that they ought to be guided by the rule of faith.And many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.

²⁰ Then Martha, when shee heard that Iesus was comming, went to meete him: but Mary sate still in the house.

²¹ Then said Martha vnto Iesus, Lord, if thou hadst bene here, my brother had not bene dead.

²² But now I know also, that whatsoeuer thou askest of God, God will giue it thee.

²³ Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shallThat is, will recover life again.rise again.

²⁴ Martha said vnto him, I know that he shall rise againe in the resurrection at the last day.

²⁵ Iesus saide vnto her, I am the resurrection and the life: he that beleeueth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he liue.

²⁶ And whosoeuer liueth, and beleeueth in me, shall neuer die: Beleeuest thou this?

²⁷ She said vnto him, Yea, Lord, I beleeue that thou art that Christ that Sonne of God, which should come into the world.

²⁸ And when she had so saide, she went her way, and called Mary her sister secretly, saying, The Master is come, and calleth for thee.

²⁹ And when she heard it, shee arose quickly, and came vnto him.

³⁰ For Iesus was not yet come into the towne, but was in the place where Martha met him.

³¹ The Iewes then which were with her in the house, and comforted her, when they sawe Marie, that she rose vp hastily, & went out, folowed her, saying, She goeth vnto the graue, to weepe there.

³² Then when Mary was come where Iesus was, and sawe him, she fell downe at his feete, saying vnto him, Lord, if thou haddest bene here, my brother had not bene dead.

³³ Christ took upon himself together with our flesh all affections of man (sin alone excepted), and amongst them especially mercy and compassion.When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, heThese are signs that he was greatly moved, but yet these signs were without sin: and these affections belong to man's nature.groaned in the spirit, and was troubled,

³⁴ And saide, Where haue ye layde him? They said vnto him, Lord, come and see.

³⁵ And Iesus wept.

³⁶ Then saide the Iewes, Beholde, how he loued him.

³⁷ And some of them saide, Coulde not he, which opened the eyes of the blinde, haue made also, that this man should not haue died?

³⁸ Iesus therefore againe groned in himselfe, and came to the graue; it was a caue, and a stone was layde vpon it.

³⁹ Iesus saide, Take ye away the stone. Martha the sister of him that was dead, said vnto him, Lorde, he stinketh alreadie: for he hath bene dead foure dayes.

⁴⁰ Iesus saide vnto her, Saide I not vnto thee, that if thou diddest beleeue, thou shouldest see the glorie of God?

⁴¹ Then they tooke away the stone from the place where the dead was layde; Iesus lift vp his eyes, and saide, Father, I thanke thee, because thou hast heard me.

⁴² I knowe that thou hearest me alwayes, but because of the people that stand by, I said it, that they may beleeue, that thou hast sent me.

⁴³ As hee had spoken these things, hee cried with a loude voyce, Lazarus, come foorth.

⁴⁴ Then he that was dead, came forth, bound hande and foote with bandes, and his face was bound with a napkin. Iesus said vnto them, Loose him, and let him goe.

⁴⁵ Then many of the Iewes, which came to Mary, and had seene the thinges, which Iesus did, beleeued in him.

⁴⁶ The last aspect of hard and ironlike stubbornness is to proclaim open war against God, and yet it does not cease to make a pretence both of godliness and of the profit of the nation.But some of them went their ways to the Pharisees, and told them what things Jesus had done.

⁴⁷ Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees aThe Jews called the council sanhedrin: and the word that John uses is Synedri.council, and said, What do we? for this man doeth many miracles.

⁴⁸ If we let him thus alone, all [men] will believe on him: and the Romans shall come andThat is, take away from us by force: for at that time, though the high priest's authority was greatly lessened and weakened, yet there was some type of government left among the Jews.take away both our place and nation.

⁴⁹ The raging and angry company of the false church persuade themselves that they cannot be in safety, unless he is taken away, who alone upholds the Church. And the wisdom of the flesh judges in the same way in worldly affairs, which is governed by the spirit of giddiness or madness.And one of them, [named] Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all,

⁵⁰ Nor yet doe you consider that it is expedient for vs, that one man die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not.

⁵¹ Christ sometimes turns the tongues, even of the wicked, so that even in cursing they bless.And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation;

⁵² And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God thatFor they were not gathered together in one country, as the Jews were, but were to be gathered from all quarters, from the east to the west.were scattered abroad.

⁵³ Then from that day foorth they consulted together, to put him to death.

⁵⁴ We may give place to the rage of the wicked, when it is expedient to do so, but yet in such a way that we do not swerve from God's calling.Jesus therefore walked no more openly among the Jews; but went thence unto a country near to the wilderness, into a city called Ephraim, and there continued with his disciples.

⁵⁵ And the Iewes Passeouer was at hande, and many went out of the countrey vp to Hierusalem before the Passeouer, to purifie themselues.

⁵⁶ Then sought they for Iesus, and spake among themselues, as they stoode in the Temple, What thinke ye, that he cometh not to the feast?

⁵⁷ Nowe both the hie Priestes and the Pharises had giuen a commaundement, that if any man knew where he were, he should shewe it, that they might take him.