#1407 Luke 16 Part 3 The H Word

 

19 “There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. 20 And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, 21 who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried, 23 and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. 24 And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ 27 And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father's house— 28 for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ 29 But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ 30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31 He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’” Luke 16: 19-31 ESV

Luke 16: 19-31 Rich Man and Lazarus

There was a rich man - In the first part of this chapter we talked about the dishonest manager, then in verse 14 Jesus was ridiculed by the Pharisees, why? Because they were lovers of money. The Pharisees were also confident in their own morality, but Jesus debunks that for them in verse 18 when he confronts them about divorce. In essence, Jesus says, you think yourselves righteous by your teachings and keeping the laws you made up, but you are adulterers who teach others to be likewise. Their teachings on divorce were super popular because it fed the people what they wanted. Also, remember, the Pharisees were the OGs when it came to the prosperity gospel, even knowing God's condemnation of it in the book of Job. They thought if they were rich then it was because they were holy, God was blessing them because they kept all these stupid, legalistic traditions.  

…23Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” 25When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?”… Matthew 19: 23-25

Clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously - Purple is a royal color, and this guy is throwing feast, which means he is a little more than just well off, he's living large. Jesus paints a picture that they can all relate to, that's the guy that everyone wants to be, and never mind that there are many wicked in this world who live this way, in their faux Judaism, the Pharisees see this guy as the top of the pyramid. God is blessing him so he must be a great man. Sharing what he has with other people of means would probably be considered generosity in their eyes, even though they keep it in a circle of those who can pay them back. I remember working for a company that had a lot of money set aside to court bureaucrats, people who were in government that made decisions about which contractor would receive large contracts of tax payer money. It's easy to be generous with someone else's money, and rarely does that extend to the lower paid employees, but if you wanted to win a bid from the government, well that wouldn't always go to the company with the lowest bid. It wouldn't go to the company with the best product or service necessarily either. It went to the company that provided the bureaucrats with the best time. Who spent the most on strippers, on lobster and steak? Who kept the drinks flowing?

…12Then Jesus said to the man who had invited Him, “When you host a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or brothers or relatives or rich neighbors. Otherwise, they may invite you in return, and you will be repaid. 13But when you host a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind, 14and you will be blessed. Since they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”… Luke 14: 12-14

And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus - By the standard of the Scribes and Pharisees, the standard of Job's companions, this man was poor because he was a sinner. He was suffering because he was obviously not as upstanding as these gents. I find it interesting that in this parable Jesus gives this particular man a name, and the rich man is just a rich man. Heaven knows the poor man's name, and I think this is intentional because of the overarching theme, not because it isn't a parable; I still think it's a parable, but this name will become very significant, of all the names you could choose, Jesus chose the name, Lazarus. 

Covered with sores - Jesus is really laying it on, not only is he poor, but he is also unclean. Obviously this man doesn't even deserve to lie in the shade of the rich man's gate, right?

…6“Very well,” said the LORD to Satan. “He is in your hands, but you must spare his life.” 7So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and infected Job with terrible boils from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head. 8And Job took a piece of broken pottery to scrape himself as he sat among the ashes.… 

…9Then Job’s wife said to him, “Do you still retain your integrity? Curse God and die!” 10“You speak as a foolish woman speaks,” he told her. “Should we accept from God only good and not adversity?” In all this, Job did not sin in what he said. Job 2: 6-10

Desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table - Humiliating? Sure, when others think so little of you, but on the right person humiliation can turn to humility, and even a certain sorrow for those who are rich in this life only. 

…26But Jesus replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.” 27“Yes, Lord,” she said, “ even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” 28“O woman,” Jesus answered, “your faith is great! Let it be done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.… Matthew 15: 26-28

…5They will sing of the ways of the LORD, for the glory of the LORD is great. 6Though the LORD is on high, He attends to the lowly; but the proud He knows from afar. 7If I walk in the midst of trouble, You preserve me from the anger of my foes; You extend Your hand, and Your right hand saves me.… Psalm 138: 5-7

…16For You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; You take no pleasure in burnt offerings. 17The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise. Psalm 51: 16-17

Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores - Dogs were second only to swine on the uncleanness scale. Certainly this man is a greater sinner than most they thought.  

The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's side - The time of his troubles were over. People think they comprehend so much in this life, but the place without time, where time and space came from, eternity, a place that does not fit inside the finite mind, incomparable, warranting infinite consideration, yet we sell it for what's comparably nothing. Whether rich or poor in this world, it is only attained by those who are made to know that they are poor in spirit. Don't cry for my sores in this world, don't wish for me to be rich in this life, rather pray that God will receive me as His own, that He will open my eyes, grant me repentance, and create in me a willing heart. To gain the whole of a passing world, a dying planet and a fading life, what is one small grain compared to an infinity of beaches?

…29Immediately after the tribulation of those days: ‘The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.’ 30 At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. 31And He will send out His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.… Matthew 24: 29-31

Now the poor man died... and the rich man (plousios) also died and was buried - This is the beginning of the great reversal! Poor man becomes eternally rich and temporally rich man becomes eternally poor (see Real life Illustration)! And it is a permanent reversal for where death finds you, eternity binds you, putting every man in his proper place forever and ever. Amen! The poor man is now in Abraham's bosom (paradise, bliss, blessing). There is no record of poor man being buried. As a beggar he probably did not have a decent burial but his body may well have been tossed into the Valley of Hinnon where perpetual fire burned the garbage of Jerusalem and anything deemed unclean including the bodies of executed criminals as well as individuals denied a proper burial. On the other hand, the rich man was buried. One has to wonder what the rich man’s burial cost? And notice the other contrast that Jesus begins to develop - when the poor man died, his suffering was forever finished, but when the rich man died, his torment was just beginning and would last forever! Woe!

This life is as bad as it will ever be for a believer.

This life is as good as it will ever be for an unbeliever! - Precept Austin

The rich man also died and was buried - Both share the same fate here, they both die, and perhaps the rich man had a glorious funeral, with many people who were paid to mourn and others who came to say fine things about him. I hardly recognize the person they speak of at some funerals I go to. The worldly always paint them as saints, good men, but I wonder, where are they now and what does God say of them?

And in Hades, being in torment - Wait a minute, Jesus is really crossing the line here, saying that these two men went to different places. Are you suggesting that the rich man, the one the Pharisees would identify with as the hero in this story, went to hell? Come on Jesus, half the evangelical world today and a lot of Jews don't even believe there is a hell, but there it is, and according to Jesus there is a hell. It's just a parable right? Does Jesus talk about hell anywhere else? 

42But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be thrown into the sea. 43 If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two hands and go into hell, into the unquenchable fire. … Mark 9: 42-43

…47And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, 48where ‘their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched.’ Mark 9: 47-48

…41The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will weed out of His kingdom every cause of sin and all who practice lawlessness. 42And they will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.… Matthew 13: 41-43

…27What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the housetops. 28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Instead, fear the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father.… Matthew 10: 27-29

“Those who choose evil shall have their choice. Men who hate divine mercy shall not have it forced upon them, but (unless sovereign grace interpose) shall be left to themselves to aggravate their guilt and ensure their doom.

“They have loved darkness rather than light, and in darkness they shall abide. Eyes which see no beauty in the Lord Jesus, but flash wrath upon Him, may well grow yet more dim, till death which is spiritual leads to death which is eternal.

“What can be too severe a penalty for those who reject the incarnate God, and refuse to obey the commands of His mercy? They deserve to be flooded with wrath, and they shall be; for upon all who rebel against the Savior, ‘wrath has come upon them to the uttermost’ (I Thessalonians 2:16).

God’s indignation is no trifle. The anger of a holy, just, omnipotent, and infinite Being is above all things to be dreaded; even a drop of it consumes, but to have it poured upon us is inconceivably dreadful.” - C. H. Spurgeon

…7The one who overcomes will inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he will be My son. 8But to the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and sexually immoral and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. This is the second death.” Revelation 21: 7-8

I run into a lot of people today who say they believe in "Jesus", the historical one, but they don't believe in hell, even though, Jesus, the historical one, the one that is God, who had to take on human flesh to satisfy the law that all humanity has violated, spoke of hell. Even though He speaks about it, I guess it's all for not, for show, dramatic effect, because we don't like the subject and have since moved on. We know better than God. There's another way of looking at it, and that is, you really don't believe in Jesus, but you say you do thinking that means something just in case, which means absolutely nothing. He is the Word become flesh and you only believe some of His words, and some of those you only believe your interpretation of, but if you really studied it you would realize that you believe in a totally different Jesus than the word of God makes known. You sacrifice the truth at the altar of your feelings, your ego, your temporary relationships. You worship the god that aligns with your wants, your preferences, and so ultimately you worship yourself.

…13And again: “I will put My trust in Him.” And once again: “Here am I, and the children God has given Me.” 14Now since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity, so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death, that is, the devil, 15and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.… Hebrews 2: 13-15

Father Abraham have mercy on me, and send Lazarus - He now wants the thing he hasn't shown, and sadly, people here who won't speak of hell or sin, who won't say there is only one way to be right with God, think they are being merciful when they say this. That's like not wanting to tell someone that gravity is a real thing because you're afraid they will be offended because they belong to an antigravity cult. So you watch them all splatter, only this is eternal, so be sure you're right about what you go around preaching. People say stuff with so much enthusiasm, and they say it so matter of fact, like it's proven beyond the shadow of a doubt, when really they're walking around in the shadows. Look at the quote below, Hawking saying, "it needed to exist, it therefore created itself", as though gravity possibly preexisted matter, and then "needed", what sort of word choice is that? It's like when people describe very advanced, complex organisms and systems, and their answer is something came from nothing, and it just evolved, and it is all random and unguided, until you ask why? Why did this ant evolve in a symbiotic relationship to this plant? Why did hearing develop? "Well, in order to hear." I'm sorry, but that presupposes a need, a desire. Like, why design an eye, oh I apologize, design is a bad word. You know, I could agree with Stephen if he would have said, "the universe exists because it had to, because God spoke." That has cause and effect, any fool can understand that. It takes far less faith to look at things that bear the earmarks of design and say, "Who is the designer?" People try so hard to deal with the problem of God and the emptiness of man's scientific models that some now even say that matter is god, it is eternal, it always existed, and then this inert stuff just blew up one day. I admit, I cheered those false prophets on for a time because I hated the idea of a conscience above mine that had the right to tell me how to live as part of His creation. 

Send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water to cool my tongue - Wow, he still sees Lazarus as beneath him. Send that waif to bring me some water. 

For I am in anguish in this flame - The roles are reversed here, in death, Lazarus is a son of Abraham, and this one, the rich man, says, "Father Abraham", yet they are far apart. Many say, "Jesus", even now.

…21Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ 23Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness!’… Mathew 7: 21-23

Lets look at a list of the many cults who deny the doctrine of hell that Jesus taught and some of their reasoning. 

Denial of the Doctrine of Hell By The Cults

by Harry Buis

One of the common characteristics of the modern cults is their denial of the doctrine of eternal punishment. This is obviously one of the reasons for their popular appeal. Their success is a witness to the dislike of this doctrine on the part of the natural man. Since in the main section of our study we have limited ourselves to beliefs within the main stream of the Christian Church, we here briefly present the viewpoints of the modern cults.

1. Christian Science. There is no hell in the traditional sense. Rather hell is "mortal belief; error; lust; remorse; hatred; revenge; sin, sickness, death, suffering, and self-imposed agony, effects of sin, that which worketh abomination or maketh a lie." 1 (NOTE: CLICK HERE FOR BIBLIOGRAPHY - SCROLL TO BOTTOM OF PAGE) There is no such thing as annihilation, but at death, man passes to another plane of existence where there is further opportunity to overcome erroneous thinking, and thus attain salvation.

2. Jehovah's Witnesses. In his early youth Charles Taze Russell was nurtured in the Presbyterian Church. The traditional belief in hell was one reason why he turned against historic Christianity. He became a skeptic, but was later deeply influenced by Seventh-Day Adventism, from which he borrowed the doctrines of soul sleep and the annihilation of the wicked. Russell spoke very strongly against what he called "the nightmare of eternal torture."

Russell's successor, Joseph Franklin Rutherford, was equally vehement in his opposition to hell. "It was written of him that he went to hell. 'Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell' (Psalm 16:10). If hell is a place of endless torment and Jesus went there, he could not have been released. The fact that he did not remain in hell is proof conclusive that hell is not a place of eternal torment."2 "Eternal torture is void of the principle of love. 'God is love.' A Creator that would torture his creatures eternally would be a fiend, and not a God of love."3

3. Mormonism. Mormons believe in hell, but they do not believe that it is everlasting. Braden, who has made a careful study of the cults, says, "Mormonism believes that salvation is universal and that there is still a chance beyond the grave . . . . To the many who have died, having deliberately refused to accept the gospel, must be added innumerable others who died never having heard the gospel. What provision is there for them? The former are not to be punished 'beyond the time requisite to work the needed reformation and to vindicate justice, for which ends alone punishment is imposed.' And it would be blasphemous, Talmadge asserts, to believe that God would condemn a soul under any law not known to him. It becomes plain, then that the gospel must be preached in the spirit world where these dead dwell."4

4. New Thought. Hell is "the torment of experiencing that which contradicts the truth."5 Says Braden, "What is perfectly clear is that the older stress upon another worldly heaven and hell of eternal reward or punishment is rejected and this is a pleasing thought to many who grew up under the older orthodoxy, but no longer find it possible to believe it, for many reasons."6

5. Spiritualism. Braden says, "The Spiritualists completely repudiate the traditional concepts of heaven and hell, and of course all idea of 'everlasting' punishment or reward. In the literature there is frequent report of the surprise of those who have recently passed over at not finding themselves in heaven or hell. Yet there is something approximating the idea of both heaven and hell of a temporary nature. The lower spheres to which those of evil character and a low state of development go at death constitute a sort of purgatory, at least, where they must remain until they have developed to a higher degree. If not punitive it is at least purgative, and the soul remains at this level until it merits promotion to a higher sphere."7

The following statements from outstanding spokesmen for Spiritualism give us further understanding of their position.

A. Conan Doyle says, "Hell, I may say, drops out altogether, as it has long dropped out of the thoughts of every reasonable man. This odious conception, so blasphemous in its view of the Creator, arose from the exaggeration of Oriental phrases, and may perhaps have been of service in a coarse age when men were frightened by fires, as wild beasts are scared by the travelers. Hell as a permanent place does not exist. But the idea of punishment, of purifying chastisement, in fact of Purgatory, is justified by the reports from the other side."8

Colville says, "It (the ancient Egyptian view of trans-migration) is immeasurably superior to any view of endless useless torment such as many benighted Christian theologians have proclaimed — a conception for which there is neither rational explanation nor apology."9

Sir Oliver Lodge says, "There is nothing that can properly be called Hell in the medieval sense of eternal hopelessness; but yet Hell is very truth in so far as they suffer the pangs of remorse when their rebellious spirit is broken, and when in their felt poverty of soul they begin to long to return to the Father."10

6. Theosophy. This cult also denies eternal punishment. Annie Besant, one of the leaders of the movement, says, "If this (Luke 13:23-24) be applied in the ordinary protestant way to salvation from everlasting hell-fire, the statement becomes incredible, shocking. No Savior of the world can be supposed to assert that many will seek to avoid hell and enter heaven, but will not be able to do so. But as applied to the narrow gateway of Initiation and to salvation from rebirth, it is perfectly true and natural."11

Leadbeater, another leader of the movement, says that the astral life "corresponds to what Christians (Catholic) call purgatory; the lower mental life, which is always entirely happy, is what is called heaven" . . . Hell is "only a figment of the theological imagination."12

7. Unity. Speaking of Fillmore, the founder of Unity, Braden says, "Nowhere that the writer has discovered, does he enlarge extensively on the idea of heaven, and it will be noted that here only by silent inference is there any reference to any opposite state, corresponding to the distressing dreams of the anxious, troubled sleeper."13

Speaking of the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus, Fillmore himself says, "The material avenues are lost to the outer, and the soul finds itself in a hell of desires without the flesh sensations with which to express itself . . . the body consciousness, the peace of union for all the attributes of man, has been removed, producing in the life consciousness a great gulf or chasm that cannot be crossed, except by incarnation in another body."14 Unity's official "creed" says, "We believe that the dissolution of spirit, soul and body, caused by death, is annulled by rebirth of the same spirit and soul in another body here on earth. We believe the repeated incarnations of man to be a merciful provision of our loving Father to the end that all may have opportunity to attain immortality through regeneration, as did Jesus."15

Thus we see that the cults, in one way or another, deny the doctrine of eternal punishment. Could it be that if all who held the orthodox position had been more careful in their statement of the doctrine, avoiding the excesses which we have noted to have been all too prevalent in past ages, then some of these cults would never have arisen? Certainly if all who propounded the doctrine had not gone beyond a sane interpretation of the Scripture many who have done so would not have turned from orthodox Christianity to the cults. (NOTE: CLICK HERE FOR BIBLIOGRAPHY - SCROLL TO BOTTOM OF PAGE) (Denial by the Cults) - From Precept Austin

Besides all this - He calls him child, and this was a great proclamation of the Jews, that they were sons of Abraham. He had his wealth, was born an ethnic Jew, but what did that gain him in eternity. The one he despised is actually with Abraham. 

Between us and you, a great chasm has been fixed - No one is going to go from heaven to hell or the other way. For the sake of the story we are given this scenario and it answers many of our questions if we can hear. There is no purgatory to be prayed out of, to have someone who is alive pay your way out of. 

Send him to my father's house - Well, this is nice of the man, he apparently doesn't want to see his brothers end up here. If Lazarus can't come down to hell, then send him back into the other world, the one we just left. He can warn my family.

They have Moses and the prophets, let them hear them - What does that reference? God's word, the Old testament. In Moses you have the law and the sacrificial system. What did that system teach them? Good question, it taught the doctrine of substitution, that's what a sacrifice is, and the prophets, together they taught substitutionary atonement and pointed to the only sacrifice that would suffice, Jesus Christ, the Messiah. The law taught you that you are a law breaker, and the prophets pointed to One Who wasn't, to One Who would come and take my place. As always, the wages of sin is death, and Christ paid this wage by becoming one of us, and suffering in our place. The infinitely begotten Son taking the wrath of the infinitely Holy God so that I could be born again. The rich man's brothers need to believe the words of the God they say they believe in. 

…4because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. 5Therefore, when Christ came into the world, He said: “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You prepared for Me. 6In burnt offerings and sin offerings You took no delight.… Hebrews 10: 4-6

…16But not all of them welcomed the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?” 17Consequently, faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. 18But I ask, did they not hear? Indeed they did: “Their voice has gone out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.”… Romans 10: 16-18

No, Father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead they will repent - If they see a miracle they will repent. Jesus raised people from the dead, walked on water, fed the 5,000, then the 4,000, healed many of sicknesses including leprosy, blindness, deafness and even the paralyzed, but the same people who witnessed this and even ate His food will one day cry out, "crucify Him, crucify Him. One of His own disciples will turn Him in, all will abandon Him and Peter will deny Him 3 times. Seeing miracles doesn't save people, they still want what they want and it's not God. Now remember the name of the poor man? Jesus has a friend named Lazarus too. It's neat that He picked that name for this parable.

Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. 3 So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” 4 But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So, when he heard that Lazarus[a] was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. 7 Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” 8 The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?” 9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. 10 But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” 11 After saying these things, he said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.” 12 The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” 13 Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep. 14 Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died, 15 and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” 16 So Thomas, called the Twin,[b] said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

I Am the Resurrection and the Life

17 Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. 18 Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles[c] off, 19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. 20 So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. 21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life.[d] Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”

Jesus Weeps

28 When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying in private, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” 29 And when she heard it, she rose quickly and went to him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha had met him. 31 When the Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary rise quickly and go out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there. 32 Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved[e] in his spirit and greatly troubled. 34 And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus wept. 36 So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” 37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?”

Jesus Raises Lazarus

38 Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. 39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.” 40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” 41 So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.” 43 When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” 44 The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.” John 11: 1-44