His Life Part 22

Then Jesus therefore said unto them plainly, "Lazarus is dead. And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him."

Thomas therefore, who is called Didymus, said unto his fellow-disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with him."

So when Jesus came, he found that he had been in the tomb four days already.

Now Bethany was nigh unto Jerusalem, about fifteen furlongs off; and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary, to console them concerning their brother.

Martha therefore, when she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary still sat in the house. Martha therefore said unto Jesus, "Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. And even now I know that, whatsoever thou shalt ask of G.o.d, G.o.d will give thee."

Jesus saith unto her, "Thy brother shall rise again."

Martha saith unto him, "I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day."

Jesus said unto her, "I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth on me, though he die, yet shall he live; and whosoever liveth and believeth on me shall never die. Believest thou this?"

She saith unto him, "Yea, Lord. I have believed that thou art the Christ, the Son of G.o.d, even he that cometh into the world."

And when she had said this, she went away, and called Mary her sister secretly, saying, "The Teacher is here, and calleth thee."

And she, when she heard it, arose quickly, and went unto him. (Now Jesus was not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha met him.) The Jews then who were with her in the house, and were consoling her, when they saw Mary, that she rose up quickly and went out, followed her, supposing that she was going unto the tomb to weep there.

Mary therefore, when she came where Jesus was, and saw him, fell down at his feet, saying unto him. "Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died."

When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping who came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled, and said, "Where have ye laid him?"

They say unto him, "Lord, come and see."

Jesus wept.

The Jews therefore said, "Behold how he loved him!" But some of them said, "Could not this man, who has opened the eyes of him that was blind, have caused that this man also should not die?"

Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the tomb. Now it was a cave, and a stone lay against it. Jesus saith, "Take ye away the stone."

Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, "Lord, by this time the body decayeth; for he hath been dead four days."

Jesus saith unto her, "Said I not unto thee, that, if thou believedst, thou shouldest see the glory of G.o.d?"

So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, "Father, I thank thee that thou heardest me. And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the mult.i.tude that standeth around I said it, that they may believe that thou didst send me."

And when he had thus spoken, he cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth."

He that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with grave-clothes; and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, "Loose him, and let him go."

Many therefore of the Jews, who came to Mary and beheld that which he did, believed on him. But some of them went away to the Pharisees, and told them the things which Jesus had done.

THE DECISION OF THE COUNCIL.

The chief priests therefore and the Pharisees gathered a council, and said, "What do we? for this man doeth many signs. If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation."

But a certain one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said unto them, "Ye know nothing at all, nor do ye take account that it is expedient for you that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not."

Now this he said not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for the nation; and not for the nation only, but that he might also gather together into one the children of G.o.d that are scattered abroad.

So from that day forth they took counsel that they might put him to death.

HIS WITHDRAWAL TO EPHRAIM

THE COMING OF THE KINGDOM.

Jesus therefore walked no more openly among the Jews, but departed thence into the country near to the wilderness, into a city called Ephraim; and there he tarried with the disciples.

And being asked by the Pharisees, when the kingdom of G.o.d cometh, he answered them and said, "The kingdom of G.o.d cometh not with observation: neither shall they say, 'Lo, here!' or, 'There!' for lo, the kingdom of G.o.d is within you."

And he said unto the disciples, "The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it. And they shall say to you, 'Lo, there!' 'Lo, here!' go not away, nor follow after them; for as the lightning, when it lighteneth out of the one part under the heaven, s.h.i.+neth unto the other part under heaven; so shall the Son of man be in his day. But first must he suffer many things and be rejected of this generation.

"And as it came to pa.s.s in the days of Noah, even so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They ate, they drank, they married, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. Likewise even as it came to pa.s.s in the days of Lot; they ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; but in the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all: after the same manner shall it be in the day that the Son of man is revealed. In that day, he that shall be on the housetop, and his goods in the house, let him not go down to take them away; and let him that is in the field likewise not return back. Remember Lot's wife. Whosoever shall seek to gain his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it."

THE UNJUST JUDGE.

And he spake a parable unto them to the end that they ought always to pray, and not to faint; saying, "There was in a city a judge, who feared not G.o.d, and regarded not man: and there was a widow in that city: and she came oft unto him, saying, 'Avenge me of mine adversary.' And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, 'Though I fear not G.o.d, nor regard man; yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest she wear me out by her continual coming.'" And the Lord said, "Hear what the unrighteous judge saith. And shall not G.o.d avenge his elect, that cry to him day and night, and yet he is longsuffering over them? I say unto you, that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?"

THE PHARISEE AND THE PUBLICAN.

And he spake also this parable unto certain who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and set all others at nought: "Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'G.o.d, I thank thee, that I am not as the rest of men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week; I give t.i.thes of all that I get.' But the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote his breast, saying, 'G.o.d, be thou merciful to me a sinner.' I say unto you, This man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be humbled; but he that humbleth himself shall be exalted."

CONCERNING DIVORCE.

And there came unto him Pharisees, trying him, and saying, "Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?"

And he answered and said, "Have ye not read, that he who made them from the beginning made them, male and female, and said, 'For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and the two shall become one flesh?' So that they are no more two, but one flesh. What therefore G.o.d hath joined together, let not man put asunder."

They say unto him, "Why then did Moses command to give a bill of divorcement, and to put her away?"

He saith unto them, "Moses for your hardness of heart suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it hath not been so. And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and he that marrieth her when she is put away committeth adultery."

The disciples say unto him, "If the case of the man is so with his wife, it is not expedient to marry."

But he said unto them, "Not all men can receive this saying, but they to whom it is given. For there are eunuchs, that were so born from their mother's womb: and there are eunuchs, that were made eunuchs by men: and there are eunuchs, that made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it."