A morte de Lázaro
1Havia em Betânia um homem chamado Lázaro, que vivia com suas irmãs, Maria e Marta. 2Maria foi aquela que deitou o perfume muito caro sobre os pés de Jesus e os enxugou com os cabelos. Lázaro adoeceu. 3E as duas irmãs mandaram recado a Jesus, dizendo: “Senhor, o nosso irmão está muito mal.”
4Contudo, quando Jesus soube disso, observou: “Essa doença não é para morte, mas para a glória de Deus. Eu, o Filho de Deus, receberei glória em resultado desta enfermidade.” 5Embora Jesus fosse muito amigo de Marta, de Maria e de Lázaro, 6ficou onde estava durante mais dois dias, sem nada fazer para ir ter com eles. 7Por fim, passados esses dois dias, disse aos discípulos: “Vamos para a Judeia!”
8Mas os discípulos opuseram-se. “Mestre, ainda há uns dias atrás os judeus procuraram matar-te e queres voltar para lá?”
9Jesus respondeu: “Há doze horas de luz em cada dia em que uma pessoa pode caminhar sem tropeçar. 10Só de noite é que há perigo de se dar um passo em falso por causa da escuridão.” 11E acrescentou: “O nosso amigo Lázaro adormeceu, mas agora vou acordá-lo!”
12Os discípulos, pensando que Jesus quisesse dizer que Lázaro estava a dormir normalmente, comentaram: “Isso significa que está melhor!” 13Mas o que Jesus queria dizer era que Lázaro tinha morrido.
14Então disse-lhes abertamente: “Lázaro morreu! 15E por vossa causa estou satisfeito, por não ter estado ali nessa altura, pois isto dar-vos-á outra oportunidade de confirmarem a vossa fé. Vamos ter com Lázaro.”
16Tomé, que também era chamado o Gémeo, disse aos outros discípulos: “Vamos nós também, para morrer com Jesus.”
Jesus consola as irmãs
17Quando chegaram a Betânia, souberam que Lázaro já estava sepultado havia quatro dias. 18Betânia ficava perto, a três quilómetros11.18 Literalmente, a quinze estádios., na estrada para Jerusalém. 19E muitos judeus tinham ido para consolar Marta e Maria na sua perda. 20Quando Marta soube que Jesus vinha a caminho, foi ao seu encontro; mas Maria ficou em casa. 21Marta disse a Jesus: “Senhor, se cá estivesses, o meu irmão não teria morrido! 22Mas eu sei que mesmo agora não é tarde demais, pois tudo o que pedires a Deus ele te dará.”
23Jesus respondeu-lhe: “O teu irmão ressuscitará.”
24“Sim”, tornou Marta, “quando toda a gente ressuscitar no dia da ressurreição.”
25Jesus disse-lhe: “Eu sou a ressurreição e a vida! Quem crer em mim viverá, mesmo que morra! 26É-lhe dada a vida eterna por crer em mim e nunca mais morrerá. Crês nisto, Marta?”
27“Sim, Mestre. Creio que és o Cristo, o Filho de Deus, aquele que há tanto tempo esperávamos.” 28Então ela retirou-se e foi chamar Maria: “O Mestre já chegou e quer ver-te.” 29Esta foi logo ter com ele.
30Ora, Jesus parara fora da aldeia, no local onde Marta se encontrara com ele. 31Quando os judeus que estavam na casa, para confortar Maria, a viram sair tão apressadamente, pensaram que fosse ao túmulo de Lázaro para chorar e seguiram-na. 32Chegada ao sítio onde Jesus se encontrava, Maria caiu a seus pés, dizendo: “Senhor, se tivesses estado aqui, o meu irmão não teria morrido!”
33Ao vê-la chorar acompanhada no seu pranto pelas pessoas da terra, Jesus comoveu-se e sentiu forte emoção: 34“Onde está ele sepultado?”, perguntou-lhes. “Vem ver!”, disseram-lhe.
35E Jesus chorou. 36“Vejam como era amigo de Lázaro!”, comentaram as pessoas. 37Mas outros disseram: “Se pôde curar cegos, porque não evitou a morte de Lázaro?” 38Jesus comoveu-se muito outra vez.
Jesus ressuscita Lázaro
Entretanto, chegaram ao sepulcro. Era uma gruta com uma pesada pedra a tapar a entrada. 39“Retirem a pedra!”, ordenou Jesus. Mas Marta, irmã de Lázaro, observou: “Já deve cheirar muito mal, porque há quatro dias que morreu.”
40Jesus respondeu: “Não te disse que, se creres, verás a glória de Deus?” 41Rolaram pois a pedra. Jesus ergueu o olhar para o céu e disse: “Pai, graças te dou por me ouvires. 42Tu ouves-me sempre, mas digo isto por causa de toda a gente que aqui está, para que creiam que me enviaste.” 43Então Jesus ordenou, em voz muito forte: “Lázaro, sai!” 44Lázaro surgiu, ainda todo envolvido em panos e o rosto tapado com uma toalha. Jesus ordenou-lhes: “Desliguem-no e deixem-no ir!” 45E foi assim que muitos judeus que se encontravam com Maria, e viram isto acontecer, creram nele.
O plano para matar Jesus
(Mt 26.1-5; Mc 14.1-2; Lc 22.1-2)
46Alguns, porém, foram ter com os fariseus e contaram-lhes o sucedido. 47Os principais sacerdotes e os fariseus convocaram o conselho para discutir o caso. “Que vamos fazer?”, perguntavam-se uns aos outros. “Não há dúvida de que este homem faz grandes sinais. 48Se não interviermos, toda a gente crerá nele, e o exército romano virá e destruirá tanto o nosso templo como a nossa nação.”
49Um deles, Caifás, que naquele ano era sumo sacerdote, disse: “Vocês não percebem nada. 50Nem entendem que vos é preferível que morra um único homem pelo povo. Porque é que se há de perder toda a nação?”
51Esta revelação de que Jesus deveria morrer por todo o povo veio da boca de Caifás, no seu cargo de sumo sacerdote; não foi coisa que tivesse pensado por si próprio, mas foi uma profecia. 52Era uma predição de que a morte de Jesus não seria só por Israel, mas para reunir todos os filhos de Deus espalhados pelo mundo.
53A partir daí, começaram a planear a morte de Jesus. 54Jesus já não andava manifestamente em público. Saindo de Jerusalém, dirigiu-se para a proximidade do deserto, para a localidade de Efraim, onde ficou com os discípulos.
55A Páscoa dos judeus estava próxima e muitos daquela província entraram em Jerusalém, antes da data para poderem proceder à cerimónia da purificação. 56Queriam ver Jesus e enquanto estavam no templo perguntavam uns aos outros: “O que é que acham? Virá ele à festa da Páscoa?” 57Entretanto, os principais sacerdotes e fariseus tinham anunciado publicamente que, se alguém visse Jesus, devia participar imediatamente o facto para que o pudessem prender.
Lazarus Dies
1A man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village where Mary and her sister Martha lived. 2Mary would later pour perfume on the Lord. She would also wipe Jesus’ feet with her hair. It was her brother Lazarus who was sick in bed. 3So the sisters sent a message to Jesus. “Lord,” they told him, “the one you love is sick.”
4When Jesus heard this, he said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory. God’s Son will receive glory because of it.” 5Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6So after he heard Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was for two more days. 7And then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”
8“But Rabbi,” they said, “a short time ago the Jews there tried to kill you with stones. Are you still going back?”
9Jesus answered, “Aren’t there 12 hours of daylight? Anyone who walks during the day won’t trip and fall. They can see because of this world’s light. 10But when they walk at night, they’ll trip and fall. They have no light.”
11After he said this, Jesus went on speaking to them. “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep,” he said. “But I am going there to wake him up.”
12His disciples replied, “Lord, if he’s sleeping, he will get better.” 13Jesus had been speaking about the death of Lazarus. But his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.
14So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. 15For your benefit, I am glad I was not there. Now you will believe. But let us go to him.”
16Then Thomas, who was also called Didymus, spoke to the rest of the disciples. “Let us go also,” he said. “Then we can die with Jesus.”
Jesus Comforts the Sisters of Lazarus
17When Jesus arrived, he found out that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. 18Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem. 19Many Jews had come to Martha and Mary. They had come to comfort them because their brother was dead. 20When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him. But Mary stayed at home.
21“Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “I wish you had been here! Then my brother would not have died. 22But I know that even now God will give you anything you ask for.”
23Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
24Martha answered, “I know he will rise again. This will happen when people are raised from the dead on the last day.”
25Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even if they die. 26And whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
27“Yes, Lord,” she replied. “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God. I believe that you are the one who is supposed to come into the world.”
28After she said this, she went back home. She called her sister Mary to one side to talk to her. “The Teacher is here,” Martha said. “He is asking for you.” 29When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. 30Jesus had not yet entered the village. He was still at the place where Martha had met him. 31Some Jews had been comforting Mary in the house. They noticed how quickly she got up and went out. So they followed her. They thought she was going to the tomb to mourn there.
32Mary reached the place where Jesus was. When she saw him, she fell at his feet. She said, “Lord, I wish you had been here! Then my brother would not have died.”
33Jesus saw her crying. He saw that the Jews who had come along with her were crying also. His spirit became very sad, and he was troubled. 34“Where have you put him?” he asked.
“Come and see, Lord,” they replied.
35Jesus wept.
36Then the Jews said, “See how much he loved him!”
37But some of them said, “He opened the eyes of the blind man. Couldn’t he have kept this man from dying?”
Jesus Raises Lazarus From the Dead
38Once more Jesus felt very sad. He came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone in front of the entrance. 39“Take away the stone,” he said.
“But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad smell. Lazarus has been in the tomb for four days.”
40Then Jesus said, “Didn’t I tell you that if you believe, you will see God’s glory?”
41So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up. He said, “Father, I thank you for hearing me. 42I know that you always hear me. But I said this for the benefit of the people standing here. I said it so they will believe that you sent me.”
43Then Jesus called in a loud voice. He said, “Lazarus, come out!” 44The dead man came out. His hands and feet were wrapped with strips of linen. A cloth was around his face.
Jesus said to them, “Take off the clothes he was buried in and let him go.”
The Plan to Kill Jesus
45Many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary saw what Jesus did. So they believed in him. 46But some of them went to the Pharisees. They told the Pharisees what Jesus had done. 47Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin.
“What can we do?” they asked. “This man is performing many signs. 48If we let him keep on doing this, everyone will believe in him. Then the Romans will come. They will take away our temple and our nation.”
49One of the Jewish leaders spoke up. His name was Caiaphas. He was high priest at that time. He said, “You don’t know anything at all! 50You don’t realize what is good for you. It is better if one man dies for the people than if the whole nation is destroyed.”
51He did not say this on his own because he was high priest at that time. He prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation. 52He also prophesied that Jesus would die for God’s children scattered everywhere. He would die to bring them together and make them one. 53So from that day on, the Jewish rulers planned to kill Jesus.
54Jesus no longer moved around openly among the people of Judea. Instead, he went away to an area near the desert. He went to a village called Ephraim. There he stayed with his disciples.
55It was almost time for the Jewish Passover Feast. Many people went up from the country to Jerusalem. They went there for the special washing that would make them pure before the Passover Feast. 56They kept looking for Jesus as they stood in the temple courtyard. They asked one another, “What do you think? Isn’t he coming to the feast at all?” 57But the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders. They had commanded anyone who found out where Jesus was staying to report it. Then they could arrest him.
