The Gospel of John, conceived 39

In those days there was a certain Lazarus from Bethany, from the village where Mary and her sister Martha lived. But Mary, with whom Brother Lazarus was sick, was the one who anointed the Lord with myrrh and wiped His feet with her hair. The sisters sent to say to Him: Lord! behold, whom Thou lovest, sick. When Jesus heard this, he said, "This sickness is not unto death, but to the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it." And Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. When he heard that he was sick, he stayed two days in the place where he was. And he said unto his disciples, Let us go again into Judea. The disciples said to Him, "Rabbi! how long have the Jews sought to stone Thee, and Thou art going thither again? Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in the day?" He who walks by day does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world; but he who walks at night stumbles, because there is no light with him. And when he had said this, he said to them, Lazarus our friend has fallen asleep; but I am going to wake him up. His disciples said, "Lord! if he fell asleep, he will recover. Jesus was talking about his death, and they thought He was talking about an ordinary dream. Then Jesus said to them plainly, "Lazarus is dead; and I rejoice for you, that I was not there, that you might believe; but let us go to him. Then Thomas, otherwise called the Twin, said to the disciples, "Let us go and die with him." When Jesus came, he found that he had already been in the tomb for four days. Bethany was near Jerusalem, fifteen stades; and many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary to comfort them in their sorrow for their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet Him; Maria was sitting at home. Then Martha said to Jesus, "Lord! if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you. Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." Martha said to Him, "I know that He will rise again in the resurrection, on the last day." Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me, though he die, shall live. And everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this? She said to Him, "Yes, Lord! I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, coming into the world. And when she had said this, she went and secretly called Mary her sister, saying, The Master is here and calling thee. As soon as she heard, she hurriedly got up and went to Him. Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was at the place where Martha met Him. The Jews, who were with her in the house and comforted her, seeing that Mary got up in haste and went out, followed her, thinking that she had gone to the tomb to weep there. And Mary, when she came to where Jesus was, and saw him, fell down at his feet, and said to him, Lord! if you had been here, my brother would not have died. When Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who came with her weeping, He Himself was grieved in spirit and was indignant, and said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to him: Lord! Go and see. Jesus shed tears. Then the Jews said, "See how He loved him." And some of them said, "Could not this one, who opened the eyes of the blind man, cause this one also not to die? Jesus, again grieving inwardly, comes to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay on it. Jesus says, "Take away the stone." The sister of the deceased, Martha, said to Him: "Lord! already stinks; for four days he was in the tomb. Jesus said to her, "Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?" So they took away the stone from the cave where the dead man lay. And Jesus lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, "Father, forgive them! thank you for hearing me. I knew that You would always hear Me; but I have said it for the people standing here, that they may believe that you have sent me. Having said this, He cried out with a loud voice: Lazarus! Go away. And the dead man came out, wrapped hand and foot in funeral clothes, and his face was bound with a handkerchief. Jesus said to them, "Loose him, let him go." Then many of the Jews who came to Mary and saw what Jesus had done, believed in Him.

John 11:1–45

Lazarev's Saturday.

The Gospel of John, conceived 40

In those days the chief priests and Pharisees gathered together against Jesus, and said, What shall we do? This Man works many miracles. If we leave Him thus, then all will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take possession of both our place and the people. And one of them, a certain Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, "You know nothing, and you will not think that it is better for us that one man should die for the people, than that the whole nation should perish." He did not say this on his own behalf, but, being high priest for that year, he predicted that Jesus would die for the people, and not only for the people, but also in order to gather together the scattered children of God. From that day on, they decided to kill Him. Therefore Jesus no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there to a country near the wilderness, to a city called Ephraim, and there He remained with His disciples. The Passover of the Jews was approaching, and many from all over the country came to Jerusalem before the Passover to be purified. Then they were looking for Jesus, and standing in the temple, they said to one another, What do you think? Will He not come to the feast? And the chief priests and the Pharisees commanded that if any man knew where he would be, he would declare that he might take him.

John 11:47–57

Monday of the 6th week after Pascha.

The Gospel of John, conceived 41a

Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was dead, whom He had raised from the dead. A supper was prepared for Him there, and Martha was serving, and Lazarus was one of those who sat at table with Him. And Mary, taking a pound of spikenard, pure precious ointment, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. and the house was filled with the fragrance of myrrh. Then one of His disciples, Judas Simon Iscariot, who wanted to betray Him, said: Why not sell this ointment for three hundred denarii and distribute it to the poor? And he did not say this because he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief. He had a money drawer with him and carried what was put into it. And Jesus said, Leave her; she has reserved it for the day of my burial. For you always have the poor with you, but not always Me. Many of the Jews knew that He was there, and they came not only to see Jesus, but also to see Lazarus, whom He raised from the dead. And the chief priests decided to kill Lazarus also, because for his sake many of the Jews came and believed in Jesus. On the morrow, the multitude of the people who had come to the feast, hearing that Jesus was going to Jerusalem, took palm branches, went out to meet Him, and cried out, Hosanna! blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, King of Israel! And Jesus, having found the colt, sat on it, as it is written: Fear not, daughter of Zion! Behold, your King is coming, sitting on a colt. His disciples did not understand this at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that it was written about Him, and they did it to Him. The people who had been with Him before testified that He had summoned Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead. That is why the people met Him, for they heard that He had performed this miracle.

John 12:1–18

Sunday of Vai, at the Liturgy.

The Gospel of John, conceived 41b

In those days, the people who were with Jesus testified that He called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead. That is why the people met Him, for they heard that He had performed this miracle. And the Pharisees said among themselves, "Do you see that you do not succeed in anything? the whole world follows Him. Of those who came to worship on the feast were some Greeks. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and besought him, saying, "Lord! we want to see Jesus. Philip goes and tells Andrew about it; and then Andrew and Philip told Jesus about it. And Jesus answered and said unto them, The hour has come for the Son of man to be glorified. Verily, verily, I say to you, if a grain of wheat falls into the ground and does not die, it will remain alone; but if he dies, he will bear much fruit. He who loves his soul will destroy it; but he who hates his soul in this world will preserve it to eternal life. Whosoever serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there will my servant be. And whosoever serves me, my Father will honor him. My soul is now troubled; and what shall I say? Father! deliver me from this hour! But at this hour I have come. Father! glorify Thy name. Then came a voice from heaven: "And I have glorified, and I will glorify again." The people who stood and heard it said, "This is thunder; and others said, An angel spoke to him. Jesus answered, "This voice was not for me, but for the people." Now is the judgment of this world; now the prince of this world will be cast out. And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men unto me. This He said, giving us to understand by what death He would die. The people answered him, "We have heard from the law that Christ abides forever; how then do you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of man? Then Jesus said to them, "Yet a little while the light is with you; walk while there is light, lest darkness overtake you: but he who walks in darkness does not know whither he goes. As long as the light is with you, believe in the light, that you may be sons of light. When Jesus had said this, he departed and hid himself from them. So many miracles did He do before them, and they did not believe in Him, that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled: Lord! Who believed what we heard? and to whom was the arm of the Lord revealed? Therefore they could not believe that, as Isaiah said, this people have blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their hearts, and turn back, that I may heal them. This is what Isaiah said when he saw His glory and spoke of Him. However, many of the rulers also believed in Him; but for the sake of the Pharisees they did not confess, so as not to be excommunicated from the synagogue, for they loved the glory of men more than the glory of God. And Jesus cried out, and said, He that believeth in Me does not believe in Me, but in Him who sent Me. And he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me. I have come into the world as a light, that whosoever believeth in Me should not remain in darkness. And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him, for I have not come to judge the world, but to save the world. He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath judge unto himself: the word which I have spoken, it shall judge him at the last day. For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father who sent Me, He gave Me a commandment what to say and what to say. And I know that His commandment is eternal life. So what I say, I say, as the Father told Me.