Berean Standard Bible
(BSB)

Jesus Raises Lazarus

(Acts 9:36–43)

^<38>Jesus, once again deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. ^<39>“Take away the stone,” Jesus said.

“Lord, by now he stinks,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man. “It has already been four days.”

^<40>Jesus replied, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?”

^<41>So they took away the stone. Then Jesus lifted His eyes upward and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. ^<42>I knew that You always hear Me, but I say this for the benefit of the people standing here, so they may believe that You sent Me.”

^<43>After Jesus had said this, He called out in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”

^<44>The man who had been dead came out with his hands and feet bound in strips of linen, and his face wrapped in a cloth.¹

“Unwrap him and let him go,” Jesus told them.

The Plot to Kill Jesus

(Matthew 26:1–5; Mark 14:1–2;
Luke 22:1–2)

^<45>Therefore many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, believed in Him. ^<46>But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done.

^<47>Then the chief priests and Pharisees convened the Sanhedrin² and said, “What are we to do? This man is performing many signs. ^<48>If we let Him go on like this, everyone will believe in Him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.”

^<49>But one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all! ^<50>You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.”

^<51>Caiaphas did not say this on his own. Instead, as high priest that year, he was prophesying that Jesus would die for the nation, ^<52>and not only for the nation, but also for the scattered children of God, to gather them together into one.

^<53>So from that day on they plotted to kill Him. ^<54>As a result, Jesus no longer went about publicly among the Jews, but He withdrew to a town called Ephraim in an area near the wilderness. And He stayed there with the disciples.

^<55>Now the Jewish Passover was near, and many people went up from the country to Jerusalem to purify themselves before the Passover. ^<56>They kept looking for Jesus and asking one another as they stood in the temple courts,³ “What do you think? Will He come to the feast at all?” ^<57>But the chief priests and Pharisees had given orders that anyone who knew where He was must report it, so that they could arrest Him.

Word Come Alive
(WCA)
(An extended translation)*

Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead

^<38>Jesus was again intensely distressed. He came to the tomb, which was a cave with a large stone rolled across the entrance.

^<39>Jesus ordered, ‘Take away the stone.’

Martha (Lazarus’ sister) expressed her doubts, ‘But, Lord, my brother is dead and has been lying in the tomb for four days now. The stench of his body is already terrible. What’s the point of taking away the stone? It won’t bring my brother back to life!’

^<40>Jesus responded, to strengthen her faith, ‘Dear Martha, don’t you remember what I promised you? If you keep believing, you will see God’s wonderful power in action. Don’t keep thinking about the dead body; instead, trust in me.’

^<41>Then some people did what Jesus had instructed and took away the stone. Everyone was wondering what would happen next. Jesus looked up towards heaven and prayed with absolute confidence that his Father would accomplish all that he asked. ‘Father, thank you that you have heard me. ^<42>I know that you always listen to me when I pray. But I say this openly for the sake of the people standing with me here and now, that they may truly believe that you sent me into the world as the Messiah.’

^<43>As Jesus said these words, everyone was holding their breath and their eyes were fixed on him. He shouted out loudly, ‘Lazarus, come out!’

^<44>Immediately, the dead man shuffled slowly but surely out of the cave. His hands and feet were still wrapped in strips of linen and his face was wrapped round with a cloth. Jesus told the people, ‘Take off the strips of linen and cloth and let him go.’

They pinched themselves to make sure it wasn’t a dream and that it had actually happened. Jesus had brought a dead body back to life! If he could do that, then surely he really was God.

^<45>Many of the Jews who had come to comfort Mary and had then seen Jesus’ extraordinary miracle came to believe in him. Their doubts were dispelled and their hearts were softened. ^<46>Others, however, became even more hardened and hostile and went back to the Pharisees to report to them what Jesus had done.

The high priest prophesies

^<47>Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin, the Jews’ supreme council. ‘What have we actually achieved?’ they asked. ‘Our current approach is getting us nowhere. This man is going about performing many miraculous signs. ^<48>If we just let him carry on, soon everyone will turn to him and believe in him as a political Messiah. In no time at all he could be leading a popular rebellion, which the Romans will then ruthlessly crush. They will destroy our temple and completely wipe out our nation.’

^<49>One of the members of the Sanhedrin stood up, Caiaphas—who was high priest that year—spoke, showing his political cunning, ‘You’ve no idea what you’re talking about! Don’t you see that you’re deluding yourselves! Something radical is called for. We’ve got to get rid of this threat once and for all. One man must die. ^<50>Don’t you realise it’s far better for you that one man should die for the people than for the whole nation to be destroyed? It’s better to kill him and take him out of the picture completely. His death will save the nation from any further trouble … and save our own skins too.’ ^<51>In reality, Caiaphas was not aware that God was speaking through him. He said things that had a deeper meaning than he realised but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would be offered up and die for the nation.

^<52>He prophesied that he would die not only for the nation but also for the children of God who are scattered throughout the world. He would gather them together to make them one, to unite them all as his people.

^<53>So from that day onwards, they plotted to kill Jesus. ^<54>Because his life was in danger, Jesus no longer moved about openly and freely among the Jews. Instead, he went away to Ephraim, a town in the region near the Wilderness of Judea. He stayed there for some time with his apprentices.

^<55>When it was nearly Passover, many people went up from the country areas to Jerusalem to take part in the ceremonial washing before the Passover itself. ^<56>They searched intently for Jesus. When they were standing in the temple grounds, they kept asking one another, ‘What do you think is going to happen? You’ve not seen him, have you? He won’t show up at the festival, will he?’ ^<57>The chief priests and Pharisees had given strict orders that anyone who knew where Jesus was should report it to them immediately so they could arrest him.

Study Guide

Based on verse 42, How did Jesus want the people who witnessed this miracle to respond?

How did the people respond? (vv. 45-46)

What did the Jewish leaders think about this miracle? (vv. 47-48)

How did the Jewish leaders respond (vv. 49-53)

What is the significance of Caiaphas’ statement in verse 50?

To understand the concept “to purify themselves” in v. 55, see the article, “What does the Bible say about purity?“

Study Resources

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