A story about Jesus and a dead man
(From the Gospel of John, chapter 11, verses 32-44)
Jesus was very good friends with a family of grown ups who lived in Bethany, a town that was near Jerusalem. In the family were two sisters, Mary and Martha, and their brother, Lazarus. Whenever Jesus was in the area, he stayed at their home. Jesus loved Mary, Martha, and Lazarus very much, and they loved him very much, too.
One day Lazarus got very sick. The sisters sent a message to Jesus: "Lord, he whom you love is ill. Please come."
Jesus got the message, but did not get to Bethany before Lazarus died. As was the custom, Mary and Martha wrapped Lazarus' body in strips of cloth and put it in a cave. Then they rolled a stone in front of the cave, shutting it tightly.
By the time Jesus got to Bethany, Lazarus' body had been in the cave for 4 days. Both of his sisters were very sad. They missed Lazarus a lot. They were also angry at Jesus. "Lord," they told him, "if you had been here, our brother would not have died."
Martha and Mary began to sob. Their friends who had come to be with them were crying, too. Jesus began to cry.
"Where have you laid him?" he asked.
They said to him, "Lord, come and see."
They took Jesus to the cave.
"Take away the stone," Jesus told a few men standing nearby.
Martha said to him, "Lord, our brother has been dead four days. His body has begun to break apart. The smell will be awful."
Jesus said to her, "If you believe, you will see the glory of God."
The men took away the stone.
Jesus looked upward and spoke to God, "Father, thank you for listening to me. I know that you always hear my prayers. Please help these people standing here to believe that you have sent me."
Then Jesus turned and faced the cave. He cried out in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!"
It took a few moments, but Lazarus came out of the cave. His hands and feet were still wrapped with strips of cloth. His face was wrapped in a cloth, too.
Jesus said to those standing nearby, "Unbind him, and let him go."
Questions to think and pray about:
What do you think of this story?
Has someone you have loved a lot died? How did you feel?
What do you believe happens after death? Who can you talk to about these things?
What do you want to say to Jesus?