Jesus calls Lazarus to come out from his tomb
Bible Accent: The New American Bible
Saint for Today: St. Benezet
Puzzle
Jesus calls Lazarus to come out from his tomb
Lazarus, who lived in the village of Bethany, was very sick. Because they were very close friends with Jesus, his two sisters, Mary and Martha, sent a messenger to find Jesus and ask him to please come to heal Lazarus. The messenger found Jesus and said to him, “Master, the one you love is ill.”
Jesus answered, “This illness is not to end in death, but is for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” So Jesus remained where he was for two more days. Then he said to his apostles, “Let us go back to Judea.”
But the apostles did not want to return to Judea. “Rabbi,” they said, “the Jews were just trying to stone you, and you want to go back there?”
But Jesus insisted. “Our friend Lazarus is asleep, but I am going to awaken him.” “Master, if he is asleep, he will be saved.”
But Jesus did not really mean that Lazarus was asleep, so he said to them directly, “Lazarus has died. And I am glad for you that I was not there, that you may believe. Let us go to him.” By the time Jesus and his followers reached Bethany, Lazarus had been dead for four days.
Martha heard Jesus was coming, so she ran out to meet him. She said, “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 it to you.”
“Your brother will rise,” Jesus said.
“I know he will rise, in the resurrection on the last day.”
But Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me … will never die.” Later Mary came to Jesus and cried over her brother’s death. “Where have you laid him?” Jesus asked.
“Sir, come and see,” she answered. Then Jesus wept.
When he reached the tomb Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” When Martha told Jesus Lazarus had already been dead four days, Jesus answered, “Did I not tell you that if you believe you will see the glory of God?” The tomb was opened and Jesus shouted, “Lazarus, come out!” And Lazarus came out, alive, still wrapped in his burial cloth. “Untie him and let him go,” Jesus said.
And many people believed in God because of what Jesus had done.
READ MORE ABOUT IT:
John 11
Q&A
1. What did Jesus tell the messenger sent by Mary and Martha?
2. How did Jesus help Lazarus?
Bible Accent: New American Bible
On March 9 of this year, a new version of the New American Bible was published, called the New American Bible Revised Edition, or NABRE. Most of us know this Bible simply as the Catholic Bible, and it is approved by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The bishops have made several recommendations regarding the reading of the Bible: Look for the imprimatur, which assures that the edition is consistent with church doctrine; read other materials that help explain the meaning and history of the books that make up the Bible; and, most importantly, read your Bible every day, praying before and after each reading.
Saint for Today: St. Benezet
Benezet (1163-1184) led a very quiet life as child, spending most of his time caring for the sheep on his mother’s farm. Being both thoughtful and imaginative, he used some of his idle time to find a way for people to be able to cross the nearby Rhone river. On a very important day in his life, during a rare eclipse of the sun, Benezet heard a voice from the darkness telling him to build a bridge over the river. Even though bridge building was usually commissioned by wealthy men in their wills, he set out to try. He appealed to the Bishop of Avignon, France, who at first doubted what such a young man could do. The Lord used Benezet to perform several miracles to convince the bishop, who released the funds to build the bridge. When Benezet died only seven year later, the bridge was almost completed. We honor him on April 14.
Puzzle
