He Shows Goodwill Tells the Good Story 11

A FRIEND CROSSES OVER

1-2In House of Figs (Bethany), near Village of Peace (Jerusalem), a man named Creator Helps Him (Lazarus) was very sick. He was the brother of Healing Tears (Mary) and Head Woman (Martha). Healing Tears (Mary) is the one who poured ointment over the head and feet of Creator Sets Free (Jesus) and wiped his feet with her hair.#11:1-2 See Mark 14:3; John 12:1-8.

3The sisters sent a messenger to Creator Sets Free (Jesus), who said to him, “Our brother, Creator Helps Him (Lazarus), the one you care deeply about, is sick.”

4When Creator Sets Free (Jesus) heard the message, he said, “This sickness will not end in death. Instead, this will bring honor to the Great Spirit and shine a light on his Son.”

HIS LIGHT SHINES BRIGHTER

5Even though Creator Sets Free (Jesus) loved this family dearly, 6he stayed where he was for two more days. 7Then he said to his followers, “Let us go back to the Land of Promise (Judea).”

8But his followers said to him, “Wisdomkeeper, the Tribal Members there tried to throw stones at you to kill you! Why would you want to go back there?”

9He answered them, “Does not the sun give us a full day of light? The ones who walk during the day never stumble, because they see the light that shines on this world. 10But the ones who walk at night stumble in the darkness, because there is no light for them to see.”

He was telling them that he was the light shining in this dark world and that it was time to let his light shine even brighter.

11Creator Sets Free (Jesus) explained to them, “Our good friend, Creator Helps Him (Lazarus), has fallen asleep and I am going to wake him.”

12They said to him, “Wisdomkeeper, if he is only sleeping, he will get well.”

13They did not understand that Creator Sets Free (Jesus) meant that Creator Helps Him (Lazarus) had died. 14They thought he was sleeping naturally.

He then told them plainly, “Creator Helps Him (Lazarus) has crossed over to death. 15It is a good thing that I was not there, so you will believe. But we must go to him now.”

16Looks Like His Brother (Thomas) said to the others, “Yes, we should go and die with him.”

FOUR DAYS DEAD

17When Creator Sets Free (Jesus) came to House of Figs (Bethany), he found out that Creator Helps Him (Lazarus) had died four days earlier and was laid in a burial cave. 18House of Figs (Bethany) was a close walk#11:18 About two miles from Village of Peace (Jerusalem). 19Many of the local Tribal Members had gathered, along with the women, to give comfort to Head Woman (Martha) and Healing Tears (Mary) for the loss of their brother.

I AM THE RISING FROM THE DEAD

20When Head Woman (Martha) heard that Creator Sets Free (Jesus) was coming, she went out to greet him, but Healing Tears (Mary) stayed home.

21When she found Creator Sets Free (Jesus), she said to him, “Wisdomkeeper, if you had been here, my brother would still be with us. 22Even so, I know if you ask anything of the Great Spirit, he will give it to you.”

23“Your brother will live again,” he answered.

24“I know he will live again,” she said, “when the dead rise up at the end of all days.”

25-26“I am the rising from the dead and the life that follows,” he told her. “The ones who trust me will live again, even after death. Death will never be the end of the ones who are alive and trust in me. Do you believe what I am saying to you?”

27“Yes, Wisdomkeeper!” she smiled and said. “I believe you are the Chosen One, the Son of the Great Spirit—the one who came down into this world from above.”

HE WEEPS WITH THOSE WHO WEEP

28After she said this, she left him and went in private to her sister Healing Tears (Mary) and said to her, “The Wisdomkeeper is nearby and wants you to come to him.”

29-30Creator Sets Free (Jesus) was still waiting outside the village where Head Woman (Martha) had met him. When Healing Tears (Mary) heard this, she got up right away and went to see him. 31The Tribal Members who were comforting Healing Tears (Mary) saw her get up and leave quickly, so they went with her, thinking she was going to the burial cave to weep.

32When Healing Tears (Mary) found Creator Sets Free (Jesus), she crumpled at his feet and wept.

“Wisdomkeeper!” she said as tears ran down her face. “If only you had been here, my brother would still be alive.”

33Creator Sets Free (Jesus) stood there watching Healing Tears (Mary) weeping at his feet. He looked around and saw all the Tribal Members who came with her also weeping. A deep anguish began to well up inside him, and he was troubled in his spirit.

He cried out, 34“Where did they bury him?”

“Wisdomkeeper, come with us,” they said to him. “We will show you.”

35Creator Sets Free (Jesus) wept.

36When the Tribal Members saw his tears, some said, “See how deeply he cared for him!”

37But others said, “If this man could open the eyes of a blind man, why could he not have kept this man from dying?”

POWER OVER DEATH

38Creator Sets Free (Jesus), still deep in anguish, found his way to the family burial place. It was a cave, and a large stone blocked the entrance.

39Creator Sets Free (Jesus) cried out, “Take away the stone!”

Head Woman (Martha) whispered to him, “Wisdomkeeper, he has been dead four days. There will be a terrible smell.”

40He looked at her and said, “Do you not remember what I told you? If you believed, you would see the shining-greatness of the Great Spirit.”

Head Woman (Martha) could say nothing. She watched as 41they rolled the stone away from the burial cave.

Creator Sets Free (Jesus) turned his eyes upward toward the sky and said, “I thank you, Father, that you have already heard my prayers and always listen to me. 42The reason I say this out loud is so that all who are standing around me can hear and believe that you sent me.”

The men and women gathered there stood silently, listening to his prayer.

43 Then the voice of Creator Sets Free (Jesus) pierced the silence as he cried out with a loud voice, “Creator Helps Him (Lazarus), come out of there!”

The sound of his voice echoed from out of the burial cave and then faded into the distance. The people looked at Creator Sets Free (Jesus) and then back to the cave. No one dared say anything, so they all waited. Then suddenly, gasps could be heard from the crowd. There was movement in the cave!

44Creator Helps Him (Lazarus) came stumbling out of the burial cave with his ceremonial wrappings still clinging to his head, hands, and feet.

He was alive!

Creator Sets Free (Jesus) told the people, “Take off his wrappings and set him free.”

Head Woman (Martha) and Healing Tears (Mary) wept for joy as they tore the ceremonial wrappings from their brother.

They could not stop hugging and kissing him! All the people were full of joy and began to celebrate.

45When many of the local Tribal Members saw what Creator Sets Free (Jesus) had done, they put their trust in him. 46But some of them went to find the Separated Ones (Pharisees) to tell them what had happened.

A WAR COUNCIL IS CALLED

47When the Separated Ones (Pharisees) and the head holy men heard about this great miracle, they called the Grand Council together.

“What are we going to do?” they asked each other. “This man has powerful medicine and performs many signs and wonders. 48If we do not stop him, all the people will believe in him. Then the People of Iron (Romans) will come and take away our sacred lodge and, with it, our power to rule this nation.”

49Hollow in the Rock (Caiaphas), the chief holy man for that year, said to the council, “Is it too hard for you to see? 50It would be better for us if one man were to die for the people than for our whole nation to be destroyed.”

51Hollow in the Rock (Caiaphas) was not aware that, as the chief holy man for that year, he prophesied that Creator Sets Free (Jesus) would die for their nation. Little did he know that 52he would not only die for their nation but also to gather together all of Creator’s scattered children from every nation and make them into one people.

53From that day forward the Grand Council set in motion a plan to have him killed.

54Knowing this, Creator Sets Free (Jesus) no longer walked openly among the people. He went into the countryside near the desert wilderness to the Village of Fruitful Place (Ephraim). There he stayed for a time with his close followers.

ON THE LOOKOUT FOR CREATOR SETS FREE

55It was time again for the traditional Festival of Bread Without Yeast, called Passover. Tribal Members would travel from their homelands to Village of Peace (Jerusalem). Many would arrive early to perform a purification ceremony to prepare for the festival.

56The tribal leaders were all looking for Creator Sets Free (Jesus). As they stood in the courtyard of the sacred lodge, they asked each other, “What do you think? Surely he will not come here to the festival?”

57For the head holy men and the Separated Ones (Pharisees) had given instruction that anyone who saw Creator Sets Free (Jesus) should report back to them so they could arrest him.

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He Shows Goodwill Tells the Good Story 11: FNVNT

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