An easy way is with the days of the week. Review past, present, and future with your child. She says how things could have been different and will be in the future, but not now. When Jesus arrives, Martha rushes out to Him. He is making the tapestry in ways we don’t understand. Explain that we may think something that happens is terrible because we can’t see it as God does. Turn over the tapestry and show that it is beautiful. Talk about how it isn’t beautiful at all. If you have a tapestry or other piece of embroidery, show the child the back of it. Sometimes, we might be upset or afraid about something that happens, but Jesus has a plan. But God’s timing is perfect and different than our own. Explain how that is difficult for us to understand because we would rush to our friends in need. Instead, Jesus spent two more days where He was, and during that time, Lazarus dies. When Jesus heard that Lazarus was ill, He didn’t run to Lazarus’ side and heal him. Share how we can talk to Jesus about the things which worry us and pray for others who are unwell. Mary and Martha loved their brother, so they did the right thing. Talk about how Lazarus became extremely sick. Example: Is sharing Jesus caring for them or not? Is fighting over toys loving or not? Talk about ways we can show friends we care. Review what we learned about Mary and Martha in the previous lesson. Many people there came to believe in Jesus on that day.Ask your children what it means to be a friend? Remind them that Jesus was friends with Lazarus and his sisters Mary and Martha. To the amazement of everyone there, Lazarus emerged from the tomb with his face, hands, and feet still bound in burial cloths. I know that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.” They took away the stone and Jesus looked up to heaven and prayed, “Father, I thank you for having heard me. Jesus came to the tomb and stood outside the entrance to the cave where a stone laid against it. “If only he was here to stop this man from dying.” She knelt at Jesus’ feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” The many people who came to comfort the sisters followed closely behind her. Then she called her sister Mary to join them. “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world,” said Martha. “Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. “I know that he will rise again on the last day,” Martha said sadly. “Your brother will rise again,” Jesus replied. “Lord, if you were here then he would not have died,” she told him. Many people were there to comfort Martha and Mary for the loss of their brother. Let us go to him now.”īy the time Jesus and the disciples arrived in Bethany, Lazarus had already been in a tomb for four days. For your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. Jesus said very plainly, “Lazarus is dead. “Lord, if he has only fallen asleep then he will be just fine,” they replied. “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to awaken him,” he told his disciples. He told his disciples they would go back to Judea even though people there wanted to kill him.

Jesus was confident that God would be glorified through this illness. They said that their brother Lazarus was ill. Jesus received a message from his friends Martha and Mary who lived in Bethany in Judea.

He brings his friend back to life.Īs you read this story, pay attention to the reaction Jesus had when he saw the people crying. (Sometimes the verse is translated as “Jesus began to weep.”) Jesus cried when he learned of his friend Lazarus’s death, but the story does not end there. The shortest verse in the Bible is a two-word sentence: “Jesus wept” (Jn 11:35).

Lazarus bible story