John 11:1-6 Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.… It is said that gardeners sometimes, when they would bring a rose to richer flowering, deprive it for a season of light and moisture. Silent and dark it stands, dropping one fading leaf after another, and seeming to go down patiently to death. But when every leaf is dropped, and the plant stands stripped to the uttermost, a new life is even then working in the buds, from which shall spring a tender foliage and a brighter wealth of flowers. So, often, in celestial gardening, every leaf of earthly joy must drop before a new and divine bloom visits the soul. (Beecher Stowe.) Parallel Verses KJV: Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.WEB: Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus from Bethany, of the village of Mary and her sister, Martha. |
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