What is the meaning of John 11:39? “Take away the stone,” Jesus said. • A plain, authoritative command. Jesus is not suggesting; He is taking charge, just as He will one day “command all who are in the graves to come out” (John 5:28). • The stone is a real, physical barrier—and also a vivid picture of anything that keeps us from seeing God’s power. By calling for it to be removed, Jesus shows that human obedience often precedes divine intervention (John 2:7; James 2:17). • He involves the crowd. They cannot raise the dead, but they can roll a stone; He lets them share in the work so they will share in the wonder (John 11:40). • The moment foreshadows His own tomb. Another stone will be rolled away (John 20:1), proving that nothing—neither rock nor death—can restrain the Son of God. “Lord, by now he stinks,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man. • Martha addresses Him as “Lord,” yet her senses cry out against His command. Faith meets earthly reality, and the clash is honest (John 11:21–27). • The stench underscores the finality of death. This is no faint pulse revived but a corpse in decay, stressing the literal nature of the miracle (Romans 6:23). • Her words echo our own hesitations: we believe, but we picture the mess behind the stone and shrink back (Mark 9:24). • Even so, Jesus does not rebuke her harshly; He moves forward, revealing that His power answers both the spiritual corruption sin brings (Ephesians 2:1) and the physical corruption death brings. “It has already been four days.” • The detail is intentional. Jesus delayed (John 11:6) so that the miracle would be unmistakable. Jewish custom said the soul lingered near the body up to three days; the fourth day removed every shred of natural hope. • Four days magnify His glory: “This sickness will not end in death, but is for God’s glory” (John 11:4). • The timing previews a greater resurrection. If He can call a decomposing man back to life, then His own rising on the third day (Luke 24:6–7) and the future resurrection of all believers (1 Corinthians 15:20–23) are fully assured. • The number also whispers of completeness—death has done its worst, and still Jesus overrules it (Revelation 1:18). summary John 11:39 captures the collision between Jesus’ sovereign command and human apprehension. He orders the obstacle removed, invites cooperation, confronts decay, and times it so that His victory over death is beyond dispute. The verse reminds us that when Christ speaks, every barrier, every doubt, and even the irreversible grip of death itself must yield to His life-giving authority. |
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