What is the meaning of John 11:4? When Jesus heard this The message brought to Jesus is simple: “Lord, the one You love is sick” (John 11:3). • Even before anyone asks for healing, Jesus’ intimate knowledge of the situation shows His omniscience, echoing moments like “Jesus knew what was in a man” (John 2:25). • The sisters’ confidence mirrors other desperate pleas—Jairus for his daughter (Mark 5:23), the centurion for his servant (Luke 7:3). Here too, Jesus hears, cares, and responds in perfect timing (cf. Psalm 34:15). He said Jesus doesn’t deliberate; He declares. • His words carry the same authority that stilled storms (Mark 4:39) and silenced demons (Mark 1:25). • Speaking before acting reminds us that God’s Word precedes His works—creation itself began with “God said” (Genesis 1). • The disciples receive not a diagnosis but a promise, preparing them to witness something far greater than a routine healing. This sickness will not end in death • Jesus acknowledges the severity yet guarantees a different outcome. Lazarus will die temporarily, but death will not have the final say (see John 11:14; 11:44). • Earlier He told Jairus, “The child is not dead but asleep” (Luke 8:52). Here He uses the same perspective in verse 11: “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to wake him up” (John 11:11). • This foreshadows the ultimate defeat of death at the resurrection: “Death has been swallowed up in victory” (1 Corinthians 15:54). No, it is for the glory of God • Illness becomes an arena for God’s majesty, much like the man born blind: “This happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him” (John 9:3). • God repeatedly turns apparent setbacks into showcases of His power—think of Joseph’s famine (Genesis 50:20) or Gideon’s tiny army (Judges 7). • Romans 8:28 reinforces this principle: “We know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him.” So that the Son of God may be glorified through it • The Father’s glory and the Son’s glory intertwine (John 17:1), so exalting Jesus exalts God. • Raising Lazarus becomes the seventh sign in John, culminating the series that began with water into wine where “He thus revealed His glory” (John 2:11). • This miracle accelerates belief among many (John 11:45) while intensifying opposition leading to the cross, where Jesus is ultimately “lifted up” (John 12:32). • Philippians 2:9–11 later echoes the result: God “exalted Him to the highest place … that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow.” summary John 11:4 unfolds a divine agenda: Jesus hears, speaks with authority, nullifies death’s finality, turns suffering into a stage for God’s splendor, and centers everything on His own revealed glory. Far from a mere prognosis, His promise assures that even the darkest valley can serve the radiant purposes of God and magnify the Son before a watching world. |
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