💫WEB · John 11:21
What does John 11:21 mean?
"Therefore Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you would have been here, my brother wouldn’t have died."
— John 11:21 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about fifteen stadia away.
Many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to console them concerning their brother.
Then when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary stayed in the house.
Therefore Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you would have been here, my brother wouldn’t have died.
Even now I know that, whatever you ask of God, God will give you.”
Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
Explanation
Martha's words to Jesus are simple and raw: she is telling him plainly that if he had arrived sooner, her brother Lazarus would still be alive. There is no elaborate theology in this statement, just the honest grief of a woman who trusted that Jesus' presence could have changed the outcome. It is both an expression of fa
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