💫WEB · John 11:39
What does John 11:39 mean?
"Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to him, “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.”"
— John 11:39 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
The Jews therefore said, “See how much affection he had for him!”
Some of them said, “Couldn’t this man, who opened the eyes of him who was blind, have also kept this man from dying?”
Jesus therefore, again groaning in himself, came to the tomb. Now it was a cave, and a stone lay against it.
Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to him, “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.”
Jesus said to her, “Didn’t I tell you that if you believed, you would see God’s glory?”
So they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, “Father, I thank you that you listened to me.
I know that you always listen to me, but because of the multitude standing around I said this, that they may believe that you sent me.”
Explanation
John 11:39 sits at a pivotal moment in the story of Lazarus's resurrection. Jesus has arrived at the tomb of his friend Lazarus, who has been dead and buried for four days. He gives a simple, direct command: "Take away the stone." In response, Martha, Lazarus's sister, voices a very human and practical objection—by this point, she says, the body will have begun to decompose, and there will be a strong odor. Her comment is blunt and unfiltered, reflecting the harsh physical reality of death rather than any expectation of what Jesus is about to do.
The context is important for understanding the weight of this exchange. This passage takes place in Bethany, a village near Jerusalem, and John records it as one of the seven great "signs" in his Gospel—miracles meant to reveal Jesus's identity as the Son of God and to build faith in him. Martha and her sister Mary had already expressed grief and even mild reproach to Jesus earlier in the chapter, noting that if he had arrived sooner, their brother would not have died. Jewish burial customs of the time did not embalm bodies, so decomposition would indeed be far along after four days—this detail underscores that Lazarus was truly, unmistakably dead, not merely unconscious or in a coma. John includes this detail deliberately, to remove any doubt about the reality of the death before the miracle that follows.
Theologically, this verse highlights the tension between human limitation and divine power. Martha's response shows a woman who, despite her earlier confession of faith in Jesus as the
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