💫WEB · John 11:7
What does John 11:7 mean?
"Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let’s go into Judea again.”"
— John 11:7 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
But when Jesus heard it, he said, “This sickness is not to death, but for the glory of God, that God’s Son may be glorified by it.”
Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus.
When therefore he heard that he was sick, he stayed two days in the place where he was.
Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let’s go into Judea again.”
The disciples told him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just trying to stone you, and are you going there again?”
Jesus answered, “Aren’t there twelve hours of daylight? If a man walks in the day, he doesn’t stumble, because he sees the light of this world.
But if a man walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light isn’t in him.”
Explanation
John 11:7 records a brief but significant statement from Jesus during the unfolding story of Lazarus's illness and death. After receiving word that his friend Lazarus was sick, and after deliberately waiting a couple of days (as the surrounding verses explain), Jesus turns to his disciples and announces his intention to return to Judea. In plain language, he is simply saying, "It's time for us to go back to Judea" — but this simple statement carries considerable weight given what has come before and what will follow.
The context is essential to understanding why this verse matters. John's Gospel was written to demonstrate that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, so that readers might believe in him. By this point in the narrative, Jesus and his disciples had left Judea specifically because the Jewish religious leaders in Jerusalem had been plotting to kill him (John 10:31-39). Judea was, quite literally, a place of mortal danger for Jesus. When Mary and Martha's messenger arrived reporting that Lazarus was sick, Jesus initially stayed where he was for two more days before making this announcement. His disciples' reaction, recorded in the very next verse, confirms the danger: "Rabbi, the Jews were just trying to stone you. Are you going there again?" (John 11:8).
Theologically, this verse highlights several important truths about Jesus. First
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