“Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?”
The full verse · John 11:40 · KJV
unto , Said unto , , thou wouldest , thou shouldest the of ?
Asked by
Jesus: the Son of God and promised Messiah, standing at Lazarus' grave and commanding, "Take ye away the stone" (John 11:39)
Asked to
Martha: sister of the dead man, who objected that Lazarus had been dead four days (John 11:39)
The Scene
At the cave where Lazarus is buried, Jesus says, "Take ye away the stone," and Martha objects, "Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days" (John 11:38-39).
Why It Was Asked
The purpose behind the questionMartha's objection was honest and practical. Four days in the grave meant decay. Jesus' question calls her back from what she knows about death to what He has said. Barnes explains that this promise "was implied in what he had said about the resurrection of her brother" (John 11:23-25). Gill says it was said "Not in so many words, but what might be concluded from what he said," and adds that Jesus may have spoken these words to her in conversation even though John did not record them. The question gently presses her to trust His word before the stone is moved.
The Response
What Scripture recordsMartha gives no recorded answer, but the stone is moved: "Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid" (John 11:41). Jesus lifted up His eyes and thanked the Father, then "cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth" (John 11:41-43). "He that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes," and Jesus said, "Loose him, and let him go" (John 11:44). The glory of God was shown, as He had said (John 11:4, 40).
Historical Context
The world behind the wordsThe grave "was a cave, and a stone lay upon it" (John 11:38). Martha's concern about the smell reflects how long Lazarus had been dead: four days (John 11:17, 39). Barnes notes that the four days rule out any deception or any thought that Lazarus had only seemed dead.
Barnes explains "the glory of God" here as "The power and goodness displayed in the resurrection." Jesus had used the same phrase when He first heard of the illness: "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God" (John 11:4).
The Bigger Picture
Where this fits in God's storyThis question shows God's character: His glory is displayed in giving life where there was only death. From the start of the chapter, Jesus said Lazarus' sickness was "for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby" (John 11:4). At the tomb He prays aloud "that they may believe that thou hast sent me" (John 11:42).
Martha's faith was real but not perfect. She had confessed Him as "the Christ, the Son of God" (John 11:27), and at the tomb she hesitated at the stone. Jesus did not set her aside. He reminded her of His word and then acted. Matthew Henry writes that "a sincere faith shall at length be crowned with a blessed vision."
Look Closer
Why did Martha hesitate when Jesus said to take away the stone?
Carry the question into prayer and conversation.
Lord, where am I standing at a stone, counting the days, when You are asking me to believe and see Your glory?
A prayer to carry into the day.
- Martha believed in Jesus and still hesitated at the tomb. Where do faith and hesitation sit side by side in your own heart?
- Share a time when God did something in a situation you had already given up on.
For you, a small group, a friend, or the dinner table.
Faith and honest hesitation can live in the same heart. Martha confessed Jesus as the Christ (John 11:27) and then worried about the smell of the tomb. Jesus did not reject her; He reminded her of His word. When something in your life seems settled and past hope, go back to what Jesus has said.
This doesn't mean faith is a technique that guarantees the outcome you want. Jesus promised Martha she would see "the glory of God"; the glory is His, shown in His way and His time (John 11:4, 6).
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