John 11:38–44

Lazarus, Come Out 'take away the stone' · 'if you believe you will see the glory of God' · the prayer for the crowd · the dead man came out

Here the great seventh sign reaches its climax. Jesus, again deeply moved within himself, comes to the tomb — a cave with a stone laid against it. He commands the stone removed; Martha, who had confessed him (v. 27), objects that her brother is already four days dead and stinks. Jesus answers with the promise that grounds the whole scene: if you believe, you will see the glory of God. He lifts his eyes and thanks the Father — not as one uncertain of being heard, but for the sake of the surrounding crowd, that they may believe he was sent. Then the life-giving voice cries out: Lazarus, come out. And the dead man comes out, still bound hand and foot — raised back to a mortal life that will end again, a living sign of the resurrection and the life who speaks.

Greek Text (SBLGNT)

The Greek text below is the Society of Biblical Literature Greek New Testament (SBLGNT), edited by Michael W. Holmes — © 2010 SBL and Logos, released CC BY 4.0. These seven verses carry the seventh and greatest sign of the Gospel from Martha's objection to the empty grave-clothes — and Jesus' command to unbind the man he has raised.

Ἰησοῦς οὖν πάλιν ἐμβριμώμενος ἐν ἑαυτῷ ἔρχεται εἰς τὸ μνημεῖον· ἦν δὲ σπήλαιον, καὶ λίθος ἐπέκειτο ἐπ’ αὐτῷ. λέγει ὁ Ἰησοῦς· Ἄρατε τὸν λίθον. λέγει αὐτῷ ἡ ἀδελφὴ τοῦ τετελευτηκότος Μάρθα· Κύριε, ἤδη ὄζει, τεταρταῖος γάρ ἐστιν. λέγει αὐτῇ ὁ Ἰησοῦς· Οὐκ εἶπόν σοι ὅτι ἐὰν πιστεύσῃς ὄψῃ τὴν δόξαν τοῦ θεοῦ; ἦραν οὖν τὸν λίθον. ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς ἦρεν τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ἄνω καὶ εἶπεν· Πάτερ, εὐχαριστῶ σοι ὅτι ἤκουσάς μου, ἐγὼ δὲ ᾔδειν ὅτι πάντοτέ μου ἀκούεις· ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸν ὄχλον τὸν περιεστῶτα εἶπον, ἵνα πιστεύσωσιν ὅτι σύ με ἀπέστειλας. καὶ ταῦτα εἰπὼν φωνῇ μεγάλῃ ἐκραύγασεν· Λάζαρε, δεῦρο ἔξω. ἐξῆλθεν ὁ τεθνηκὼς δεδεμένος τοὺς πόδας καὶ τὰς χεῖρας κειρίαις, καὶ ἡ ὄψις αὐτοῦ σουδαρίῳ περιεδέδετο. λέγει αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς· Λύσατε αὐτὸν καὶ ἄφετε αὐτὸν ὑπάγειν.

Working Translation

An original literal rendering, not borrowed from any copyrighted translation. Brackets mark phrases added for English clarity.

³⁸ Jesus therefore, again deeply moved within himself, comes to the tomb; now it was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. ³⁹ Jesus says, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of the dead man, says to him, "Lord, by now he stinks, for it is the fourth day." ⁴⁰ Jesus says to her, "Did I not tell you that if you believe you will see the glory of God?" ⁴¹ So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted his eyes upward and said, "Father, I thank you that you heard me. ⁴² And I knew that you always hear me; but for the sake of the crowd standing around I said [it], so that they may believe that you sent me." ⁴³ And having said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" ⁴⁴ The dead man came out, bound hand and foot with strips of cloth, and his face was wrapped around with a face-cloth. Jesus says to them, "Unbind him, and let him go."

Note on v. 38: ἐμβριμώμενος ἐν ἑαυτῷ ("deeply moved within himself") carries the strong note of inward agitation or indignation already sounded in v. 33; see the v. 38 commentary. Note on v. 39: τεταρταῖος is a single adjective meaning "on the fourth day, four-days[-dead]." Note on v. 44: κειρίαι are strips or bandages of grave-cloth; σουδάριον is a face-cloth or napkin — the same word for the cloth left folded in Jesus' own empty tomb (20:7).

Passage Structure

These seven verses move in a tight dramatic arc from the closed tomb to the man called back across the threshold of death. Five movements carry the scene:

v. 38 — Jesus at the tomb, again deeply moved. The narrative returns (πάλιν, "again") to the agitation of v. 33. Jesus arrives at the μνημεῖον — a σπήλαιον (cave) sealed with a stone. The scene is set with details that quietly foreshadow his own tomb.
v. 39 — the command and Martha's objection. "Take away the stone." Martha, identified as "the sister of the dead man," protests with stark realism: by now he stinks, for he is τεταρταῖος (four days dead). Even the woman who confessed him (v. 27) falters at the practical edge.
v. 40 — faith before sight. Jesus recalls his promise: "if you believe, you will see the glory of God." Believing precedes seeing — the exact reverse of the demand "show us first, and then we will believe." The glory-of-God theme of v. 4 returns.
vv. 41–42 — the prayer for the crowd. The stone removed, Jesus lifts his eyes and gives thanks: "Father, I thank you that you heard me." He adds that he always knew the Father hears him, and that he spoke aloud for the sake of the crowd, that they might believe the Father sent him. Thanksgiving, not petition; revelation, not need.
vv. 43–44 — the loud cry and the man who came out. "Lazarus, come out!" — the life-giving voice. The dead man comes out still bound in grave-clothes, his face wrapped. Jesus commands, "Unbind him, and let him go." The sign is complete, and it points beyond itself.

The verbs trace the arc. Around the closed tomb cluster the perfects of settled fact: the man has died (τετελευτηκότος, v. 39; τεθνηκώς, v. 44), the cloth "had been wrapped" (περιεδέδετο, v. 44, pluperfect). Against them stand the decisive aorist commands of the One with authority over death — Ἄρατε ("take away"), ἐκραύγασεν ("he cried out"), Λύσατε ("unbind") — and the simple aorist that answers the call: ἐξῆλθεν ("he came out"). The settled fact of death meets the spoken word of the resurrection and the life, and the dead man obeys.

Verse-by-Verse Notes

John 11:38 — Ἰησοῦς οὖν πάλιν ἐμβριμώμενος ἐν ἑαυτῷ ἔρχεται εἰς τὸ μνημεῖον…

πάλιν ἐμβριμώμενος ἐν ἑαυτῷ ("again deeply moved within himself"). The adverb πάλιν ("again") deliberately ties this verse back to v. 33, where the same verb ἐμβριμάομαι first appeared. The word is strong: in classical usage it describes the snorting of horses, and of persons it denotes deep agitation, stern displeasure, even indignation. The present participle ἐμβριμώμενος pictures Jesus arriving at the tomb still in the grip of this profound inward emotion. This is no calm, detached miracle-worker. As he approaches the grave, the Lord of life is moved with something more than sentiment — a holy agitation in the face of death, the last enemy, and of the unbelief and grief that death has scattered around him.

ἔρχεται εἰς τὸ μνημεῖον ("comes to the tomb"). The present tense ἔρχεται ("comes") is a vivid historical present, drawing the reader into the moment. μνημεῖον ("tomb, memorial") is the standard Johannine word for a burial place — and the very word that will name Jesus' own tomb in chapter 20. The narrative is quietly preparing the reader: the One who stands before this tomb will soon lie in another.

ἦν δὲ σπήλαιον, καὶ λίθος ἐπέκειτο ἐπ’ αὐτῷ ("now it was a cave, and a stone was lying against it"). σπήλαιον ("cave, cavern") describes a typical rock-cut tomb, and λίθος ἐπέκειτο ("a stone was lying against / upon it") completes the picture — the imperfect ἐπέκειτο conveys the settled state of the sealed grave. The details are not incidental: a cave-tomb closed with a stone is exactly the scene of Jesus' own burial (20:1). John lets the reader feel the foreshadowing. The Lord who will command this stone removed will himself be sealed behind a stone — and that stone, too, will be moved.

John 11:39 — Ἄρατε τὸν λίθον… Κύριε, ἤδη ὄζει, τεταρταῖος γάρ ἐστιν.

Ἄρατε τὸν λίθον ("Take away the stone"). The aorist imperative Ἄρατε ("lift, take away") is a plain, authoritative command. Jesus does not move the stone himself, nor does he need human help to raise the dead; he enlists the bystanders so that the sign will be public and undeniable. The removal of the stone exposes the reality of death to every witness before the word of life is spoken.

ἡ ἀδελφὴ τοῦ τετελευτηκότος Μάρθα ("Martha, the sister of the dead man"). The narrator pointedly identifies Martha here as "the sister of the dead man" — the perfect participle τετελευτηκότος (from τελευτάω, "to come to an end, die") naming Lazarus as one who has died and remains dead. The label heightens the pathos and the realism: this is the same Martha who confessed in v. 27, "I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God" — and yet, at the graveside, faith meets its hardest test.

ἤδη ὄζει, τεταρταῖος γάρ ἐστιν ("by now he stinks, for it is the fourth day"). ὄζει (from ὄζω, "to give off a smell, stink") is blunt and physical: the body has begun to decay. τεταρταῖος is a single Greek adjective — "on the fourth day, of the fourth day" — here meaning "four days dead." In the thinking of the time, the fourth day put the matter beyond any hope or any suspicion of mere swooning; corruption had set in. Martha's objection is not faithlessness so much as honest realism, and it serves the narrative perfectly: by stating the stench and the fourth day, she certifies for every reader that what follows is no resuscitation of the merely unconscious but the raising of one truly and decomposingly dead. The magnitude of the corruption underscores the magnitude of the sign.

John 11:40 — Οὐκ εἶπόν σοι ὅτι ἐὰν πιστεύσῃς ὄψῃ τὴν δόξαν τοῦ θεοῦ;

Οὐκ εἶπόν σοι…; ("Did I not tell you…?"). The question, introduced by οὐκ, expects a "yes": Jesus is recalling a promise already made. Although the exact wording is not quoted earlier in the chapter, the substance reaches back to his words in v. 4 ("this is for the glory of God") and to the whole exchange with Martha in vv. 25–26. He gently redirects her from the stench of the grave to the promise of glory.

ἐὰν πιστεύσῃς ὄψῃ τὴν δόξαν τοῦ θεοῦ ("if you believe you will see the glory of God"). The conditional is built on ἐάν with the aorist subjunctive πιστεύσῃς ("if you believe"), and the apodosis is the future ὄψῃ ("you will see"). The order is decisive: believing precedes seeing. This reverses the natural human demand — "show us, and then we will believe." In John's Gospel, faith is the doorway to perception of God's glory, not its reward for proof already given. τὴν δόξαν τοῦ θεοῦ ("the glory of God") picks up v. 4, where Jesus said the sickness was "for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it." The raising of Lazarus will be a visible manifestation of that glory — and only the eye of faith will read it rightly.

Careful Caution — "if you believe you will see" is not faith earning a miracle

Jesus' words do not make Martha's faith the cause that purchases the resurrection of her brother, as though enough believing could compel God to act. The sign is the Father's gift through the Son, grounded in the Son's authority over death, not in the strength of anyone's faith. The point is rather that faith is the posture that perceives the glory of God when it is revealed — the unbelieving crowd will see a corpse rise, but only faith will see in it the glory of God and the Son who is the resurrection and the life. Believing is not the lever that lifts the dead; it is the eye that beholds the glory.

John 11:41 — ἦραν οὖν τὸν λίθον… Πάτερ, εὐχαριστῶ σοι ὅτι ἤκουσάς μου.

ἦραν οὖν τὸν λίθον ("so they took away the stone"). The bystanders obey, and the aorist ἦραν ("they took away") answers the command of v. 39. The tomb stands open before the watching crowd.

ἦρεν τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ἄνω ("lifted his eyes upward"). Jesus "lifted his eyes upward" — the same posture of prayer found in 17:1. The gesture is open and public; this prayer is meant to be seen and heard, not whispered.

Πάτερ, εὐχαριστῶ σοι ὅτι ἤκουσάς μου ("Father, I thank you that you heard me"). The form of address, Πάτερ ("Father"), expresses the Son's unique intimacy with God. Most striking is the verb: εὐχαριστῶ ("I give thanks") — not a petition but a thanksgiving. Jesus does not ask the Father to raise Lazarus; he thanks the Father that he has already heard him (aorist ἤκουσάς). The prayer that secured this sign has, in the perfect communion of Father and Son, already been answered. The Son speaks not as a suppliant uncertain of the outcome but as the eternal Son in unbroken fellowship with the Father.

John 11:42 — ἐγὼ δὲ ᾔδειν ὅτι πάντοτέ μου ἀκούεις· ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸν ὄχλον… ἵνα πιστεύσωσιν ὅτι σύ με ἀπέστειλας.

ἐγὼ δὲ ᾔδειν ὅτι πάντοτέ μου ἀκούεις ("and I knew that you always hear me"). The emphatic ἐγώ ("I, for my part") and the pluperfect ᾔδειν ("I knew, I had known") set the Son's settled knowledge over against any thought that the prayer was a real request from one in doubt. πάντοτε ("always") with the present ἀκούεις ("you hear") confesses the constant, unbroken hearing of the Father. The Son never needs to wonder whether he is heard.

διὰ τὸν ὄχλον τὸν περιεστῶτα εἶπον ("for the sake of the crowd standing around I said [it]"). Jesus states plainly why he prayed aloud: διά with the accusative gives the reason — "on account of the crowd." The perfect participle περιεστῶτα ("standing around, encircling") pictures the watching bystanders. The vocal prayer is a deliberate act of revelation directed at them. He spoke so that they would hear, and hearing, understand the relation between the Son and the Father.

ἵνα πιστεύσωσιν ὅτι σύ με ἀπέστειλας ("so that they may believe that you sent me"). The purpose clause (ἵνα + aorist subjunctive πιστεύσωσιν) names the goal: the crowd's faith. The content of that faith is "that you sent me" — the emphatic σύ ("you") and the aorist ἀπέστειλας ("you sent") together identify Jesus as the Sent One, the one whose mission and authority come from the Father. The miracle thus functions as a sign that authenticates his divine commission: the Father answers the Son's word by raising the dead, openly vindicating that the Son was sent from God.

Careful Caution — the prayer is not the Son gaining power he lacked

Verses 41–42 must not be read as though Jesus needed to ask the Father for power he did not possess, or as though he were uncertain of being heard. He says outright that he always knew the Father hears him, and his word is thanksgiving, not petition. The prayer reveals, rather than supplies, the perfect Father-Son communion: the miracle is framed as the Father's answer to the Son, spoken aloud so the crowd may grasp that this work is from God and that Jesus is the one the Father sent. To turn this prayer into evidence that Jesus is a mere man dependent on God for ability is to read against the grain of John's whole Gospel, which presents the Son himself as the resurrection and the life (v. 25) with authority to give life (5:21, 26).

John 11:43 — καὶ ταῦτα εἰπὼν φωνῇ μεγάλῃ ἐκραύγασεν· Λάζαρε, δεῦρο ἔξω.

φωνῇ μεγάλῃ ἐκραύγασεν ("he cried out with a loud voice"). The dative φωνῇ μεγάλῃ ("with a loud / great voice") and the aorist ἐκραύγασεν (from κραυγάζω, "to cry out, shout") describe a powerful, public shout. This is not a quiet incantation but a commanding call that all can hear. The loud voice befits the magnitude of the moment: the dead are being summoned by their Maker.

Λάζαρε, δεῦρο ἔξω ("Lazarus, come out!"). The address is direct and personal — the dead man is called by name. δεῦρο ("come here, come!") is an adverb used as a command of motion, and ἔξω ("out, outside") points him toward the open tomb's mouth. The terseness is striking: three words effect what they say. (An old preacher's remark observes that Jesus named Lazarus lest, at so mighty a call, all the dead should come forth at once — a pious flourish; the real point is simpler and greater: the word of the Son effects what it commands. He speaks, and the dead obey.) This is the life-giving voice Jesus had announced earlier in the Gospel: "the hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live" (5:25), and again, "the hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out" (5:28–29). The raising of Lazarus is a preview, in miniature, of that general resurrection. The voice that will one day empty every grave here empties one.

John 11:44 — ἐξῆλθεν ὁ τεθνηκὼς δεδεμένος… Λύσατε αὐτὸν καὶ ἄφετε αὐτὸν ὑπάγειν.

ἐξῆλθεν ὁ τεθνηκώς ("the dead man came out"). The aorist ἐξῆλθεν ("he came out") is the simple, stunning answer to the command of v. 43. The subject is named with deliberate paradox: ὁ τεθνηκώς — "the one who had died," the perfect participle of θνῄσκω still labeling him by the death he is now leaving behind. The dead man walks out of his tomb.

δεδεμένος τοὺς πόδας καὶ τὰς χεῖρας κειρίαις, καὶ ἡ ὄψις αὐτοῦ σουδαρίῳ περιεδέδετο ("bound hand and foot with strips of cloth, and his face was wrapped around with a face-cloth"). The perfect participle δεδεμένος ("having been bound") and the pluperfect περιεδέδετο ("had been wrapped around") describe the burial wrappings still in place. κειρίαι are the strips or bandages of grave-cloth; σουδάριον is the face-cloth or napkin over the head. The detail is important: Lazarus emerges still bound, still clothed in the trappings of the grave. He has been called back to mortal life — and he will need those grave-clothes again. The contrast with Jesus' own resurrection is pointed. In 20:6–7 the grave-clothes are left behind in the empty tomb, the face-cloth folded by itself, because the risen Lord has passed out of death's wrappings forever into deathless, glorified life. Lazarus is bound; Jesus leaves the bindings. (See the distinction below.)

Λύσατε αὐτὸν καὶ ἄφετε αὐτὸν ὑπάγειν ("Unbind him, and let him go"). A final pair of aorist imperatives: Λύσατε ("loose, unbind") and ἄφετε ... ὑπάγειν ("let / permit him to go away"). Jesus, who raised the dead by his word, now enlists the bystanders again to free the living man from his grave-clothes. The raising is the Lord's work alone; the unbinding is given to human hands. The man who walked out of death is set free to walk among the living.

Careful Caution — resuscitation, not resurrection

The raising of Lazarus is a resuscitation, not a resurrection in the full and final sense. Lazarus is restored to mortal life: he will grow old, he will die again, and his body still carries the wrappings of the grave that he will one day need once more. This is categorically different from Jesus' own bodily resurrection, in which he rose to deathless, glorified life, never to die again — which is why his grave-clothes are left behind, empty, in the tomb (20:6–7). Lazarus is raised to die; Jesus is raised to reign. The Lazarus miracle is therefore a sign: it points beyond itself to Jesus' own resurrection and to the final resurrection of all the dead at the last day. It is a genuine and astonishing victory over death, but a provisional one — a window onto the greater and permanent victory that Christ alone secures.

Key Greek Words and Phrases

Greek	Translit.	Meaning	In context
ἐμβριμώμενος	embrimōmenos	"deeply moved, agitated, indignant" (participle of ἐμβριμάομαι)	v. 38 — the strong inward emotion of v. 33 continues as Jesus comes to the tomb; holy agitation before death
μνημεῖον	mnēmeion	"tomb, memorial, grave"	v. 38 — the same word used of Jesus' own tomb in ch. 20; the foreshadowing is deliberate
σπήλαιον	spēlaion	"cave, cavern"	v. 38 — a rock-cut tomb sealed with a stone, mirroring Jesus' burial place (20:1)
τετελευτηκότος	teteleutēkotos	"of the one who has died" (perfect participle of τελευτάω)	v. 39 — Martha is "the sister of the dead man"; the perfect underscores settled, abiding death
ὄζει / τεταρταῖος	ozei / tetartaios	"he stinks" / "four-days[-dead], on the fourth day"	v. 39 — corruption has set in; the magnitude of decay certifies the magnitude of the sign
ἐὰν πιστεύσῃς ὄψῃ	ean pisteusēs opsē	"if you believe, you will see"	v. 40 — faith precedes sight; faith is the eye that beholds the glory of God
δόξα τοῦ θεοῦ	doxa tou theou	"the glory of God"	v. 40 — picks up v. 4; the raising is a manifestation of divine glory, perceived by faith
εὐχαριστῶ σοι	eucharistō soi	"I give thanks to you"	v. 41 — thanksgiving, not petition; the Son thanks the Father who has already heard him
σύ με ἀπέστειλας	sy me apesteilas	"you sent me"	v. 42 — the crowd is to believe Jesus is the Sent One; the sign authenticates his divine mission
ἐκραύγασεν	ekraugasen	"he cried out, shouted" (aorist of κραυγάζω)	v. 43 — the loud, commanding voice; the life-giving call of the Son of God (cf. 5:25, 28)
δεῦρο ἔξω	deuro exō	"come out!" ("come here" + "outside")	v. 43 — the terse command that effects what it says; the word of the Son raises the dead
κειρίαι / σουδάριον	keiriai / soudarion	"grave-strips, bandages" / "face-cloth, napkin"	v. 44 — Lazarus comes out still bound; contrast the clothes left behind in Jesus' tomb (20:6–7)
ὁ τεθνηκώς	ho tethnēkōs	"the dead man, the one who had died" (perfect participle of θνῄσκω)	v. 44 — the paradox: the dead man comes out; resuscitated to mortal life, not yet glorified
Λύσατε αὐτόν	lysate auton	"unbind him, loose him" (aorist imperative of λύω)	v. 44 — the raising is the Lord's work; the unbinding is given to human hands

Grammar and Syntax that Affect Interpretation

πάλιν + present participle ἐμβριμώμενος — v. 38. "Again deeply moved" explicitly links this verse to v. 33. The strong verb (agitation/indignation, not mere sadness) carries through to the tomb; Jesus approaches death with holy emotion.
The historical present ἔρχεται and the imperfect ἐπέκειτο — v. 38. The vivid present draws the reader in; the imperfect "was lying [upon it]" pictures the settled, sealed state of the grave — a cave with a stone, like Jesus' own tomb.
The single adjective τεταρταῖος — v. 39. "Four-days[-dead]" in one word, paired with the blunt ὄζει ("he stinks"). The detail certifies real, decomposing death, ruling out any mere swoon.
The conditional ἐὰν πιστεύσῃς ὄψῃ — v. 40. Protasis (aorist subjunctive "if you believe") before apodosis (future "you will see"): the word order enacts the theology — believing precedes seeing the glory, reversing "show us and we'll believe."
The verb εὐχαριστῶ, not a verb of petition — v. 41. Jesus thanks; he does not ask. The aorist ἤκουσάς ("you heard") treats the answer as already given.
The emphatic ἐγώ + pluperfect ᾔδειν + adverb πάντοτε — v. 42. "I, for my part, had known that you always hear me." The grammar excludes any notion that the prayer was a real request from one uncertain of being heard.
διά + accusative τὸν ὄχλον and the ἵνα-clause — v. 42. The reason for praying aloud ("for the sake of the crowd") and its purpose ("so that they may believe that you sent me"). The prayer is revelation aimed at the bystanders' faith.
The dative of manner φωνῇ μεγάλῃ + aorist ἐκραύγασεν — v. 43. "With a loud voice he cried out." The public shout befits the summons of the dead by the Son of God (cf. 5:25, 28).
The terse imperatives δεῦρο ἔξω — v. 43. "Come — out!" Two short words; the word of the Son effects what it commands. The dead man hears and obeys.
The perfect/pluperfect of binding: δεδεμένος, περιεδέδετο — v. 44. "Having been bound," "had been wrapped around." Lazarus comes out still in his grave-clothes — the grammar of a resuscitation, not the empty wrappings of the glorified resurrection (20:6–7).
The aorist imperatives Λύσατε and ἄφετε ... ὑπάγειν — v. 44. "Unbind him, and let him go." The raising is Christ's alone; the loosing is entrusted to human hands.

Theological Significance

Christ over death — the life-giving voice. The center of this passage is the voice of Jesus calling a four-days-dead man out of the tomb. It is the voice he had announced in 5:25 and 5:28: "the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live." Here that voice is heard in history, in advance of the last day. The raising of Lazarus is the seventh and greatest of the signs in John, and it declares with unmistakable force that Jesus is the resurrection and the life (v. 25) — not merely a worker of wonders but the Lord who holds the keys of death. His word does what it says; the dead obey him.

Faith before sight. Verse 40 sets the order of the kingdom against the order of the natural heart. The world says, "Show us, and we will believe." Jesus says, "Believe, and you will see the glory of God." Faith is not the reward of sight; it is the eye that perceives the glory God reveals. Martha, who confessed him at the entrance to the village, must learn to trust him even at the mouth of the grave. The glory of God in the raising of Lazarus is visible to all, but legible only to faith.

The Father-Son communion and the Sent One. The prayer of vv. 41–42 is one of the clearest windows in the Gospel onto the relation between the Son and the Father. Jesus thanks the Father rather than petitioning him, and says outright that the Father always hears him. He prays aloud not because he needs to, but for the crowd — that they may believe the Father sent him. The miracle thus authenticates his divine mission: the Father openly answers the Son's word by raising the dead, vindicating that Jesus is the one sent from God. The sign and the prayer together preach the deity of the Son and the perfect harmony of his work with the Father's will.

Resuscitation as sign of resurrection. Lazarus comes out still bound in his grave-clothes, because he is raised to a mortal life he will lose again. This is the crucial distinction the passage teaches: Lazarus is resuscitated, restored to the same dying life; Jesus will be resurrected, raised to deathless and glorified life, leaving his grave-clothes behind (20:6–7). The Lazarus miracle is therefore a sign — a finger pointing past itself to Jesus' own resurrection and to the final resurrection of all the dead. It assures the church that the One who can call a rotting corpse back to life can and will raise his people to a life that never ends.

Common Misreadings and Careful Corrections

The raising of Lazarus is the same kind of event as Jesus' resurrection. It is not. Lazarus is resuscitated — brought back to mortal life, still bound in grave-clothes (v. 44), destined to die again. Jesus is resurrected — raised to deathless, glorified life, his grave-clothes left behind in the empty tomb (20:6–7). The Lazarus miracle is a sign pointing to Jesus' own bodily resurrection and to the final resurrection, not an instance of the same glorified life.
Jesus' thanksgiving prayer (vv. 41–42) shows that he needed to ask the Father for power he lacked. It shows the opposite. Jesus thanks rather than petitions, and declares that the Father always hears him. The prayer reveals the perfect Father-Son communion and is spoken aloud for the crowd's benefit, that they may believe the Father sent him — not to supply a power the Son did not already have as the resurrection and the life.
"If you believe you will see" (v. 40) means faith earns or causes the miracle. Faith does not purchase the resurrection of Lazarus. The sign is the Father's gift through the authoritative word of the Son. Faith is the posture that perceives God's glory in the sign; it is the eye that beholds, not the lever that lifts the dead.
Martha's objection (v. 39) is mere faithlessness to be scorned. Her words are honest realism, and they serve the narrative: by stating the stench and the fourth day she certifies that Lazarus is truly, decomposingly dead. Even genuine faith (she confessed him in v. 27) can falter at the practical edge — and that is part of the point.
The "loud voice" (v. 43) is a magical technique or incantation. The shout is not a spell; it is a public, commanding summons by the Son of God whose word effects what it says. The point is the authority of his voice over death, the same voice that will one day empty every tomb (5:28–29).
The grave-clothes detail (v. 44) is a stray narrative flourish. It is theologically loaded. Lazarus comes out still bound; he will need those clothes again. The contrast with the wrappings left behind in Jesus' tomb (20:6–7) is exactly how John distinguishes resuscitation to mortal life from resurrection to glory.

Cross-References

John 11:1–16 — the sickness "for the glory of God" (v. 4) and Jesus' deliberate delay; the setup for the great sign. See John 11.
John 11:17–37 — Martha's and Mary's grief, the great "I am the resurrection and the life" (vv. 25–26), and the first note of Jesus' deep agitation (v. 33). See John 11:17–37.
John 11:45–57 — the response to the sign: many believe, but the authorities plot Jesus' death; the raising of Lazarus precipitates the cross. See John 11:45–57.
John 5:25 — "the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live"; the life-giving voice heard at Lazarus' tomb.
John 5:28–29 — "all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out"; the general resurrection of which the Lazarus raising is a preview.
John 5:21, 26 — the Son gives life to whom he will, and has life in himself as the Father does; the authority behind the command "come out."
John 11:4, 40; 17:1 — the glory of God as the purpose of the sign; the Son glorified through it; the posture of lifted eyes in prayer.
John 20:6–7 — the grave-clothes and the face-cloth (σουδάριον) left behind in Jesus' empty tomb; the contrast that marks resurrection over resuscitation.
John 14:9; 17:21–23 — the perfect communion of the Father and the Son, displayed in the prayer of vv. 41–42 and confessed in the crowd's intended faith.
1 Corinthians 15:20–26 — Christ the firstfruits, death the last enemy destroyed; the final resurrection toward which the sign points. See Soteriology.
The deity and authority of the Son over life and death — the Christological weight of the seventh sign. See Christology.

Preaching / Teaching Summary

John 11:38–44 is the climax of the seventh sign, and it gathers the whole chapter into one commanding word at the mouth of a tomb. Three lines preach.

First, the voice that empties the grave. Jesus stands before a sealed cave, a four-days-dead man inside, the stench of corruption certified by the dead man's own sister. And he simply speaks: "Lazarus, come out." The dead man hears and obeys. This is the voice announced in John 5 — the voice that the dead will hear, and hearing, live. Here it empties one tomb as a preview of the day it will empty them all. Preach the authority of Christ's word over death itself: he does not coax or persuade the grave; he commands it, and it yields.

Second, believe, and you will see. The world demands proof before faith; Jesus reverses it. "Did I not tell you that if you believe you will see the glory of God?" Faith is not the reward for sight already given; it is the eye that perceives God's glory when it is revealed. Even Martha, who had confessed him, must trust him at the mouth of the grave where every sense says it is too late. The Christian is called to that same order: not "show me, then I will trust," but "I trust you, and so I will see."

Third, a sign that points past itself. Lazarus walks out still wrapped in his grave-clothes — raised, but raised to die again. That detail is the sermon's hinge. This is a resuscitation, not the resurrection; a real victory, but a provisional one. It points beyond itself to the empty tomb of Jesus, where the grave-clothes were left behind because the risen Lord had passed forever out of death's reach — and to the last day, when his voice will call all his people to a life that never ends. The Lazarus miracle is not the destination; it is the finger pointing to the One who is himself the resurrection and the life. Look where it points, and believe.

Memory and Review Questions

What does πάλιν ἐμβριμώμενος ἐν ἑαυτῷ (v. 38) tell us about Jesus' state as he comes to the tomb?
"Again deeply moved within himself" ties this verse back to v. 33. The strong verb ἐμβριμάομαι denotes deep agitation or indignation, not mere sadness; the Lord of life approaches the grave with holy emotion in the face of death and unbelief.
Why do the details of v. 38 — a σπήλαιον with a λίθος against it — matter?
A cave-tomb sealed with a stone is exactly the scene of Jesus' own burial (20:1). John lets the reader feel the foreshadowing: the One who commands this stone removed will himself lie behind a stone that will be moved.
What is the force of τεταρταῖος and ὄζει in Martha's objection (v. 39)?
"Four-days[-dead]" (one Greek adjective) and "he stinks." Corruption has set in; the fourth day put the matter beyond hope or suspicion of a swoon. The magnitude of the decay certifies the magnitude of the sign that follows.
How does Martha's objection fit with her earlier confession (v. 27)?
Even genuine faith can falter at the practical edge. The woman who confessed "you are the Christ, the Son of God" still flinches at the mouth of the grave. Her realism is honest, not faithless, and it serves the narrative by certifying real death.
What is the significance of the order in "if you believe you will see the glory of God" (v. 40)?
Believing precedes seeing. This reverses the natural demand "show us and then we'll believe." In John, faith is the eye that perceives God's glory when it is revealed, not the reward for proof already given.
Why is it important that Jesus says εὐχαριστῶ ("I thank you") rather than asking the Father (vv. 41–42)?
The prayer is thanksgiving, not petition. Jesus thanks the Father that he has already heard him, and says he always knew the Father hears him. The prayer reveals the perfect Father-Son communion rather than supplying power the Son lacked.
Why did Jesus pray aloud, according to v. 42?
"For the sake of the crowd standing around," so that they "may believe that you sent me." The vocal prayer is deliberate revelation: the miracle authenticates Jesus as the Sent One, vindicated by the Father's open answer.
How does the loud cry "Lazarus, come out" (v. 43) connect to Jesus' earlier teaching in John 5?
It is the life-giving voice of 5:25 and 5:28–29 — "the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God... and come out." The raising of Lazarus is a preview, in miniature, of the general resurrection at the last day; the word of the Son effects what it commands.
What do the grave-clothes (κειρίαι, σουδάριον) in v. 44 signify?
Lazarus comes out still bound; he is raised to mortal life and will need those clothes again. The contrast with Jesus' own tomb, where the clothes are left behind (20:6–7), marks the difference between resuscitation and resurrection.
What is the difference between resuscitation and resurrection, and which is the raising of Lazarus?
Resuscitation is restoration to mortal life that will end again (Lazarus); resurrection is being raised to deathless, glorified life never to die again (Jesus). Lazarus is resuscitated — a real but provisional victory that signs Jesus' resurrection and the final resurrection.
In what sense is the raising of Lazarus a "sign"?
It points beyond itself. The seventh and greatest sign in John declares that Jesus is the resurrection and the life (v. 25), and directs faith toward his own bodily resurrection and the final resurrection of all the dead, assuring the church that his voice will one day empty every grave.
Why does Jesus command "Unbind him, and let him go" (v. 44) rather than freeing Lazarus himself?
The raising is the Lord's work alone — done by his word; the unbinding is entrusted to human hands. The man called out of death is set free to walk among the living.