John 11:39 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, "Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days."

NIV: "Take away the stone," he said. "But, Lord," said Martha, the sister of the dead man, "by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days."

NASB: Jesus *said, 'Remove the stone.' Martha, the sister of the deceased, *said to Him, 'Lord, by this time there will be a stench, for he has been dead four days.'

CSB: "Remove the stone," Jesus said. Martha, the dead man’s sister, told him, "Lord, there is already a stench because he has been dead four days."

NLT: Roll the stone aside,' Jesus told them. But Martha, the dead man’s sister, protested, 'Lord, he has been dead for four days. The smell will be terrible.'

KJV: Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days.

NKJV: 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.”

What Jesus asks for here is not a minor request. One can only imagine the reaction if someone came to visit the grave of a recently-departed friend and commanded survivors to "dig him up and open the coffin." That, however, is the equivalent of what Jesus is asking Mary and Martha to do.

In that era, embalming techniques were not nearly so effective as they are today. Martha's concern is not just practical, it's emotional. Seeing the corpse of a loved one, even in the best circumstances, can be very difficult. No one can blame Martha for being unsure about the idea of seeing her brother's body after four days of decomposition.

The fact that Lazarus is so obviously and clearly dead is part of Jesus' plan (John 11:11–15). He purposefully delayed His return to Bethany (John 11:6) in order to perform this very miracle. The assembled crowd, who followed Mary when she left to see Jesus (John 11:31), is also part of that arrangement. What happens in the next few moments is the most spectacular of Jesus' miracles as recorded in the gospel of John. As with other "signs," the purpose of this situation is to prove that Jesus is divine and empowered by God (John 20:30–31).

John 11:38–44 describes the seventh and final miraculous ''sign'' recorded in the gospel of John. This is by far the most spectacular, as Jesus restores life to a man who has been dead for four days. Lazarus' death is confirmed to the point that his family hesitates to open his tomb, fearing what a putrefying corpse will smell like. For the benefit of the crowd, Jesus prays loudly, then commands Lazarus to arise. Lazarus does so, still wrapped in his burial shrouds. This display of divine power only increases the resolve of Jesus' enemies to have Him killed as soon as possible.

Jesus has left the vicinity of Jerusalem to avoid hostile religious leaders. While gone, He receives word that a good friend, Lazarus, is sick. In fact, Lazarus has died by the time this message reaches Jesus. He purposefully waits a few days before returning to Bethany, arriving four days after Lazarus' burial. In front of Lazarus' mourning sisters—who Jesus weeps with—and an assembled crowd, Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead in a stirring and spectacular miracle. This is the seventh of John's seven ''signs'' of Jesus' divine power. In response, religious leaders coordinate in their effort to have Jesus murdered.

After giving sight to a man born blind (John 9), Jesus sparred with religious leaders on at least two occasions (John 10). After another failed arrest attempt, Jesus left the area and went out where Jerusalem's politics had little influence. In this chapter, He returns to resurrect a recently-departed friend, Lazarus. That results in a renewed commitment from Jerusalem's religious leaders to have Jesus murdered. As the crucifixion draws near, Jesus will stage His triumphal entry in chapter 12, and then begin His final teachings to the disciples.

The disciple John wrote the gospel of John decades after the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke were written. The author assumes that a reader is already familiar with the content of these other works. So, John presents a different perspective, with a greater emphasis on meaning. John uses seven miracles—which he calls "signs"— to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.