John 11:42 - Printer Friendly

ESV: I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me."

NIV: I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me."

NASB: But I knew that You always hear Me; nevertheless, because of the people standing around I said it, so that they may believe that You sent Me.'

CSB: I know that you always hear me, but because of the crowd standing here I said this, so that they may believe you sent me."

NLT: You always hear me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here, so that they will believe you sent me.'

KJV: And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me.

NKJV: And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.”

Jesus' words in this part of His prayer express the primary purpose of miracles: demonstrating divine approval of some message or idea. Jesus has arrived when Lazarus' death is absolutely beyond dispute (John 11:39), and He now speaks in front of a crowd of witnesses (John 11:31, 35–37). By making this declaration, Jesus is giving context to the upcoming miracle (John 11:43–44).

The gospel of John uses the term "signs" when describing Jesus' miracles (John 2:11; 4:54; 6:14). What happens in the next verse is the seventh and most spectacular of these signs. As with all of Jesus' supernatural acts, the purpose is to prove His divine nature (John 20:30–31). Some of Christ's miracles were relatively private, such as turning the water into wine in Cana—few people knew Jesus was involved. Some were public, but abrupt, such as giving sight to the blind man (John 9:1–7).

People respond to God's miraculous signs in varied ways. This is much the same way they respond to the mundane physical signs we see on streets and in buildings. When printed signs offer warnings or guidance, some accept what is said. Others notice, but don't take the message seriously. Some ignore it entirely, thinking it does not apply to them. Others deliberately ignore warning posters because they don't like the restriction. Jesus makes this miracle extremely obvious, and as a result, the reaction from His most hateful critics is extreme as well. Instead of accepting the meaning of the miracle, the religious leaders of Jerusalem will seek death for both Jesus and Lazarus (John 11:53; 12:10–11).

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.