John 11:38 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it.

NIV: Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance.

NASB: So Jesus, again being deeply moved within, *came to the tomb. Now it was a cave, and a stone was lying against it.

CSB: Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it.

NLT: Jesus was still angry as he arrived at the tomb, a cave with a stone rolled across its entrance.

KJV: Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it.

NKJV: Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it.

This statement once again uses the term found in verse 33. A reasonable translation of the word is "indignant," since it's the same word used to describe the reaction of onlookers when Mary anoints Jesus with expensive perfume (Mark 14:5). Jesus is displeased—righteously angry—at the pain being suffered by these people. The infamously-short verse "Jesus wept" (John 11:35) proves that Christ is fully man, with the full range of human emotions. It also shows that God does, in fact, sympathize with human suffering (Hebrews 4:15–16). That fact is important, when we remember that Jesus has planned all along to come here and raise Lazarus from the dead (John 11:11–15).

As in the case of Jesus' own burial (Mark 15:46), stone caves with large rocks were frequently used as burial chambers. Funerals in the ancient world were often performed very soon after death. Compared to modern technologies, it was extremely difficult to keep a corpse from festering. This is why, by the time Jesus arrives in Bethany, Lazarus has already been in the tomb for four days (John 11:17). It's also why, in the next verse, the ever-practical Martha will express concern about opening the grave.

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 gospel of John was written by the disciple John, decades later than the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. 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”—in order to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in all of the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.