Lazarus
When Jesus heard this, He said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” John 11:4 · Berean Standard Bible
When Jesus hears the news, He says, 'This sickness won't end in death. It's for God's glory, so the Son of God may be glorified through it.'
Jesus sees something everyone else misses: this isn't a tragedy—it's an opportunity for God to show His power in an unforgettable way.
Jesus interprets Lazarus' illness through the lens of God's greater purpose.
This must have been confusing to hear. Lazarus is dying, and Jesus says it's for God's glory? But He sees the bigger picture that no one else can see yet.
Jesus interprets the sickness not as terminal but teleological: 'hyper tēs doxēs tou theou' (for the glory of God), specifically so the Son of God may be glorified through it.
This parallels Jesus' interpretation of the blind man's condition in 9:3. The term 'doxasthē' (be glorified) in John often carries passion overtones—the Son's glorification includes the cross.
Jesus receives the news and provides a theological interpretation of Lazarus' illness.
Jesus' response seems puzzling to His disciples: rather than rushing to Bethany, He declares the sickness serves a divine purpose—the revelation of God's glory through the Son.
2(Mary, whose brother Lazarus was sick, was to anoint the Lord with perfume and wipe His feet with her hair.)
3So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one You love is sick.”
4When Jesus heard this, He said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”
5Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
6So on hearing that Lazarus was sick, He stayed where He was for two days,
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