³⁸ Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. ³⁹ 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.” ⁴⁰ Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” ⁴¹ So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. ⁴² 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.” ⁴³ When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” ⁴⁴ The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”

Reflection Questions

John 11:39-41
• Think about Martha’s response. Is it understandable? What perspective does her response represent?

• In what ways am I like Martha in how I think about what God can do in my life or in the lives of others?

• Jesus, who has the power to raise the dead, asked the people gathered there to “take away the stone.” What is the lesson behind this?

John 11:43-44
• What were the two things Jesus commanded, first to Lazarus and then to the others?

• How have I responded to both commands to “come out” and be “unbound”?