John 11:4

My Notes

What Does John 11:4 Mean?

"When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby." When told that Lazarus is sick, Jesus' response seems detached: this won't end in death. It's for God's glory. And then he waits two more days before going. Meanwhile, Lazarus dies. Jesus' statement seems wrong — until you realize he's speaking about the ultimate outcome, not the immediate trajectory. Lazarus will die. But death won't be the final word.

The purpose clause — "that the Son of God might be glorified" — reveals Jesus' perspective on suffering. Lazarus' illness isn't random. It has a divine purpose that can't be seen until the full story unfolds. The glory comes through the death, not instead of it.

Reflection Questions

• 1.What situation in your life looks 'unto death' that God might be saying has a different destination?
• 2.How do you handle the waiting — when God knows, could act, and doesn't yet?
• 3.What does it mean that God's glory sometimes requires the situation to get worse before it gets better?
• 4.When have you experienced a 'Lazarus moment' — where delay turned out to be divine strategy?

Devotional

This sickness is not unto death. And then Lazarus dies. Jesus' statement looks wrong until you understand the timeframe he's operating on.

When Jesus says "not unto death," he doesn't mean Lazarus won't die. He means death won't be the conclusion. It won't have the final word. There's a destination beyond the dying — and that destination is the glory of God. Death is a stop on the journey, not the journey's end.

This reframes every devastating diagnosis, every terrifying prognosis, every situation that looks terminal. When God says "this is not unto death," he's not saying it won't hurt. He's not saying you won't walk through the valley. He's saying the valley isn't your address. It's a passage, not a destination.

But here's the hard part: Jesus waited. He heard Lazarus was sick and he deliberately didn't rush. He let the death happen. He let Mary and Martha grieve. He let the situation get worse before he made it better. Because the miracle that was coming required a dead man, not a sick one. God's glory sometimes requires the situation to get worse than you can bear before it reveals something greater than you can imagine.

If you're in the waiting — if it looks like God heard your prayer and didn't move — consider that the delay might be the setup for a greater glory than a quick fix would have produced.

Commentary

Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.

Cross References

Related passages throughout Scripture