John 11:38 (ASV)

Passage

Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the tomb. Now it was a cave, and a stone lay against it.

Nearby Context

John 11:36 The Jews therefore said, Behold how he loved him!

John 11:37 But some of them said, Could not this man, who opened the eyes of him that was blind, have caused that this man also should not die?

John 11:38 Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the tomb. Now it was a cave, and a stone lay against it.

John 11:39 Jesus saith, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time the body decayeth; for he hath been [dead] four days.

John 11:40 Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou believedst, thou shouldest see the glory of God?

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "jesus", "therefore", "again", "groaning", "himself", "cometh", "tomb", and "cave". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "jesus" and "therefore", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 37's "But some of them said Could not..." into verse 39's "Jesus saith Take ye away the stone...", so "jesus" and "therefore" belong inside that flow. In John context, the local focus is the identity of Jesus, new birth, eternal life, and belief and unbelief.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "jesus" and "therefore" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.