John 11:4 (ASV)

Passage

But when Jesus heard it, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified thereby.

Nearby Context

John 11:2 And it was that Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.

John 11:3 The sisters therefore sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick.

John 11:4 But when Jesus heard it, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified thereby.

John 11:5 Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus.

John 11:6 When therefore he heard that he was sick, he abode at that time two days in the place where he was.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "glorified", "jesus", "heard", "said", "sickness", "death", "glory", and "thereby". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "glorified" and "jesus", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "The sisters therefore sent unto him saying..." into verse 5's "Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister...", so "glorified" and "jesus" 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 "glorified" and "jesus" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.