John 11:41 (GNV)

Passage

Then they tooke away the stone from the place where the dead was layde. And Iesus lift vp his eyes, and saide, Father, I thanke thee, because thou hast heard me.

Nearby Context

John 11:39 Iesus saide, Take ye away the stone. Martha the sister of him that was dead, said vnto him, Lord, he stinketh alreadie: for he hath bene dead foure dayes.

John 11:40 Iesus saide vnto her, Saide I not vnto thee, that if thou diddest beleeue, thou shouldest see the glorie of God?

John 11:41 Then they tooke away the stone from the place where the dead was layde. And Iesus lift vp his eyes, and saide, Father, I thanke thee, because thou hast heard me.

John 11:42 I knowe that thou hearest me alwayes, but because of the people that stand by, I said it, that they may beleeue, that thou hast sent me.

John 11:43 As hee had spoken these things, hee cried with a loude voyce, Lazarus, come foorth.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "tooke", "away", "stone", "place", "where", "dead", "layde", and "iesus". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "tooke" and "away", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 40's "Iesus saide vnto her Saide I not..." into verse 42's "I knowe that thou hearest me alwayes...", so "tooke" and "away" 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 "tooke" and "away" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.