John 11:41 (KJV)

Passage

Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.

Nearby Context

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

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

John 11:41 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.

John 11:42 And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me.

John 11:43 And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 40's "Jesus saith unto her Said I not..." into verse 42's "And I knew that thou hearest me...", so "took" 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 "took" and "away" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.