John 11:1 (WEB)

Passage

Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus from Bethany, of the village of Mary and her sister, Martha.

Nearby Context

John 11:1 Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus from Bethany, of the village of Mary and her sister, Martha.

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

John 11:3 The sisters therefore sent to him, saying, “Lord, behold, he for whom you have great affection is sick.”

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "certain", "sick", "lazarus", "bethany", "village", "mary", "sister", and "martha". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "certain" and "sick", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The next verse adds "It was that Mary who had anointed...", so "certain" and "sick" should be read forward into that movement. 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 "certain" and "sick" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.