John 11:5 (WEB)

Passage

Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus.

Nearby Context

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

John 11:4 But when Jesus heard it, he said, “This sickness is not to death, but for the glory of God, that God’s Son may be glorified by it.”

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

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

John 11:7 Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let’s go into Judea again.”

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 4's "But when Jesus heard it he said..." into verse 6's "When therefore he heard that he was...", so "jesus" and "loved" 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 "loved" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.