John 11:15 (YLT)

Passage

and I rejoice, for your sake, (that ye may believe,) that I was not there; but we may go to him;'

Nearby Context

John 11:13 but Jesus had spoken about his death, but they thought that about the repose of sleep he speaketh.

John 11:14 Then, therefore, Jesus said to them freely, `Lazarus hath died;

John 11:15 and I rejoice, for your sake, (that ye may believe,) that I was not there; but we may go to him;'

John 11:16 therefore said Thomas, who is called Didymus, to the fellow-disciples, `We may go--we also, that we may die with him,'

John 11:17 Jesus, therefore, having come, found him having been four days already in the tomb.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "rejoice", "sake", and "believe". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "rejoice" and "sake", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 14's "Then therefore Jesus said to them freely..." into verse 16's "therefore said Thomas who is called Didymus...", so "rejoice" and "sake" 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 "rejoice" and "sake" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.