John 11:38-41a 38Then Jesus, deeply moved again in himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. 39Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the one who had died, said to him, “Lord, already it smells, for it has been four days.” 40Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” 41Therefore, they took away the stone.
The same word is used in verse 38 (embrimōmenos) from verse 33 for Jesus’ deep emotions at the situation at Lazarus’ tomb. The tomb was typical of many Jewish graves at the time. If the family was wealthy, they may have had a family tomb that was a small cave with a stone rolled in front of the doorway. A body would be laid in the tomb until decomposed, and then the bones might be put in a small stone box called an ossuary. Jesus was laid in a similar tomb. A church was built in the fourth century over the traditional burial site, and a mosque exists there today.
Jesus’ next directions caught everyone off guard. Martha, the more logical of the two sisters, was surprised at what Jesus said. Martha had joined Mary and the mourning Jews at the tomb. Everyone was gathered there to witness what was about to take place. Martha’s point was observant and correct. A human body would begin to decompose after four days and have a foul smell. The Jews anointed bodies with spices to counteract this smell, but being in a tomb would only exacerbate the situation. Martha’s mention of four days emphasizes the miraculous nature of what was about to happen. By this point in the story, logic must be replaced by faith.
Jesus’ response to Martha should have begun to water the seeds of faith in her heart. Her mind told her one thing, that death had won the battle with her brother. But deep down, there was a faith that Jesus was a miracle worker, and nothing was impossible for him. His reminder to Martha that if she believed, she would see God’s glory recalls what he said earlier to her in verses 23-26. Verse 40 is in the form of a conditional sentence. Faith is the condition for seeing God’s glory at work. The miracle about to take place was somehow linked to Martha’s faith. Martha’s faith was shown by rolling away the stone away. The sequence is significant: faith shown by obedience leads to experiencing a miracle that shows God’s glory.
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