经文研读
John 11:4 — Sickness for the Glory of God
Jesus responds to the news of Lazarus's sickness by reframing it as an occasion for divine glory rather than final death.
经文
- 4.耶 穌 聽 見 ， 就 說 ： 這 病 不 至 於 死 ， 乃 是 為 神 的 榮 耀 ， 叫 神 的 兒 子 因 此 得 榮 耀 。But when Jesus heard it, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified thereby.
这段经文的意思
John 11:4 records Jesus's interpretive word on the illness of His friend Lazarus. After receiving the sisters' message — "he whom thou lovest is sick" (v. 3) — Jesus does not immediately rush to Bethany. Instead, He assigns a theological purpose to the sickness: it is "not unto death," but exists "for the glory of God." The statement presupposes a category of divine purpose that stands over against the obvious human category of fatal illness.
The second clause, "that the Son of God may be glorified thereby," makes clear that God's glory and the Son's glorification are coextensive in this event. Whatever will happen to Lazarus is framed not as a private tragedy for one family but as a public display that reveals who Jesus is. The phrase "may be glorified" indicates a purpose already settled in Jesus's mind before the miracle itself, suggesting that the disciples and readers are being shown the lens through which to read everything that follows in chapter 11.
The verse also operates as a deliberate delay. Immediately after (vv. 5–6), John notes that Jesus loved the family and yet stayed two days where He was. Verse 4 thus becomes the interpretive key for that delay: the sickness is not what it appears, and the postponed arrival is not indifference but part of a plan oriented toward revelation.
背景
Verses 1–3 set the scene: Lazarus of Bethany is sick, and his sisters Martha and Mary send a brief, faith-laden message to Jesus. Verse 4 is Jesus's first response, and verses 5–6 immediately qualify it by noting His love for the family alongside His two-day delay. The rest of chapter 11 unfolds the claim of verse 4 concretely: Lazarus dies (v. 14), Jesus raises him (v. 43), and "many of the Jews" believe (v. 45) — exactly the display of glory Jesus named in advance.
Verse 4 is also the hinge on which the rest of the chapter turns. Before it, the narrative poses a question of timing and compassion; after it, every action is read as part of a purposeful disclosure of the Son's identity. The chapter closes with the ironic counterpart: the same glory that draws believers also hardens the authorities, who "took counsel that they might put him to death" (v. 53).
常见问题
Does "not unto death" mean Lazarus will not die?
No — the next verses show that Lazarus does die (v. 14), and "four days" in the tomb (v. 17). "Not unto death" means the sickness will not have death as its final outcome, since Jesus intends to raise him. The statement looks past death to the resurrection that will display God's glory.
How are "the glory of God" and "the Son of God may be glorified" related?
In this verse the two expressions are placed in parallel: what displays God's glory also displays the Son's glory. The raising of Lazarus will be a work of God (compare v. 40, "the glory of God"), and because Jesus is the one performing it, the same event reveals who He is as the Son.
Why does Jesus delay two days after speaking this way?
Verses 5–6 explicitly connect Jesus's love for the family with His decision to stay where He was. The chapter later frames the delay as purposeful: "I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe" (v. 15). The delay creates the situation — Lazarus already dead and buried — that makes the eventual miracle unambiguous as a sign from God.