John 11:37

KJV

And some of them said, Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died?

KJV (with Strong's)

And {G1161} some {G5100} of {G1537} them {G846} said {G2036}, Could {G1410} not {G3756} this man {G3778}, which {G3588} opened {G455} the eyes {G3788} of the blind {G5185}, have caused {G4160} that {G2443} even {G2532} this man {G3778} should {G599} not {G3361} have died {G599}?

Complete Jewish Bible

But some of them said, “He opened the blind man’s eyes. Couldn’t he have kept this one from dying?”

Berean Standard Bible

But some of them asked, “Could not this man who opened the eyes of the blind also have kept Lazarus from dying?”

American Standard Version

But some of them said, Could not this man, who opened the eyes of him that was blind, have caused that this man also should not die?

Commentary

### SUMMARY
John 11:37 captures the poignant moment of human questioning and limited understanding amidst profound grief, as onlookers at Lazarus's tomb grapple with the apparent contradiction between Jesus's known power to heal and His seeming inaction in preventing death. This verse encapsulates the tension between human expectation and divine timing, setting the stage for Jesus's ultimate demonstration of His authority over life and death, revealing that His purposes often transcend immediate human comprehension.

### CONTEXT
* **Literary Context:** This verse is situated at a critical juncture in the narrative of [John 11](/john/11 "The Resurrection of Lazarus"), immediately following Jesus's deeply emotional reaction to the death of Lazarus, culminating in His weeping at [John 11:35](/john/11-35 "Jesus Weeps"). The scene is filled with a large crowd of mourners, including Martha and Mary, both of whom had independently voiced their conviction that Lazarus would not have died had Jesus been present ([John 11:21](/john/11-21 "Martha's Statement of Faith") and [John 11:32](/john/11-32 "Mary's Lament")). The phrase "some of them" refers to a segment of this diverse crowd, likely a mix of genuine mourners, curious observers, and potentially some Jewish leaders or their sympathizers who were skeptical or even hostile towards Jesus. Their rhetorical question reflects the immediate human logic and sorrow, yet it also serves to highlight the dramatic contrast between their limited perception and the divine purpose Jesus is about to reveal.
* **Historical & Cultural Context:** In first-century Jewish society, death was a profound and communal event, accompanied by specific mourning rituals that often lasted for days, including professional mourners and public lamentations. The belief in a future resurrection was prevalent among the Pharisees, but the immediate power over death was generally attributed solely to God. Illness and death were often, though not always, associated with sin or divine judgment (see [John 9:2](/john/9-2 "Disciples Ask About Sin and Blindness")). Jesus's previous miracles, particularly the [healing of the man born blind](/john/9 "Healing of the Man Born Blind"), were public and undeniable, challenging the established religious authorities and generating significant debate. The question posed in [John 11:37](/john/11-37 "Questioning Jesus's Power") thus arises from a cultural context where divine intervention was sought, yet its timing and method were often expected to align with human understanding and immediate need. The crowd's memory of the blind man's healing underscores Jesus's recognized power, making His apparent inaction in Lazarus's case all the more perplexing to them.
* **Key Themes:** This verse powerfully contributes to several key themes within the Gospel of John and the broader narrative. It underscores the theme of **human skepticism and limited perception** in the face of divine power, as even those who witnessed Jesus's miracles struggled to reconcile His ability with the reality of death. It also highlights the **nature of Jesus's sovereignty and divine timing**, revealing that His actions are not dictated by human expectations or immediate crises, but by a higher, often unseen, purpose designed to bring greater glory to God ([John 11:4](/john/11-4 "Lazarus's Illness for God's Glory")). Furthermore, the question serves as a dramatic **foreshadowing and preparation for a greater revelation**; the profound doubt and the apparent finality of Lazarus's death set the stage for Jesus's most dramatic public miracle in the Gospel, the [resurrection of Lazarus](/john/11-43-44 "Lazarus Raised from the Dead"), which would undeniably affirm His identity as "the resurrection and the life" ([John 11:25](/john/11-25 "Jesus, the Resurrection and the Life")).

### EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
#### Key Word Analysis
* **Could (Greek, _dýnamai'_):** This word signifies "to be able or possible." Its use here in a rhetorical question ("Could not...?") expresses the crowd's astonishment and implicit challenge. They acknowledge Jesus's inherent capability based on past deeds, making His current perceived inability to prevent Lazarus's death a source of confusion and frustration. It highlights their struggle to reconcile His power with the present, seemingly unaddressed tragedy.
* **opened (Greek, _anoígō'_):** Meaning "to open up (literally or figuratively)," this verb specifically references Jesus's miracle of restoring sight to the man born blind in [John 9](/john/9 "Jesus Heals the Man Born Blind"). The choice of this particular miracle as a point of comparison is significant, as it was a highly public and undeniable act of divine power, demonstrating Jesus's authority over physical infirmity and, by extension, over the natural order. It serves as the basis for the crowd's logical, yet limited, deduction about His power.
* **died (Greek, _apothnḗskō'_):** This word means "to die off (literally or figuratively)." Its repetition in the verse ("should not have died") emphasizes the finality of Lazarus's condition from a human perspective. The crowd's question underscores the ultimate human enemy—death—and their expectation that if Jesus could conquer blindness, He should certainly be able to conquer death, at least in its preventative form. This word sets up the profound contrast that Jesus is about to overturn.

#### Verse Breakdown
* **"And some of them said,"**: This opening clause introduces the voice of the crowd, indicating that not everyone present shared the same perspective or level of faith. "Some" suggests a segment of the mourners and onlookers, perhaps those more prone to skepticism or simply struggling to understand. Their collective voice sets the tone of questioning and human limitation.
* **"Could not this man,"**: This phrase, posed as a rhetorical question, expresses a mixture of wonder, frustration, and perhaps a subtle challenge. It acknowledges Jesus's identity as a powerful individual ("this man") while simultaneously questioning the scope or application of that power in the current situation. The implied answer from their perspective is "Yes, He could," making His perceived inaction perplexing.
* **"which opened the eyes of the blind,"**: This clause serves as the basis for their questioning, referencing a specific, well-known, and undeniable miracle performed by Jesus, detailed in [John 9](/john/9 "The Healing of the Man Born Blind"). It highlights Jesus's proven ability to perform extraordinary acts, thereby intensifying the perceived contradiction with Lazarus's death. It underscores their logical, yet incomplete, understanding of His divine mission.
* **"have caused that even this man should not have died?"**: This final clause articulates the core of their bewilderment. If Jesus possessed the power to restore sight, a significant miracle, why did He not exercise that power to prevent Lazarus's death? The inclusion of "even this man" emphasizes the personal tragedy and the seemingly avoidable nature of Lazarus's demise, given Jesus's known capabilities. It reveals their human desire for immediate intervention and a limited grasp of God's larger, redemptive plan.

#### Literary Devices
The verse primarily employs a **Rhetorical Question**, "Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died?" This question is not posed to elicit information but to express the speakers' bewilderment, frustration, and perhaps a subtle accusation or challenge. It highlights the stark **Contrast** between Jesus's demonstrated power (healing the blind) and His perceived inaction in the face of death. This contrast underscores the human tendency to limit divine power to understandable, immediate solutions, failing to grasp a larger, often unseen, divine purpose. There is also a strong element of **Irony** present; unbeknownst to the questioners, Jesus's delay and the very finality of Lazarus's death are precisely what will set the stage for an even greater, more profound display of His power—the resurrection of Lazarus—thereby revealing His ultimate authority over death itself. This dramatic irony serves to deepen the narrative tension and magnify the glory of the miracle that is about to unfold.

### THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
John 11:37 serves as a powerful theological pivot, exposing the limitations of human perception and the profound mystery of divine timing. The crowd's question, rooted in a logical assessment of Jesus's past miracles, inadvertently highlights the very nature of God's sovereignty: His ways are higher than our ways, and His thoughts than our thoughts ([Isaiah 55:8-9](/isaiah/55-8-9 "God's Thoughts and Ways")). This verse underscores that God's glory is often revealed not merely in preventing suffering, but in triumphing over it in ways that transcend human expectation. It sets the stage for Jesus to demonstrate that He is not just a healer of physical ailments, but the very source and conqueror of death, affirming His identity as the "resurrection and the life." The apparent delay and the human questioning ultimately magnify the glory of the miracle to come, solidifying the truth that Jesus holds ultimate power over all things, including the grave.

* [John 9:1-7](/john/9-1-7 "Jesus Heals the Man Born Blind")
* [John 11:25](/john/11-25 "Jesus Declares, 'I Am the Resurrection and the Life'")
* [John 11:43-44](/john/11-43-44 "Lazarus Raised from the Dead")

### REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
The human tendency to question God's timing and methods, as seen in [John 11:37](/john/11-37 "Questioning Jesus's Power"), remains a timeless struggle for believers. This verse invites us to consider how often our limited understanding and immediate desires can obscure God's greater, more profound purposes. When faced with seemingly unanswered prayers, delayed interventions, or circumstances that appear to contradict God's known power, we are called to move beyond our immediate logic and trust in His sovereign wisdom. Just as Jesus allowed Lazarus to die to reveal a deeper truth about His identity as the resurrection and the life, so too does God sometimes permit difficult situations to unfold to display His glory in unexpected and powerful ways. This challenges us to cultivate a faith that looks beyond the visible, the immediate, and the logical, embracing the mystery of God's perfect plan, even when it involves pain or waiting. It reminds us that God's ultimate goal is not merely our comfort, but the revelation of His character and the advancement of His eternal kingdom.

#### Questions for Reflection
* **In what areas of your life are you currently questioning God's timing or perceived inaction, similar to the crowd in John 11:37?**
* **How does remembering God's past faithfulness and power, like Jesus's healing of the blind man, help you to trust Him in present difficulties?**
* **What might God be seeking to reveal about Himself or His purposes by allowing a situation to unfold differently than you expect?**

### FAQ
**Why did Jesus wait to go to Lazarus, allowing him to die, if He had the power to heal him?**

Answer: Jesus intentionally delayed His arrival, as He Himself stated in [John 11:4](/john/11-4 "Lazarus's Illness for God's Glory"), "This illness does not lead to death. It is for God's glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it." His delay was not due to a lack of power or compassion, but a deliberate act to set the stage for a greater miracle that would more profoundly reveal His identity as "the resurrection and the life" ([John 11:25](/john/11-25 "Jesus, the Resurrection and the Life")). By allowing Lazarus to die and remain in the tomb for four days, Jesus ensured that there could be no doubt about the finality of death, thus magnifying the power of His resurrection. This act served as a powerful sign, intended to strengthen the faith of His disciples and to provide undeniable proof of His divine authority to a skeptical world, ultimately pointing towards His own impending death and resurrection.

### CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
The questioning in [John 11:37](/john/11-37 "Questioning Jesus's Power")—"Could not this man... have caused that even this man should not have died?"—finds its ultimate Christ-centered fulfillment not in Jesus preventing Lazarus's death, but in His own conquering of death through His resurrection. While Jesus demonstrates His power over death by raising Lazarus, this miracle serves as a profound foreshadowing of His greater victory. The very "man" who could open the eyes of the blind would, in His ultimate act of love and power, enter death's domain Himself, not to be held by it, but to utterly defeat it. Through His crucifixion and resurrection, Jesus disarmed the power of death and the one who holds the power of death—the devil ([Hebrews 2:14-15](/hebrews/2-14-15 "Jesus Destroys Death Through Death")). He became the "firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep" ([1 Corinthians 15:20](/1_corinthians/15-20 "Christ, the Firstfruits")), guaranteeing the future resurrection for all who believe in Him. Thus, the question posed at Lazarus's tomb is answered definitively at the empty tomb of Christ: yes, this Man not only *could* have prevented death, but He *did* conquer it, holding "the keys of Death and Hades" ([Revelation 1:18](/revelation/1-18 "Jesus Holds the Keys of Death and Hades")), offering eternal life to all who trust in Him.

Note: Commentary is generated by AI with a directive for Biblical fidelity. Always rely on the Holy Spirit for discernment. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

Cross-References

John 9:6

When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay,

John 9:7

And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.

Psalms 78:19

Yea, they spake against God; they said, Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?

Psalms 78:20

Behold, he smote the rock, that the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed; can he give bread also? can he provide flesh for his people?

Mark 15:32

Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe. And they that were crucified with him reviled him.

Luke 23:35

And the people stood beholding. And the rulers also with them derided [him], saying, He saved others; let him save himself, if he be Christ, the chosen of God.

John 11:21

Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.