John 11:21 Commentary and Bible Study

And when she finds him, she says to him – please do not read it as a complaint against him – ‘Lord, if thou hast been here, my brother had not died.’ That is an expression of her trust and her faith. She is sorrowing. She has lost her brother. And she says simply: Lord, I know if you had been here, if you had been here, you would have healed him. Not by way of complaint. It is her belief and affection that makes this exclamation.And then she adds – ‘But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee.’ But Martha, can you not go further than that? Have you not had the message? She had, we know in verse 4. ‘This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.’ But like the disciples, Martha did not take it in. She is a godly lady. She loves the Lord. She believes he is the Messiah. But is this too much to hope? She has not taken in the intimation of the Lord. She harbours hope – Lord, you could do something about it, perhaps, but no more than a possibility.‘But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God.’ She does not quite understand. Yes, he will always ask the Father, but in a sense he does not have to. He and the Father are one. He can do it instantly, at his own word, at his own say-so, if he wishes. She does not seem to fully understand his divinity. ‘Whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee.’