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John 11:17–27 This passage begins as Jesus goes to Bethany after the death of his friend Lazarus.
On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.
“Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” “Yes, Lord,” she told him, “I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.”
Martha’s faith and love for Jesus are evident. Her first words are almost a reproach, but she shows that her trust in Jesus is not swayed. She doesn’t seem to be angry or bitter about Lazarus’ death, because for her the resurrection of believers is a reality, and she knows that she will see her brother again. Her confession of faith in the last verse is very clear, and this is before Jesus’ death, resurrection or ascension, and at a time when she might well have been expected to have doubts.
Martha’s original trust in Jesus could have caused her to doubt His love. If He really was able to save her brother, then why didn’t He? But Martha didn’t seek to understand what has happened, instead she continued to trust Jesus, as the close friend that He is. In fact, her brother is brought back to life, but for me this isn’t the most important bit of the story. I am amazed at the strength of Martha’s faith, and I wish that I could learn to trust less in my own logic and theological ideas, and put my trust more and more in the real, living person of Jesus.
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Last modified: 25th November 2005