Joh 11:25-26 | KingComments | STEP | When Martha hears that the Lord is coming, she goes to meet Him. She does not have the patience to wait for Him. Possibly this is because of her active character. Mary does not follow her in her going to the Lord, but stays at home. Mary is waiting for Him. She knows that He is coming and has everything in His hands which gives her peace. When Martha has come to the Lord, she expresses her faith in His power that her brother would not have died if He had been present. Possibly there is some disappointment in her voice that He did not come immediately when they sent Him the message of Lazarus’ sickness. Yet there is also faith in Martha that He is capable of wonders. However, she appears to think more about the future, the resurrection on the last day, than that He will still do a wonder to Lazarus now. When she expresses her faith in Him as the Messiah Who receives from God everything He would ask of Him, it is an expression of the limited faith she has in Him. The Lord Jesus is not only the Messiah Who gets everything He desires from God. He is also God the Son Who will raise up Lazarus in His own power and thereby give a testimony concerning His Person that is greater than that of Messiah. She speaks of “God” and “ask”, while He is the Son of God Who does not have to ask God because He is God the Son. Nevertheless, the Lord does not rebuke Martha for her lacking honor to His Person. He follows His own course in the teaching He gives to her. He promises her that her brother will rise again. Martha answers in a way which shows that she only sees the Messiah in the Lord Jesus. She knows that her brother will rise again in the resurrection on the last day. The certainty she expresses belongs to the faith of the Old Testament ( ; ; ). However, she does not realize that He is able to raise the dead now and that He will demonstrate this in just a few moments. First the Lord continues His patient teaching to her about Himself. He gives her a glorious revelation in which He shows her that He is “the resurrection and the life”. As such, He is above death and is the life that cannot be affected by death. Even death has to give way to Him. Whoever believes in Him can die physically, but will live. Those who believe in Him have Him as their life ( ). If such a person dies, then the life he has in the Son has not died, because this is eternal life. When He says “I am the resurrection”, it means that there is no resurrection without Him. Even the unbelievers are resurrected by His power to be judged by Him. He is also “life” and that He is only for those who believe in Him. Whoever believes in Him receives life and possesses it for all eternity, even if he dies. He who lives physically and believes in the Son will not die for eternity, for he possesses the life of the Son of God through faith in Him. He who believes in the Son possesses life as resurrection life that has triumphed over death. For the believer, physical death is not dying, but sleeping, as the Lord said of Lazarus ( ). The Lord asks Martha if she believes that. He asks her to agree with His words. She gives an affirmative answer, an answer that is certainly true, but does not entirely answer what He asks. Certainly, He is the Christ, the Son of God Who would come into the world. But what He said to her points to a greater glory. He has come to give eternal life to those who believe which extends far beyond the glory of His reign in the realm of peace. Because of His rejection, the establishment of that realm in which He will reign as the Christ and the Son of God has been postponed. His revelation as the Son of the Father, however, can be stopped by nothing, but is seen in an especial way in the greatest opposition or difficulty.

‏ John 11:25-26

Conversation of the Lord With Martha

When Martha hears that the Lord is coming, she goes to meet Him. She does not have the patience to wait for Him. Possibly this is because of her active character. Mary does not follow her in her going to the Lord, but stays at home. Mary is waiting for Him. She knows that He is coming and has everything in His hands which gives her peace.

When Martha has come to the Lord, she expresses her faith in His power that her brother would not have died if He had been present. Possibly there is some disappointment in her voice that He did not come immediately when they sent Him the message of Lazarus’ sickness. Yet there is also faith in Martha that He is capable of wonders. However, she appears to think more about the future, the resurrection on the last day, than that He will still do a wonder to Lazarus now.

When she expresses her faith in Him as the Messiah Who receives from God everything He would ask of Him, it is an expression of the limited faith she has in Him. The Lord Jesus is not only the Messiah Who gets everything He desires from God. He is also God the Son Who will raise up Lazarus in His own power and thereby give a testimony concerning His Person that is greater than that of Messiah. She speaks of “God” and “ask”, while He is the Son of God Who does not have to ask God because He is God the Son.

Nevertheless, the Lord does not rebuke Martha for her lacking honor to His Person. He follows His own course in the teaching He gives to her. He promises her that her brother will rise again. Martha answers in a way which shows that she only sees the Messiah in the Lord Jesus. She knows that her brother will rise again in the resurrection on the last day. The certainty she expresses belongs to the faith of the Old Testament (Job 19:26; Psa 118:17; Dan 12:2). However, she does not realize that He is able to raise the dead now and that He will demonstrate this in just a few moments.

First the Lord continues His patient teaching to her about Himself. He gives her a glorious revelation in which He shows her that He is “the resurrection and the life”. As such, He is above death and is the life that cannot be affected by death. Even death has to give way to Him. Whoever believes in Him can die physically, but will live. Those who believe in Him have Him as their life (Jn 3:36). If such a person dies, then the life he has in the Son has not died, because this is eternal life.

When He says “I am the resurrection”, it means that there is no resurrection without Him. Even the unbelievers are resurrected by His power to be judged by Him. He is also “life” and that He is only for those who believe in Him. Whoever believes in Him receives life and possesses it for all eternity, even if he dies. He who lives physically and believes in the Son will not die for eternity, for he possesses the life of the Son of God through faith in Him. He who believes in the Son possesses life as resurrection life that has triumphed over death. For the believer, physical death is not dying, but sleeping, as the Lord said of Lazarus (Jn 11:11).

The Lord asks Martha if she believes that. He asks her to agree with His words. She gives an affirmative answer, an answer that is certainly true, but does not entirely answer what He asks. Certainly, He is the Christ, the Son of God Who would come into the world. But what He said to her points to a greater glory. He has come to give eternal life to those who believe which extends far beyond the glory of His reign in the realm of peace. Because of His rejection, the establishment of that realm in which He will reign as the Christ and the Son of God has been postponed. His revelation as the Son of the Father, however, can be stopped by nothing, but is seen in an especial way in the greatest opposition or difficulty.