John 11:17-27 CSB
When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. [18] Bethany was near Jerusalem (less than two miles away). [19] Many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them about their brother. [20] As soon as Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him, but Mary remained seated in the house. [21] Then Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother wouldn't have died. [22] Yet even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you." [23] "Your brother will rise again," Jesus told her. [24] Martha said to him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." [25] Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me, even if he dies, will live. [26] Everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" [27] "Yes, Lord," she told him, "I believe you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who comes into the world."
Four Days
There are many personality types. One person jumps in to take action—preparing the table, making guests comfortable, and worrying over every detail. Another sits back and removes all distractions to focus on one thing. These two personalities highlight the difference between Mary and her sister, Martha.
Martha was action personified. She was the one who got things done, but she was more than just a worker—she was a woman of deep faith. Even in the crushing grief of her brother’s death, she was the one who jumped up to meet Jesus the moment she heard He was near.
Lazarus and his sisters were from Bethany, less than two miles from Jerusalem. In that climate, decomposition would have already begun after four days. Even the most ardent conspiracy theorist could not deny that raising Lazarus would require a true miracle. Many from Jerusalem had made the short trip to comfort the sisters, witnessing the depth of despair they felt.
Here we see true faith shining through anguish. Martha voiced what many of us feel in tragedy: “Lord, if you had just been here, the one we love would not have died.” But she didn’t stop there. Her faith pushed further: “But I know even now you can ask God, and He will give it to you.”
Martha believed Jesus had power over death, but she initially missed a detail: it was in the Father’s plan for Lazarus to die. Jesus knew His friend was dying when the news first reached Him days away. He could have healed him from a distance and prevented this grief, but then no one would have seen the miracle that was about to blossom the faith of everyone standing by that tomb.
When Jesus told her, “Your brother will rise again,” Martha responded with a statement of faith I wish we all had when mourning a fellow believer: “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
Jesus then took her faith from a future hope to a present reality: “I am the resurrection and the life.” The Gospel message is not hard to understand. We are saved through the belief that Jesus is who He said He is. We are saved by grace through faith. Martha’s response is the ultimate anchor for the soul: “I believe you are the Messiah, the Son of God.”
As we age, the body gets old. Things do not work the way they used to. A small walk often tires the limbs, trembling and exhaustion set in, and dreams of future projects are often betrayed by our physical weakness. We read about all the people of faith in the New and Old Testaments—they are gone. This happens to us all, but for the believer, there is nothing to fear. Death no longer holds its sting. Jesus makes all things new for those who believe in Him.
Reflection Questions
- Martha’s first instinct was to go to Jesus. When tragedy strikes, is your first instinct to “sit in the house” with your grief, or to go out and meet the Lord in prayer?
- Martha said, “Even now I know…” Is there a situation in your life that seems “four days dead” where you need to apply that “even now” faith?
- Jesus didn’t just say He would raise the dead, but that He is the Resurrection. How does knowing that Jesus is the source of life change how you look at your own aging body or physical weakness?
Prayer
Father,
We thank You that You are the God of the “even now.” We thank You for the promise that even as our physical bodies grow weak and tired, our spirits are anchored in the One who is the Resurrection and the Life. Help us to have the bold faith of Martha—to bring our “if onlys” to You and leave them at Your feet, trusting that Your timing is always for Your glory.
Amen.
