John 11:17-27

John 11:17-27

Therefore Jesus came to find him already having four days in the tomb.  And Bethany was near Jerusalem – as from two miles.  And many out of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary in order to comfort them regarding the brother.  Therefore when Martha heard that Jesus comes, she went to meet Him.  But Mary was being seating in the house.  Therefore, Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you were here, my brother did not die.  And now I have known that whatever you asked from God, God will give to you.”  Jesus says to her, “Your brother will be raised.”  Martha says to Him, “I have known that he will be raised in the resurrection in the last day.”  Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life.  The one who believes into me – if he should die he will also live.  And everyone who lives and believes into me should surely not die into the age.  Do you believe this?”  She said to Him, “Yes, Lord, I have believed that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who comes into the world.”

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

I love that in this story it is Martha who first comes to Jesus while Mary stays behind.  We are so quick to remember Luke 10:38-42, which is a story where Mary is praised for sitting at Jesus’ feet while Martha goes about the work in the house.  This story seems to be telling us that Martha learned the lesson.  When Jesus came, Martha got it.  He is the source of hope.  This time it is Mary who stays at home and doesn’t come to Jesus.  What can we learn?  None of us is perfect all the time.  We learn lessons; but sometimes circumstances conspire to work against us so that we forget them.  Mary and Martha are both human beings – strong in some times and weak in others.

When have you been strong in your faith?  What were the circumstances that allowed such a reaction?  When were you weak?  What were those circumstances?

Second Thought:

I think most people get Martha’s comment wrong.  According to the Greek, Martha doesn’t say, “Had you been here, my brother would not have died.”  There is no subjunctive mood in the Greek.  There is no optative mood in the Greek.  It is all indicative – the mood of facts.  Martha knows factually that Jesus could have prevented it, but she’s not attempting to express guilt or displeasure that Jesus wasn’t able to prevent it.  Actually, what we see here is Martha displaying a great amount of submission.  She knows the power of God and accepts what happened, believing full well that God will make it right in the last day.  That is faith.

How is Martha actually displaying great faith in her comment, not the usual guilt-ridden lack of understanding that we are made to believe Martha has?  What do you find inspirational about Martha and her believe in eternal life?

Third Thought:

In this passage we have one of the most amazing quotations from Jesus.  I cannot ever read this passage without thinking about the song “Lazarus Come Forth” sung by Carmen: a song that is highly fictional in its theology although it is entertainingly cute.  Yes, I am dating myself there.  But back to some theology.  Jesus is the resurrection and the life.  Jesus is the firstfruit of God’s work in humanity.  Jesus came to earth.  He died.  He rose again into perfection and new life.  So shall it be with all those who are in Him.  He is the resurrection and the life.  If God can raise Him, then God is certainly powerful enough to raise us as well.

Why is it important for you to understand that God can raise you from the dead?  How does this understanding change how it is that you look to your future and your calling?

Passage for Tomorrow: John 11:28-36