Martha's Faith

Study of John 11:17-27

So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days. Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off; and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary, to console them concerning their brother. Martha therefore, when she heard that Jesus was coming, went to meet Him, but Mary stayed at the house.

Martha then said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. Even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” She said to Him, “Yes, Lord; I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God, even He who comes into the world.”
— John 11:17-27

Lazarus must have been dead even before the messenger arrived to inform Jesus for him to be dead four days when Jesus came. It must've taken the messenger a day's travel to reach Jesus. Then after staying two more days, Jesus traveled for a day to reach Bethany. Lazarus' family must be quite well known and their village is near Jerusalem which explains why many Jews, probably a  reference to those of the ruling class like priests and rabbis, were able to come to comfort Martha and Mary.

Because of the many Jews in their home among whom might probably be Jesus haters, Martha immediately went to meet Jesus upon hearing that He was coming. It's possible Mary stayed so that the guests would also stay and give Martha an opportunity to slip unnoticed to meet with Jesus privately. It is customary for the bereaved family to stay at home and according to the Talmud's prescription, mourn deeply for seven days followed by thirty days of lighter mourning. Moed Katan 27b says: "What is the appropriate measure? Three days for weeping, and seven for eulogizing, and thirty for the prohibition against ironing clothing and for the prohibition against cutting hair."

We can sense disappointment mixed with trust in Martha's words to Jesus "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. Even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You." She knew Jesus has the power and cares enough for her brother not to let him die if only Jesus was here on time. Yet she expressed some hope Jesus might do something about the situation even now by asking God the Father who always hear His prayer.

Jesus plainly said to Martha that her brother will rise again. Martha replied with a creedal affirmation of belief in the doctrine of resurrection of the dead at the last day as many Jews believe and is taught in the Old Testament.

“Even after my skin is destroyed,
Yet from my flesh I shall see God;
— Job 19:26

For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol;
Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.
— Psalm 16:10

But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol,
For He will receive me. Selah.
— Psalm 49:15

Your dead will live;
Their corpses will rise.
You who lie in the dust, awake and shout for joy,
For your dew is as the dew of the dawn,
And the earth will give birth to the departed spirits.
— Isaiah 26:19

Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt.
— Daniel 12:2

Shall I ransom them from the power of Sheol?
Shall I redeem them from death?
O Death, where are your thorns?
O Sheol, where is your sting?
Compassion will be hidden from My sight.
— Hosea 13:14

Jesus replied with His fifth I AM statement, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die."

Jesus was no mere teacher of doctrine and resurrection is not a mere event. He is resurrection and life personalized.

Warren Wiersbe said:

"When you are sick, you want a doctor and not a medical book or a formula. When you are being sued, you want a lawyer and not a law book. Likewise, when you face your last enemy, death, you want the Savior and not a doctrine written in a book. In Jesus Christ, every doctrine is made personal."

Martha believed the right doctrine and that her brother will be resurrected at the appointed time at the last day. But she has in front of her the One who brings about the event of the resurrection. She is talking to the One who has life in Himself and gives life to everybody else. Jesus wants Martha to put her trust not just in the far future event but to Himself who can actualize it in the present.

Jesus said that physically dead believers will live again in the resurrection and physically alive believers will never die spiritually and be thrown to the second and final death because they are kept by Him (John 10:28-29) and will never be separated from His love (Romans 8:38-39). It is also true that there will be believers who will never die physically and be translated to glory forever. They are those believers who are alive at the time of the rapture.

For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.
— 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17

Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.
— 1 Corinthians 15:51-52

Jesus asked Martha and by extension to all of us readers, "Do you believe this?” It is easy to pay lip service in believing orthodoxy and quite another to really bank our entire hope in the Person of Jesus.

Martha have answered yes but may have not yet fully grasp the deep mystery of what Jesus has said and so she added to her reply with one of the most comprehensive confessions in the New Testament.

Others have confessed:

Nathanael: "Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel."” ‭‭John‬ ‭1:49‬ ‭NASB‬‬

Simon Peter: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭16:16‬ ‭NASB‬‬

Thomas: "My Lord and my God!"” ‭‭John‬ ‭20:28‬ ‭NASB‬‬

But Martha confessed “Yes, Lord; I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God, even He who comes into the world.”

Even though disappointed at Jesus' late coming and grieving her brother's death, Martha throws everything she believed about Jesus. As a true Jewess, she believed and is continually believing that Jesus is the awaited Savior who is God's Son Himself and the One who will fulfill all the prophecies of Scripture. Her confidence in Jesus wasn't shaken and even though she doesn't yet know what will happen next she is hopeful because of Jesus' presence.

J.C. Ryle exhorts us

"There is matter here which deserves the close consideration of all true Christians. Many of them complain of lack of sensible comfort in their religion. They do not feel the inward peace which they desire. Let them know that vague and indefinite views of Christ are too often the cause of all their perplexities. They must try to see more clearly the great object on which their faith rests. They must grasp more firmly His love and power toward those who believe, and the riches He has laid up for them even now in this world.

We are, many of us, sadly like Martha. A little general knowledge of Christ as the only Savior is often all that we possess. But of the fullness that dwells in Him, of His resurrection, His priesthood, His intercession, His unfailing compassion, we have tasted little or nothing at all. They are things of which our Lord might well say to many, as he did to Martha, "Do you believe this?" Let us take shame to ourselves that we have named the name of Christ so long, and yet know so little about Him. What right have we to wonder that we feel so little sensible comfort in our Christianity? Our slight and imperfect knowledge of Christ is the true reason of our discomfort.

Let the time past suffice us to have been lazy students in Christ's school; let the time to come find us more diligent in trying to "know Him and the power of His resurrection." (Philip. 3:10.) If true Christians would only strive, as Paul says, to "comprehend what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height, and to know the love of Christ, which passes knowledge," they would be amazed at the discoveries they would make. They would soon find, like Hagar, that there are wells of water near them of which they had no knowledge. They would soon discover that there is more heaven to be enjoyed on earth than they had ever thought possible.

The root of a happy religion is clear, distinct, well-defined knowledge of Jesus Christ. More knowledge would have saved Martha many sighs and tears. Knowledge alone no doubt, if unsanctified, only "puffs up." (1 Cor. 8:1.) Yet without clear knowledge of Christ in all His offices we cannot expect to be established in the faith, and steady in the time of need."