Devotional - John 11:17-27

Passage To Study:

John 11:17-27

[17] So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days. [18] Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away. [19] And many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother. [20] Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house. [21] Now Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. [22] “But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.” [23] Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” [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. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. [26] “And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” [27] She said to Him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”

What are the facts of the passage?:

(Verse 17-18) - We are given some details. By the time they got to Bethany Lazarus had already been in the grave for 4 days. We are told that Bethany was about T miles away from Jerusalem.
(Verse 19) - We are told that many Jews were with Mary and Martha mourning.
(Verse 20-22) - Martha, when she heard that Jesus had come, immediately ran to Him and rebukes Him for not being there sooner. She also tells Him that she is confident that God will give Him whatever He asks.
(Verse 23-24) - Jesus tells her that her brother will rise again. She mistakes Him for speaking of the last day.
(Verse 25-26) - Jesus says He is the Resurrection and the Life. He who believes will never die. He asks Mary if she believes this.
(Verse 27) - She says she believes that He is the Christ Who was to come into the world.

What do those facts mean?:

(Verse 25) - Essentially, Jesus is saying that He is the author or the cause of Ressurection. It so depends on His power that He is synonymous with it. It is a very expressive way to say that the whole doctrine of resurrection came from Him and the whole power to effect it was His. 1 Cor. 1:30 uses similar language when it says that Christ is made of God unto us ''wisdom and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption". There is no other source of those things but Christ and so He can be said to be synonymous with them.

But about the wicked some might ask? Are they not raised as well? Is there not something about the human condition that is inherently immortal? Does Christ raise the wicked dead as well? It is true that all men will be raised again. But this not only because they were designed to live forever. It is because God desigred and ordained the fact that all men would live forever but also the means by which we would do so. That means, for all men, is the power of Christ. This it why the Scripture says that all men rise on the last day; some to blessedness and some to damnation.

The "life" refers not to eternal life, but to the act of bringing life now! Lazarus' raising doesn't need to wait until the last day. He has the power to do it now as well. We need not think of the power and blessing of God exclusively in terms of the distant future. Christ has the power to act in our lives now as well; even in profound ways!

''Though he were dead" indicates that the relationship with God that is by faith does not spare one from death. But, although the believer, just like every one else, will suffer death, yet he has the sure hope of life beyond temporal death. Even if he dies, he will live hereafter.

(Verse 26) - ''Whoever liveth" is a participle construction in the Greek language. Participles can be thought of as verbs that can function like nouns. They add a sense of action to a noun function. This could be translated ''Everyone living and believing". This makes the previous statements about the raising of the dead more practical for us. Once again, this is not something that is a maybe that we should hope happens. If we are the ones who actively believe in Christ, then we will also be the ones who are raised to life.

Martha believed in the power of God to raise the dead on the last day. Jesus asks her if she believes what He has just said about His ability to raise Lazarus now. This is not because the actual miracle was in any way dependent upon her faith (and it certainly wasn't dependent upon Lazarus' faith) but because this was a test for Martha. In order for her to realize any benefit from what Jesus was about to do, she had to believe! This time of great trial was a test of her faith. Was her confidence in God, even during this time of great sorrow? The one who has confidence in God even in the most difficult of times has the evidence possible of true salvation.

How do those facts apply to my life?:

I need to view the times of trouble in my life as opportunities to test my relationship with God to be certain of its reality. Not just am I truly saved? But am I living as I ought to live? Am I drawing the sustenance from God that I can and should be drawing? Am I growing and maturing in my faith? It is in the difficult times that the reality of our faith (or its lack of reality) is truly demonstrated.

What should I do in response?:

Though it is difficult, I must view the hard times in precisely this fashion and learn about my true spiritual state and take action accordingly.

Day

Martha's Test