Martha very politely answers a question asked by Jesus, after He had made perhaps the greatest statement of truth ever heard by mankind. He told her, “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?” (vv. 25-26).

Paul had not yet been inspired to write the fifteenth chapter of First Corinthians. This chapter tells us everything that is necessary for a full doctrinal understanding of the resurrection. Most that we now understand pertaining to the resurrection is because of Paul’s teachings. Prior to the clarification of this great truth, and while the Lord still walked upon the earth, He tells Martha of His power over death. Everything that follows makes up the continuation of this remarkable story.

The truth declared by Martha (v. 27) Truth is a very wonderful thing. Jesus is the Truth and without failure, always delivers the Truth. Martha makes a wonderful statement declaring her belief in the Messiah. She said, “Yea Lord: I believe that thou are the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world” (v. 27). For centuries the prophets had declared that there would be born of woman, the Messiah. Now she is declaring her belief in the witnesses of the Old Testament prophets and the written Word that she had been exposed to.

Perhaps the strong testimony of John the Baptist had impacted her thinking. More than that however, is that she had the privilege of personally observing God incarnate. Just as John in his epistle declared, “For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;” (I John 1:2). But our text also indicates that not all were believers who had the privilege of seeing the Messiah. Many refused Him then, and many still do today. There was much that Martha said in her declaration; she first addressed Him as “Lord.” She was using proper etiquette in addressing Him as such. Yet her continuing words indicated that she saw Him more than one to whom customary respect belongs. She saw Him as Lord in the sense of being “the creator”, “the majestic one”, and the “owner of all things.” In true belief, every believer will see Him as such. Anything less would be an imperfect faith. A distortion of truth takes place when God’s Word is attacked. The modern translations, derived from the corrupt manuscripts, blatantly remove and leave out cardinal truth. Satan is patient. He does not mind making a small miniscule change, to later make a greater change. Any departure from truth, remember, is a lie! Any departure from truth is a failure to reverence Him as Lord.

Martha also recognized Him as the Christ. Christ, is the New Testament word for Messiah. The name, Messiah is the name that relates to the Lord’s Priesthood. He, literally is “the Anointed Priest Who Keeps.” He, as our High Priest, makes a valid sacrifice (His blood) to satisfy the Holy demands and requirements of the Heavenly Father. Martha’s statement of truth indicated that she saw Him as the Savior by right of His Priesthood.

Martha understood what many never understand, that Jesus is God as well as he is the Son of God. She demonstrated that she knew something about His deity. She was also making a very courageous statement while saying this. The unbelieving Jews wanted to kill Jesus for declaring this truth. She could also have been put to death for publicly stating her belief. The Spirit of the New Testament martyr is seen here as she makes this statement.

Martha’s last statement, “which should come into the world” is her way of saying that she accepted Him to be the Messiah who had been long promised. Closely examining this statement, and the others, one may see that what she believed, should be stared by all believers.

The truth delivered by Martha (vv. 28-31). A good witness will not only know truth but deliver that truth to someone else. Martha did just that. She declared her belief, and then delivered what she believed to her sister Mary. She called “her sister secretly” (v. 28). This does not label Mary as being timid in her witness. Instead, she is exercising wisdom. Sometimes it is more appropriate to quietly do the work of the Lord. At other times it may call for a very public outcry of truth. One should not try to stereotype every witnessing experience into one. There are methods of witnessing that have been used in similar, and repeated situations. Yet one should be sensitive to what a particular situation calls for. In times of religious persecution, it may be more expedient to quietly reveal the Gospel to a person. However, if called upon, irregardless of the danger one should avail himself to the giving out of truth.

Certainly, Martha was believable, as indicated by Martha’s immediate response. Our text says that, “As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly, and came unto him (v. 29).

In our earlier studies, we emphasized the worth of a credible witness. This shows how important it is to be believed. If one is not believed, it should not be because of one’s lack of character.

As the Pastor of my church, I regularly insist that we maintain a credible witness, as indicated by our lifestyle, our conduct, our separation from the world and general testimony. Many of our good churches are caving in under the influence of the world. As we do so, our credibility is being diminished. Again, if the church does not remain strong, the impact of the church is not properly felt. May we as Mary did, declare the testimony of Jesus unto the world.

Instead of the Lord issuing a rebuke, He began to weep. He wept as He saw Mary weeping. His heart was overwhelmed at the anguish He saw in her. The Lord sees the hurt of His special friends. Undoubtedly, they were close, and Jesus saw the wailing that was attributed to the grief surround Lazarus’ death.

Mary’s doubt (vv. 33-36). The Bible tells us in verse 33b, “He groaned in the spirit and was troubled.” John Phillips makes these comments, “The word for “groaned” is a word that means to be deeply agitated. The word literally means to snort, as a horse does from fear or anger. It is used in the New Testament to indicate displeasure or indignation. It is used, for instance, to describe the indignation some person felt at what they considered the waste of a rare and costly ointment poured over Jesus’ head in the house of Simon the leper at Bethany (Mark 14:4). The Lord felt indignation and outrage at what death had done.” (Exploring the Gospels - John, page 215).

Jesus, in this great chapter, showed both His perfect deity and His perfect humanity. Here His humanity is expressed to the extent that he was “troubled.” This word means that He literally shook with emotion. Surely the Hebrew Epistle is correct when it says that He is touched by the feeling of our infirmities. His troubled Spirit is not on the plain of a mere mortal. When we are troubled, our trouble is a result of only partially seeing all that would be attributed to our troubles. When we are troubled, we are in this state because of our inability to see everything that pertains to that trouble. That does not preclude that if we had omniscience that we would not be troubled; we may be troubled even more. When Jesus wept after being troubled (vv. 33-34) it was because of His tenderness towards those whom He loved. He cared! Praise God, He still cares. He cares for us in our troubles.

In our sufferings, we need to trust Him who cares even if we do not understand what is going on. Just knowing that He knows and cares for us should certainly bring comfort. For Mary and Martha and those suffering, it was only a matter of time when Lazarus was going to be raised from the dead. In our deepest sorrow, it may only be a moment of time before the Lord does something to bring us out of the sorrow. Our sorrow, like Mary’s is often attributed to doubt. Remember, doubting is sin.

The men’s doubt (v. 37). Martha’s doubt is shared by others. There were also others who thought that the great miracle worker should have been able to keep Lazarus from dying (v. 37). After studying all the events leading up to this event, I am prone to believe that the question asked in verse 37 was a question laced with sarcasm. They were very likely attempting to place limits on the “miracle worker”. Remember, one of the attributes of God is His omnipotence. How do you limit an all-powerful God? This “questioning encounter” on their part may have been an attempt to discredit the Lord. The groaning by the Lord may have been an emotional response because of their unbelief. Even worse that the sorrow over Lazarus’ death was the unbelief that characterizes the people there. The Lord is going to demonstrate once again His power in the presence of unbelief.

Perhaps this next event is for the benefit of the liberal and the modernist. The Lord is going to show them all that Lazarus was really dead. Lazarus had already begun to decay. The liberal and the modernist would probably have said that he only was in a coma, had the decaying body not been exposed.

The dead man exposed (vv. 38-39). If we were to spiritualize this section, it would go something like this. Lazarus, who is a type of the sinner, is hopelessly dead apart from a resurrection miracle. Every sinner must also not only admit his deadness, but must be exposed to his lost condition. In this particular miracle, the Lord showed the dead man publicly to contrast life and death. What a contrast that is. Imagine all the ugliness of death being exposed, and then immediately contrasting death with “life.” When a person is born again there is an immediate change. The greatest testimony to the new birth is the reality of that marvelous change.

In the Old Testament, Naaman the Leper pictures the miracle of change. Just as he was immediately healed upon obeying the man of God, so does the poor lost sinner upon believing on Christ Jesus. Naaman could not have dipped into the water only six times in partial obedience an expected to have been cured. Yet when he did what Elisha told him, he was made whole with his flesh being like a little child (II Kings 5:14).

When Naaman came to the house of Elisha, he was not only exposed to being a leper, but he was also admitting to being a leper. The way he appeared before he went into the river Jordan and how he appeared when he came out was a clear indication of the contrasting change that took place.

The dead man arose (vv. 40-44). The place called Bethany is a village about two miles east of Jerusalem on the lower eastern slope of the Mount of Olives. It is located between Jericho and Jerusalem. It is referred to as the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. This place where Jesus commonly lodged while in Jerusalem (Matthew 21:17; Mark 11:11) was where He received the anointing by Mary, which was symbolic of His death (Mark 14:3-9; John 12:1-8). Today an Arab village with a population of about one thousand occupies the site, which is called El-Azarieh (“The place of Lazarus”). The tomb at Bethany associated with Lazarus had been so identified since the fourth century. This is the geographical and the historical place that Lazarus was when he arose.

Likewise for every believer there is a time and place when one is birthed into the family of God. The Scriptures identify Lazarus as being in a certain tomb. While in this tomb, he had no ability to remove himself. He was helpless and hopeless apart from the resurrection miracle. He had joined the family of the dead. Yet God was going to demonstrate His awesome power in a way never previously known. As Lazarus lay as a member of the “family of the dead,” he was going to be personally called forth by the Lord Jesus Christ. For this great even to take place, the Lord only had to speak forth his name. Verse 43 says, “And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.” Then in verse 44 we see the results of the command, “And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.”

Simply put, the dead man arose. Just as the Lord called forth one man Lazarus, He is going to call forth the dead in Christ. “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” (I Thessalonians 4:16-18)

As we study the resurrection of Lazarus, we should be further encouraged at the prospects of our own resurrection. Lazarus had to lie again, but when the Lord raises us up, if we die before the Lord returns, we will be raised up to die no more, Praise God!