John 11:17–27
The Lord of life stands before the grave and calls for faith in Him.
17 So when Jesus came, he found that he had been in the tomb four days already.
18 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about fifteen stadia away.
19 Many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to console them concerning their brother.
20 Then when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary stayed in the house.
21 Therefore Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you would have been here, my brother wouldn’t have died.
22 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 will still live, even if he dies.
26 Whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Christ, God’s Son, he who comes into the world.”
The Lord of life stands before the grave and calls for faith in Him.
To reveal Jesus as the resurrection and the life and to call for personal faith in Him.
This section advances from delay (11:1-16) into theological revelation. Before performing the sign, Jesus interprets its meaning. The miracle will illustrate what He declares here concerning resurrection and life.
Jewish mourning typically extended several days, with burial occurring quickly after death. By the fourth day decomposition would be assumed irreversible. Jewish belief affirmed a future resurrection at the last day (Daniel 12:2; Pharisaic theology).
The Resurrection and the Life, the Raising of Lazarus, and the Plot to Kill Jesus
Jesus is the resurrection and the life whose glory is revealed in raising Lazarus, yet that life-giving sign becomes the catalyst for his own death on behalf of the people of God.