Death raises questions that every human being eventually faces. When Jesus arrives at the tomb of his friend Lazarus, he encounters grief, disappointment, and death. But before doing anything about Lazarus, Jesus makes one of his most extraordinary claims.
1. Connect
People have very different beliefs about what happens when we die.
Why do you think questions about death and what comes afterward matter so much to us?
2. Read
Read together.
As you read, notice what Martha believes, what Jesus claims, and what Jesus eventually does.
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17 When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had been in the tomb four days already. 18 (Now Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, 19 so many of the Jewish people of the region had come to Martha and Mary to console them over the loss of their brother.) 20 So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary was sitting in the house. 21 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 from God, God will grant you.”
23 Jesus replied, “Your brother will come back to life again.” 24 Martha said, “I know that he will come back to life again in the resurrection at the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live even if he dies, 26 and the one who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She replied, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God who comes into the world.”
28 And when she had said this, Martha went and called her sister Mary, saying privately, “The Teacher is here and is asking for you.” 29 So when Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. 30 (Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still in the place where Martha had come out to meet him.) 31 Then the people who were with Mary in the house consoling her saw her get up quickly and go out. They followed her because they thought she was going to the tomb to weep there.
32 Now when Mary came to the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the people who had come with her weeping, he was intensely moved in spirit and greatly distressed. 34 He asked, “Where have you laid him?” They replied, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus wept. 36 Thus the people who had come to mourn said, “Look how much he loved him!” 37 But some of them said, “This is the man who caused the blind man to see! Couldn’t he have done something to keep Lazarus from dying?”
38 Jesus, intensely moved again, came to the tomb. (Now it was a cave, and a stone was placed across it.) 39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the deceased, replied, “Lord, by this time the body will have a bad smell because he has been buried four days.” 40 Jesus responded, “Didn’t I tell you that if you believe, you would see the glory of God?” 41 So they took away the stone. Jesus looked upward and said, “Father, I thank you that you have listened to me. 42 I knew that you always listen to me, but I said this for the sake of the crowd standing around here, that they may believe that you sent me.” 43 When he had said this, he shouted in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The one who had died came out, his feet and hands tied up with strips of cloth, and a cloth wrapped around his face. Jesus said to them, “Unwrap him and let him go.”
NET Bible, Second Edition. © 2017 Biblical Studies Press. Used by permission.
What caught your attention?
3. Explore
Look back at the passage as you discuss these questions.
- What do Martha's words in verses 21–24 tell us about her disappointment and her hope?
- In verses 25–26, Jesus doesn't merely promise a future resurrection. What does he claim about himself?
- After making this claim, Jesus asks Martha, “Do you believe this?” How does she answer?
- What do verses 33–36 reveal about Jesus' response to suffering and death?
- What happens when Jesus arrives at Lazarus' tomb? What does this suggest about his claim to be “the resurrection and the life”?
4. Consider
Jesus says:
“I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live even if he dies.”
- How is this different from simply saying that Jesus can perform a miracle?
- What does Jesus' response to Martha, Mary, and Lazarus tell you about him?
- Why do you think Jesus connects eternal life specifically with believing in him?
- What do you find attractive, surprising, difficult, or hard to believe about this claim?
5. Respond
Jesus asks Martha one of the most direct questions in John's Gospel:
“Do you believe this?”
It is a question every reader eventually has to consider.
Based on what you have seen of Jesus so far, what makes it easier—or harder—for you to believe his claim?
As we continue investigating Jesus, consider our central question:
Who is this Jesus who claims not merely to give resurrection and life, but to be the Resurrection and the Life?
Explore More
If you would like to keep reading, read , . Notice both why Jesus delays going to Lazarus and the very different reactions people have after Lazarus is raised.
Next Conversation: The Way Home — “I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.”