John 11:17-37 17 On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days.18 Now Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem,19 and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother.20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home. 21 “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died.22 But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha answered, “I know he will rise 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 though they die;26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” 27 “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.” 28 After she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. “The Teacher is here,” she said, “and is asking for you.”29 When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him.30 Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him.31 When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there. 32 When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled.34 “Where have you laid him?” he asked. “Come and see, Lord,” they replied. 35 Jesus wept. 36 Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” 37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”
When Jesus arrived in Bethany, he knew that Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days. The Lord Jesus knew everything, before he came, he already said that Lazarus was dead. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him; Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” She believed that the Lord Jesus had the power to raise her brother, but she did not expect the Lord Jesus would do so right away. Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die;and whoever lives by believing in me will never die.” Here the Lord Jesus said that he is the source of life, he can give life and raise the dead, this shows his divinity. He didn’t say that a person won’t die physically, but he can raise the dead, and those who believe in him will never die spiritually, that is, they will not experience the second death. The Lord Jesus wanted to go directly to the tomb, he called Mary to come, and when he saw Mary weeping, and the Jews who came with her also wept, he was troubled and wept too. The Lord Jesus sympathized with those who mourned and had compassion on them. Some of them knew that the Lord Jesus made the blind man see, and they said that he could keep this man from dying? Next time we’ll see that the Lord Jesus will not just raise people from the death on the last day, but he can do it now.
