"Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now, I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you." Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." Martha said to him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day." Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?" She said to him, "Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.""
John 11:17-27 (ESV)
This passage is part of the story where Jesus raises his friend Lazarus from the dead. Odds are, you've probably heard it before as it's one of the most well-known in all of the N.T. And this familiarity works in our favor most of the time. For instance, we see elements at play that the people in the narrative missed, like how Jesus uses metaphors to project what is about to happen. But this is also one of those stories which can become a victim of its own fame. Because it has become so familiar to us, we tend to forget that the people in the story (i.e., Mary, Martha, the disciples, etc.) do not know how it will end. Consequently, their emotions may not affect us as much as if we did not know that their sadness would soon be turned into joy.
Here's what I mean.
Martha gets word that Jesus is close to Bethany, and so she goes out to meet him. When she finds the Lord, she does not bow before him as her sister will do later (Jn. 11:32); instead, she confronts him with an accusation: "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." Most commentators would disagree with me here. They would argue that this was more of an expression of regret than a rebuke. But I have a hard time believing those words were not a thinly veiled criticism of the fact that Jesus wasn't present when Martha needed him most. Had he been, her brother would still be alive.
But regardless of what you think her tone was in verse 21, the point everyone can agree on is that Martha is very clearly upset. She is four days into a mourning process that will likely last another twenty-six. Her sorrow had only just begun. Now, at this point, we would be tempted to blow past Martha's sorrow to get to the good part. Because we know how the story will end, we do not want to dwell on the unpleasantness of grieving sisters. But this is not what John intends for his readers to do. If anything, he writes more about Martha's and Mary's sorrow than Lazarus' resurrection. Lazarus doesn't even get to talk, whereas his sisters have two full-blown conversations with Jesus. Joy eventually does overcome suffering, but not until sorrow has had its moment to shine. Even Jesus, of all people, is said to have wept (Jn. 11:35)! John doesn't want us to breeze past this highly emotional moment.
But why? Why does the Beloved Disciple want us to dwell on things like sadness, grief, and mourning? Because Lazarus' resurrection was the catalyst that revealed God's glory (cf. Jn. 11:4). Jesus even told his disciples that he was glad, yes, you read that correctly, GLAD that he wasn't with Lazarus before he died (cf. 11:15)! How remarkable is that! Martha was upset with Jesus for not being there, while the Lord was happy! Not because he enjoyed watching his friends suffer, but because through the resurrection of Lazarus, his follower's faith would be magnified a hundredfold. He was willing to allow his followers to experience a momentary sadness because the joy they would soon encounter would last for all eternity and, ultimately, outweigh any sorrow they might have felt in the interim (cf. Rom. 8:18).
And because John is such a good writer, we see the faith of Jesus' followers grow in real-time, starting with Martha. Though she's dismayed over Jesus' absence, she still affirms her belief in the Lord (Jn. 11:22). And when Jesus tells her that her brother will "rise again," she does not bat an eye but confirms that she knows this already. She does not doubt that Lazarus will be resurrected on the "last day." And while, yes, she misunderstands Jesus at that moment (The Lord was not speaking about the last day, but that very day.), it is worth noting that her eschatology was solid. Indeed, there will be a great resurrection on that last day (cf. Jn. 5:21, 25-29; 6:39-40). So she was not wrong. But even when Jesus reveals that he is the "resurrection and the life," that revival is not only something that will happen in the future but is a present reality through him, Martha's faith grows with each new revelation. Rather than cynically denying what Jesus told her, this grieving sister says without hesitation, "I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world." Amid the worst moment of her life, Martha declares that Jesus—the one she is upset with—is the Messiah, the one and only Son of God, and the one who had been prophesied to come into the world to save it.
Far from being confused by what Jesus was telling her, Martha was tracking to some extent with everything that the Lord had said. And her affirmation is what John hopes all readers of his gospel would likewise affirm (cf. 20:31). The things that the Lord told her have not pushed her away from him, as others have been prone to do (cf. 6:60, 66). Instead, Jesus' words have drawn her closer and into a deeper perception of who he really is. The darkest day of her life was not only the day on which her brother would be resurrected; it was also the day of great revelation in her life. Do you see the point I'm trying to make? It was through hardship that Martha came to know the Lord better.
I know that most people do not like the sad bits of a story. And, when it comes to a movie or some T.V. show, you have every right to skip those scenes. (I will never rewatch the first ten minutes of Disney's UP again.) But when it comes to the Scriptures, when it comes to something that has eternal value, it is worth slowing down and taking your time as you walk through such passages. Don't skip to the end. I'm convinced that Paul's exhortation to "rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep" (Rom. 12:15) has as much application for Bible study as it has for the real world. Through the sadness of those who've come before us, we can learn what we should do when it is our turn to be sad.
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