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The Spirit of Prophecy Volume 2
Jesus encouraged her faith by declaring to her, “Thy brother shall
rise again.” Martha, not comprehending the full meaning of Jesus,
answered that she knew he would arise in the resurrection, at the last
day. But Jesus, seeking to give a true direction to her faith, said, “I am
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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?” Jesus would direct the thoughts of
Martha to himself, and strengthen her faith in regard to his power. His
words had a double meaning; not only did they refer to the immediate
act of raising Lazarus, but they also referred to the general resurrection
of all the righteous, of which the resurrection of Lazarus which he
was then about to perform, was but a representation. Jesus declared
himself the Author of the resurrection. He who himself was soon to
die upon the cross, stood with the keys of death, a conqueror of the
grave, and asserted his right and power to give eternal life.
When Jesus asked Martha: “Believest thou?” she answered by a
confession of her faith: “Lord, I believe that thou art the Christ, the
Son of God, which should come into the world.” Thus Martha declared
her belief in the Messiahship of Jesus, and that he was able to perform
any work which it pleased him to do. Jesus bade Martha call her sister,
and the friends that had come to comfort the afflicted women. When
Mary came she fell at the feet of Jesus, also crying, “Lord, if thou hadst
been here, my brother had not died.” At the sight of all this distress,
Jesus “groaned in the spirit, and was troubled, and said, Where have
ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see.” Together they
all proceeded to the grave of Lazarus, which was a cave with a stone
upon it.
It was a mournful scene. Lazarus had been much beloved, and his
sisters wept for him with breaking hearts, while those who had been
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his friends mingled their tears with those of the bereaved sisters. Jesus
had also loved Lazarus, whose faith had ever been strong in him, never
wavering nor failing for a moment. In view of this human distress,
and of the fact that these afflicted friends could mourn over the dead,
when the Saviour of the world stood by, who had power to raise from
the dead,—“Jesus wept.” His grief was not alone because of the scene
before him. The weight of the grief of ages was upon his soul, and,
looking down the years that were to come, he saw the suffering and
sorrow, tears and death, that were to be the lot of men. His heart was