Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
Martha's reply is more than just stating a known doctrine; it's a way of gently redirecting Jesus. She acknowledges the future, general resurrection, but in doing so, she subtly implies that Jesus' "he will rise again" doesn't quite measure up to her immediate, desperate hope for now.
Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus has just arrived in Bethany to comfort Martha and Mary after their brother Lazarus has died and been buried. Martha, having just expressed her sorrow and faith that Jesus could have prevented Lazarus's death, hears Jesus say Lazarus will rise again. Her reply shows she's clinging to the general hope of a future resurrection, rather than grasping the immediate, personal miracle Jesus is about to perform.
Martha knows about the resurrection, but Jesus is pointing to something more. What’s the difference between knowing about something and experiencing it?
Martha’s response, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day,” shows she held a correct, traditional Jewish belief. The Pharisees, for example, strongly believed in a future resurrection at the end of time.
A General Truth
She’s thinking of a future, corporate event. It’s a comfort, but it’s distant and impersonal. It’s a theological truth, not an immediate, personal intervention.
Jesus’s Invitation
Jesus, however, is presenting himself as the source of resurrection now. He’s not just talking about a future event; he's offering himself as the power that overcomes death in the present. Martha's focus is on the 'last day,' but Jesus is shifting her perspective to the 'first day' of God's new kingdom, which he himself inaugurates.
Martha says she believes, but her words reveal a gap between intellectual assent and deep, life-altering trust. Have you ever said 'I believe' without fully grasping its implications?
Martha’s statement, while expressing faith, also betrays a misunderstanding of Jesus’s immediate power. She acknowledges a future resurrection, a common belief among many Jews at the time, but she doesn't yet grasp that Jesus the resurrection, not just a messenger of a future event.
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The Limits of Intellectual Faith
Her faith is based on what she knows about God and the future. It’s a belief in a doctrine, a correct theological position, but it hasn’t yet fully grasped the person of Christ as the answer to her present crisis.
The Call to Deeper Trust
Jesus presses her further, asking, 'Do you believe this?' He’s not asking if she believes in a future resurrection, but if she believes in Him as the resurrection and the life. This requires a trust that goes beyond historical facts or future promises, into a present relationship with Him.
Understand the original words
anastasis · Greek Noun
The act of being raised from the dead. It refers to the future eschatological restoration of the body to life and, fundamentally, is embodied in the person of Jesus Christ.
eschatos hēmera · Greek Noun phrase
The final era of human history in the present age, culminating in the return of Christ, the final judgment, and the ultimate restoration of all things.
Martha's statement reflects a common Jewish belief in a future resurrection, but Jesus is about to reveal that He Himself is not just a harbinger of that future event, but the very source and power of resurrection life, available *now*.
c. 2nd century BC
Book of Daniel and Maccabees written
These books, particularly Daniel and 2 Maccabees, solidify the Jewish belief in a future resurrection of the dead, including a 'last day' event. This doctrine was gaining prominence, though not universally accepted (e.g., Sadducees).
Early 1st century AD
Jesus' Ministry Begins
Jesus begins his public ministry, teaching, healing, and performing miracles. He often speaks about the Kingdom of God and eternal life, including references to resurrection.
c. AD 30-33
Jesus Raises the Widow's Son at Nain
Jesus demonstrates his power over death by raising a young man from his bier. This event, along with others, would have been known and would have built anticipation for his capabilities.
c. AD 30-33
Jesus Raises Jairus' Daughter
Jesus raises a twelve-year-old girl from death, stating she is only 'sleeping'. This further solidified his unique authority over life and death.
c. AD 30-33— this verse
Lazarus Dies
Lazarus, a close friend of Jesus, falls ill and dies. Jesus deliberately delays his arrival in Bethany, allowing Lazarus to be dead and buried for four days.
c. AD 30-33
Jesus Arrives in Bethany
Jesus finally arrives in Bethany, near Jerusalem, where Lazarus' sisters Martha and Mary are mourning. A large number of Jewish mourners are present.
This passage describes a future awakening from the dust, a clear ancient prophetic glimpse of the general resurrection that Martha speaks of, giving theological weight to her statement.
1 Corinthians 15:20-23Paul emphasizes that Christ's resurrection is the 'firstfruits' of those who have fallen asleep, directly connecting His victory over death to the future resurrection, which Martha trusts in.
John 5:28-29Jesus speaks about the resurrection of both life and judgment, echoing the future hope Martha expresses and setting the stage for His declaration of being 'the resurrection and the life' in John 11.
Job 19:25-27This ancient lament reveals a deep-seated hope in a Redeemer who would stand on the earth, and that Job would see God after his body decayed, a powerful expression of faith in future resurrection.
calvinJohn 11:18-27: "Now Bethany was nigh unto Jerusalem, about fifteen furlongs off:"
- Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about fifteen furlongs. 19. And many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother. 20. When Martha, therefore, heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him; but Mary sat at home. 21. Martha then said to Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother would not have died. 22. But I know that even now, whatsoever thou shalt ask of God, Go…
henryJohn 11:17-32: "Then when Jesus came, he found that he had lain in the grave four days already."
11:17-32 Here was a house where the fear of God was, and on which his blessing rested; yet it was made a house of mourning. Grace will keep sorrow from the heart, but not from the house. When God, by his grace and providence, is coming towards us in ways of mercy and comfort, we should, like Martha, go forth by faith, hope, and prayer, to meet him. When Martha went to meet Jesus, Mary sat still in t…
Martha's reply is more than just stating a known doctrine; it's a way of gently redirecting Jesus. She acknowledges the future, general resurrection, but in doing so, she subtly implies that Jesus' "he will rise again" doesn't quite measure up to her immediate, desperate hope for now.
Jesus has just arrived in Bethany to comfort Martha and Mary after their brother Lazarus has died and been buried. Martha, having just expressed her sorrow and faith that Jesus could have prevented Lazarus's death, hears Jesus say Lazarus will rise again. Her reply shows she's clinging to the general hope of a future resurrection, rather than grasping the immediate, personal miracle Jesus is about to perform.
Jesus has just arrived in Bethany to comfort Martha and Mary after their brother Lazarus has died and been buried. Martha, having just expressed her sorrow and faith that Jesus could have prevented Lazarus's death, hears Jesus say Lazarus will rise again. Her reply shows she's clinging to the general hope of a future resurrection, rather than grasping the immediate, personal miracle Jesus is about to perform.
"Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.”" — Martha's reply is more than just stating a known doctrine; it's a way of gently redirecting Jesus. She acknowledges the future, general resurrection, but in doing so, she subtly implies that Jesus' "…
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Last reviewed October 2026