John 11:25–26

Context

Lazarus, whom Jesus loved, falls ill and dies, and Jesus does not arrive in Bethany until four days later. Martha goes out to meet him and says that if he had been there, her brother would not have died. Jesus replies that her brother will rise again. Martha answers, "I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day" (v. 24), but Jesus responds that the resurrection is not merely an event in the distant future; it is present now in himself. At the end of verse 26 Jesus asks, "Believest thou this?" and Martha confesses that she believes Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God (v. 27). Jesus then calls Lazarus out of the tomb.

Interpretation

• A pair of statements: Many interpreters read "he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live" (v. 25) to mean that although the body dies, the believer will be raised and live. They read "whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die" (v. 26) to mean that the life the believer has already received is not cut off by death. The first statement focuses on the future resurrection, and the second on present eternal life.
• Realized eschatology: The Gospel of John tends to speak of the events of the last day as having already begun in the present (John 5:24–25), and this passage is often cited as a leading example. Interpreters also note, however, that John clearly speaks of a future resurrection as well (John 6:40).

Questions of Application

Interpreters commonly distinguish the raising of Lazarus from the resurrection of Jesus and the final resurrection of believers. Lazarus experienced a "resuscitation," returning to a body that would one day die again. The resurrection of Jesus and of believers, by contrast, means life in a body that will never die again (1 Corinthians 15:42–44). This distinction also bears on the question in eschatology of how the state immediately after death relates to the final resurrection. Most denominations teach that believers are with Christ after death and that their bodies will be raised on the last day.

Perspective: Korean Protestant practiceHow this idea is used in Korean churches, kept from the original Korean article.

In Korean Protestant churches, this is the passage most frequently read at funeral services, at the services held when the body is placed in the coffin and at the burial, and at memorial services. It also frequently appears on gravestones and in obituaries, and it is used as a sermon text at Easter.

Related Passages

• John 5:24–25
• John 6:40
• 1 Corinthians 15:20–22
• 1 Thessalonians 4:13–14