(V. 21) Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord if thou hadst been here my brother had not died.
(V. 23) Jesus saith unto her, thy brother shall rise again.
(V. 24) Martha said unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.
We see the faith of Martha also in connection with the resurrection of her brother Lazarus. Now Lazarus was very ill, Martha and her sister, Mary, sent for Jesus to come and heal him, Jesus, delaying his coming until Lazarus was dead and in the grave for four days, then He came to raise him from the dead and found the limited, fundamental faith of Martha his only obstacle.
(1) Martha's faith was LIMITED, she said, "Lord, if thou hadst been here my brother had not died" (V. 21). The death of Lazarus meant the end of Martha's faith.
She believed that Jesus had power to raise her brother from the sick bed but not from the dead. Her limited faith restricted the power of Christ (Matthew 13:58). Limited faith is controlled by circumstances and motivated by fear of failure.
(2) Martha's faith was FUNDAMENTAL. Jesus said, "thy brother shall rise again" (V. 23). The words were spoken to kindle hope and faith in Martha but she said, "I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day" (V. 24). Martha declared the fundamental faith in a great truth but that is not enough. Jesus stated "I am the resurrection and the life" (V. 25).
Jesus was saying that he had all power over life and death. Then he asked "Believest thou this?" (V. 26) Martha evaded the question by stating her fundamental faith in her creed (V. 27) it is not enough to believe in a creed only: faith must go beyond your creed, to the living, all powerful Christ. Her faith limited the power of Christ (Mark 10:27) and "JESUS WEPT" (V. 35). Jesus wept when he came to raise Lazarus from the dead and found limited fundamental faith only.
(3) At last, UNLIMITED faith came to Martha when she consented to have the stone removed from the grave (V. 41). When Jesus ordered the stone taken from the grave Martha object in unbelief (V. 39). Then Jesus, challenging her to believe, said, "Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?"
And she was not disappointed. We often say that "seeing is believing" but this is not so, you believe and then see. Faith comes before sight. Now Martha's faith no longer limited the power of Christ. She consented to have the stone removed from the grave and Jesus cried with a loud voice, "LAZARUS, COME FORTH" (V.43) and Lazarus was raised up. Don't be satisfied with limited fundamental faith only when you can have unlimited faith that pleases God and reveals his glory.
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