Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary John 11:25

"Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth on me, though he die, yet shall he live;" — John 11:25 (ASV)

Martha interpreted Jesus’ promise (v.23) that her brother would rise again in terms of the expectation of a general resurrection. She may have taken his words as a conventional expression of comfort; he intended them to describe what he would do. In his reply, Jesus turned Martha’s acceptance of a dogma into faith in his person. In what is surely one of his most majestic and comforting utterances, Jesus said that he embodied the vital power to bring the dead to life (vv.25–26). The one who believes in Christ has eternal life that transcends physical death. Those who live and believe will never die but will make an instant transition from the old life to the new life (cf. 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17). On this basis, he asked her directly whether she believed.