Martha: "Believest Thou This?"

Hello To All:

When Jesus asked the question, from the title for this posting, He had just finished the great proclamation, of verses 25 and 26: "Jesus said unto her, I am 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?"

When Jesus asks Martha, this question: "Believest thou this?" - He is pressing her to believe in Him; and His sovereign ability to act, not only in the future; but, also, in the here and the now. But, look at Martha's answer, in verse 27: "...Yea Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God..." Martha only professes a belief in who Jesus is; and she ignores the resurrection proclamation. She is so caught up in, and overwhelmed by, her brother's death; that she cannot connect with the here and the now of her circumstances. She does not believe.

Earlier (verse 23), Jesus made another proclamation, with the intent of encouraging her to believe. In verse 22, Martha says: "But I know, that even now whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee." This statement, at first read, seems to indicate that Martha was believing, in the here and the now of her circumstances. But, when Jesus proclaims (verse 23), that: "Thy brother shall rise again." - Martha looks to the future and states: "...I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day." Martha's belief is only for what Jesus will do in the future. Whatever she meant, by her profession of verse 22, clearly it was not a confession of belief in the ability of Jesus to do something, to bring victory in the midst of her calamity.

Martha, much like we are in west, believed Jesus for who He is; and she believed Jesus for what He could and would do, in the future; but, she was not able to believe, in Him, for the here and for the now of her circumstances. She did not believe.

Beloved, let us ask ourselves the question: Do we believe Jesus, for the here and for the now of our own circumstances; and the circumstances of those around us and near and dear to us?

Until next time, my beloved brethren, in Christ Jesus, I continue to be:

Your servant and your fellow pilgrim,
Elder Theophilus