John 11:17-27

John 11:17-27 - Daily Devotion - 12 August 2026 St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park 17 When Jesus arrived, He found that Lazarus had already spent four days in the tomb. 18 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, a little less than two miles away, 19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them in the loss of their brother. 20 So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet Him; but Mary stayed at home.21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that God will give You whatever You ask of Him.”23 “Your brother will rise again,” Jesus told her.24 Martha replied, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me will live, even though he dies. 26 And everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”27 “Yes, Lord,” she answered, “I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.”REFLECTIONSWritten by Rebecca LinWhen Jesus arrives at Bethany, he is met with scenes of complete hopelessness and despair. We learn immediately that Lazarus had already been dead for four days. Any last glimmer of hope that Jesus might come to heal Lazarus from his sickness had disappeared when Lazarus died. Many Jews had come to see Mary and Martha, but all they could do was console them. There was nothing they could do to change the situation. And Martha, overwhelmed by her grief and the hopelessness of death, greets Jesus by saying, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” To her, Jesus had arrived too late and death had already won. But all of this only makes Jesus’ next words stand out even more. Amidst their mourning and suffering, Jesus declares in verse 25, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me will live, even though he dies.” While physical death and sickness are at the forefront of everyone’s minds, Jesus points them to the only solution to their hopelessness, to a greater comfort and the firmest hope – that he himself is the resurrection and the life. When he took our sins upon himself, died to pay the price for us and rose from the grave to conquer death, Jesus brought us the incredible gift of salvation and everlasting life with him. He brings the certain hope that physical death is not the end for those who believe in Him. It can be easy to be overcome by the brokenness, hopelessness, stress, grief and pressures of this world. But at one of the lowest points in Mary and Martha’s lives, Jesus’ words brought true comfort and meaning, and that reminds me that we can cling to his promise of life with complete assurance. ABOUT THE AUTHORRebecca is a member of our Bossley Park Morning congregation.