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John 11:27

ESV She said to him, "Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world."
NIV "Yes, Lord," she replied, "I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world."
NASB She *said to Him, 'Yes, Lord; I have come to believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, and He who comes into the world.'
CSB "Yes, Lord," she told him, "I believe you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who comes into the world."
NLT Yes, Lord,' she told him. 'I have always believed you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who has come into the world from God.'
KJV She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.
NKJV She said to Him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”

What does John 11:27 mean?

In the prior two verses, Jesus expressed the fifth of seven "I AM" statements found in the gospel of John. That claim included His role as one who brought resurrection and life to those who believe in Him. Afterwards, Jesus asks Martha (John 11:20–26) if she believes this to be true. Her answer, found here, is the fifth of seven times in John's gospel where someone attests to the divinity of Jesus.

Martha and her siblings, Mary and Lazarus, are followers of Jesus (Luke 10:38–42). She is aware of His teachings on eternal life (John 6:39–40). Based on what she has seen and learned, Martha is willing to put her trust and faith in Christ. That includes willingness to follow Him even while grieving a loss she knows God could have prevented (John 11:21–22). The way she answers Jesus' question (John 11:26) shows that her faith is both powerful and informed. Martha labels Jesus with four main titles: "Lord," "Christ," "Son of God," and the One "coming into the world."

Calling Jesus "Lord" shows that Martha considered Him her ultimate authority.

Calling Jesus "Christ" is a reference to His role as the Messiah, or the "Anointed One." This is the person promised by Old Testament Scripture to come and rescue Israel.

Calling Jesus "Son of God" also refers to Jesus' role as Messiah. When calling the disciples, Jesus was given this same title by Nathanael (John 1:49). That was the first of these seven "witnesses" to Jesus' divine nature. Martha's words here are the fifth.

Calling Jesus "who is coming into the world" also ties Jesus to godly prophecy. In the next chapter, when Jesus enters Jerusalem, people will use a similar phrase to announce Him as a king, referring to Zechariah 9:9.

The gospel of John uses a verb—an action word—for "belief" nearly one hundred times. It does not use any nouns—object words—for this idea. Here, Martha's statement of her belief uses a Greek tense that implies something which happened in the past and continues: "I have believed and continue to believe."
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