John 11:27 - Printer Friendly

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.”

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."

John 11:17–27 describes Jesus' encounter with Martha, Lazarus' brother. By the time Jesus got word of Lazarus' illness, His friend had already died, but Jesus delayed a further two days before coming to see the family. Martha is both heartbroken and resigned. She is confident that her brother will see eternal resurrection. Jesus confirms His role in salvation as He comforts her; she responds by affirming Him as the Messiah. This is the fifth of seven ''I Am'' statements by Jesus in this gospel. In the following passage, Jesus will meet with Martha and Lazarus' sister, Mary, expressing His sorrow for their pain.

Jesus has left the vicinity of Jerusalem to avoid hostile religious leaders. While gone, He receives word that a good friend, Lazarus, is sick. In fact, Lazarus has died by the time this message reaches Jesus. He purposefully waits a few days before returning to Bethany, arriving four days after Lazarus' burial. In front of Lazarus' mourning sisters—who Jesus weeps with—and an assembled crowd, Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead in a stirring and spectacular miracle. This is the seventh of John's seven ''signs'' of Jesus' divine power. In response, religious leaders coordinate in their effort to have Jesus murdered.

After giving sight to a man born blind (John 9), Jesus sparred with religious leaders on at least two occasions (John 10). After another failed arrest attempt, Jesus left the area and went out where Jerusalem's politics had little influence. In this chapter, He returns to resurrect a recently-departed friend, Lazarus. That results in a renewed commitment from Jerusalem's religious leaders to have Jesus murdered. As the crucifixion draws near, Jesus will stage His triumphal entry in chapter 12, and then begin His final teachings to the disciples.

The disciple John wrote the gospel of John decades after the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke were written. The author assumes that a reader is already familiar with the content of these other works. So, John presents a different perspective, with a greater emphasis on meaning. John uses seven miracles—which he calls "signs"— to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.