Jesus said to her
This phrase introduces the speaker, Jesus, who is addressing Martha. The context is the death of Lazarus, Martha's brother. Jesus' words are a response to Martha's grief and her faith in Him. The Greek verb "eipen" (said) indicates a definitive and authoritative statement. Jesus, as the Son of God, speaks with divine authority, offering comfort and revelation. This moment is pivotal, as it sets the stage for the miracle of Lazarus's resurrection, demonstrating Jesus' power over life and death.

I am
The phrase "I am" (Greek: "Ego eimi") is significant in the Gospel of John, echoing the divine name revealed to Moses in Exodus 3:14, "I AM WHO I AM." This self-identification by Jesus is a profound declaration of His divinity. It asserts His eternal existence and His unity with God the Father. In the context of John's Gospel, the "I am" statements reveal different aspects of Jesus' divine nature and mission.

the resurrection
The Greek word for resurrection is "anastasis," meaning a rising up or standing again. Jesus identifies Himself as the source and power of resurrection. This is not merely a future event but a present reality embodied in Christ. By claiming to be the resurrection, Jesus asserts His authority over death, offering hope of eternal life to all who believe in Him. This statement is a cornerstone of Christian faith, affirming that through Jesus, death is not the end.

and the life
The Greek word for life is "zoe," which refers to both physical and spiritual life. Jesus is not only the resurrection but also the life itself. He is the source of all life, both now and eternally. This life is abundant and everlasting, transcending physical death. In Jesus, believers find true life, characterized by a relationship with God, filled with purpose and joy.

Whoever believes in Me
The Greek word for believe is "pisteuo," meaning to have faith or trust. This phrase emphasizes the necessity of personal faith in Jesus. Belief is not merely intellectual assent but involves trust and reliance on Jesus as Savior and Lord. This invitation is universal—"whoever" indicates that salvation is available to all who place their faith in Christ, regardless of background or status.

will live
The promise of life is central to Jesus' message. The Greek verb "zesetai" (will live) is in the future tense, indicating a certainty of life beyond physical death. This life is both a present reality and a future hope. Believers experience spiritual life now and the assurance of eternal life with God. This promise provides comfort and assurance, especially in the face of death.

even though he dies
This phrase acknowledges the reality of physical death but affirms that it is not the final word for believers. The Greek word "apothane" (dies) refers to physical death, which is a consequence of sin. However, through Jesus, death is transformed into a passage to eternal life. This assurance is a source of hope and strength, encouraging believers to live with confidence and peace, knowing that death has been conquered through Christ.

(25) I am the resurrection, and the life.--She has spoken of the resurrection as a truth which she believes, and as an event in the far-off future, so remote from the present life indeed, as to be powerless to comfort her now. The two first words of His answer, expressed in the fulness of emphasis, teach her that the resurrection is to be thought of as His person, and that it is to be thought of as actually present. "I,"--his words mean--"and none beside Me, am the Resurrection. I am the Resurrection--a. present life, and not simply a life in the remoteness of the last day." In the same sense in which He has declared Himself to be the Water of Life and the Bread of Life, supplying in Himself every need of spiritual thirst and spiritual hunger, He declares Himself to be the Resurrection, revealing in His own person all that men had ever thought and hoped of a future life, being Himself the power which shall raise them at the last day, and could therefore raise them now. This is because He is also "the Life," and therefore every one in communion

He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.--Better, though he have died . . . She thinks and speaks of Lazarus as dead. He asserts that in the true thought of the spiritual life the fact of physical death does not interrupt that life.

Verses 25, 26. - Jesus said to her, I am the Resurrection. Not merely that God will give me what I ask, but that I am in some sense already his gift to man of resurrection, inasmuch as I am that of Life. (So Luthardt and Godet, but not Meyer, who makes ζωή the positive result of ἀνάστασις.) By taking humanity into his Person, Christ reveals the permanence of human individuality, that is, of such individuality as is in union with himself. He associates (John 14:6) "the Life" which he gives with" the Way" and "the Truth," i.e. with the whole sum of human experience and of human meditation and speculation, i.e. with all the conduct of the will and the mind. He that believeth on me, though he die, yet shall he live. In these words he identifies the "life" with the transfiguration of the bodily life. The grand method of this blessed life is faith. The life which is the condition and ground of resurrection is the natural consequence of a faith which accepts Christ, and identifies itself with him. But "there are some who have believed, and have what you call died" - though they die, they shall live. In such cases, so-called "death" is veritable "life." The life of faith will survive the shock of death, and whosoever liveth, and believeth on me, shall never die - shall never taste of death (cf. John 6:51, 8:51). This is no new teaching for the more thoughtful of his hearers. There are multitudes now believing (and therefore living) in him. They shall never die in the sense in which death has been hitherto regarded; they shall by no means die forever. Faith is eternal life: death is only a momentary shadow upon a life which is far better. Whether the corruption of the grave passes over the believer or not, he lives an eternal life, which has no element of death nor proclivity to death in it. So far the Lord is lifting Martha to a higher experience of life and a comparative in difference to death. Before he offers any further consolation, he probes to the quick her faith in him and in the eternal life. Believest thou this? Τοῦτο; "Is this thy belief?" not τουτῷ; "Dost thou believe in my statement?" "Believest thou that the Resurrection which I am and which I give can thus transform for thee the whole meaning of death?" The fullness of life after death is assured in virtue of the resurrection which Christ could effect at any moment, and will eventually effect for all. This life of which Christ speaks may be the life which is the consequence of the resurrection (ἀνὰστασις) of man effected in the Incarnation, or it may be the condition of "resurrection" and sufficient proof that, if a man receive it by faith, he is free' from all the curse of physical death, and assured of a perfect victory over it. So also the οὐ μὴ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα may either mean "not forever," and thus the words may be taken to refer to the resurrection. "He will not forever die," i.e. death may supervene, but will be conquered; or οὐ μὴ may mean "never," "in no wise," and the "never die" may refer to spiritual death, overlooking physical death altogether. The whole narrative is a great parable of life through death.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Jesus
Ἰησοῦς (Iēsous)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2424: Of Hebrew origin; Jesus, the name of our Lord and two other Israelites.

said
Εἶπεν (Eipen)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 2036: Answer, bid, bring word, command. A primary verb; to speak or say.

to her,
αὐτῇ (autē)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative Feminine 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.

“I
Ἐγώ (Egō)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Nominative 1st Person Singular
Strong's 1473: I, the first-person pronoun. A primary pronoun of the first person I.

am
εἰμι (eimi)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 1st Person Singular
Strong's 1510: I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.

the
ἡ (hē)
Article - Nominative Feminine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

resurrection
ἀνάστασις (anastasis)
Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular
Strong's 386: A rising again, resurrection. From anistemi; a standing up again, i.e. a resurrection from death (its author), or a recovery.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

the
ἡ (hē)
Article - Nominative Feminine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

life.
ζωή (zōē)
Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular
Strong's 2222: Life, both of physical (present) and of spiritual (particularly future) existence. From zao; life.

He who
ὁ (ho)
Article - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

believes
πιστεύων (pisteuōn)
Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 4100: From pistis; to have faith, i.e. Credit; by implication, to entrust.

in
εἰς (eis)
Preposition
Strong's 1519: A primary preposition; to or into, of place, time, or purpose; also in adverbial phrases.

Me
ἐμὲ (eme)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Accusative 1st Person Singular
Strong's 1473: I, the first-person pronoun. A primary pronoun of the first person I.

will live,
ζήσεται (zēsetai)
Verb - Future Indicative Middle - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 2198: To live, be alive. A primary verb; to live.

even though
κἂν (kan)
Adverb
Strong's 2579: And if, even if, even, at least. From kai and ean; and if.

he dies.
ἀποθάνῃ (apothanē)
Verb - Aorist Subjunctive Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 599: To be dying, be about to die, wither, decay. From apo and thnesko; to die off.


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NT Gospels: John 11:25 Jesus said to her I am (Jhn Jo Jn)