When Jesus comes to visit Mary sits at His feet of Jesus and to Him speak.

Martha busies herself preparing a meal.

She storms into the room and asking Jesus why He isn’t upset that she is doing all the work and Mary is just listening to Him.

Liz Curtis Higgs says that in this instance, Martha gets a bad rap for being busy and neglecting to listen to the Savior. However, later on in the story, Martha shows incredible faith through her words to Jesus after the death of Lazarus.

“Mary is sitting for seven days in her home mourning her brother, but being bold, Martha runs out and she says, Lord if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

The tone of her response is left up to our imagination, at least initially.

“We don’t know if she was disappointed, frustrated, or confused by those words until you hear the rest of the sentence.”

“But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.” John 11:22

Even though Lazarus had been dead for four days, Martha wasn’t worried, she knew that God would give Jesus whatever He asked for in His Father’s name.

What incredible faith did Martha have that she believed God could raise her brother from the dead after four days? After Martha’s bold declaration of faith, Jesus proceeds to explain to her one of the most profound theological truths in Scripture.

“Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die…’” John 11:25

Just like Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, He will also raise us all to life at the end of the age. Resurrection is not something Jesus does, He is the resurrection.

“I am the resurrection. I am the reason resurrection is possible. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die, and whoever lives by believing in me will never die.”


Liz Curtis Higgs is the author of more than 30 books, with 4.5 million copies in print. In her best-selling Bad Girls of the Bible series, Liz breathes new life into ancient tales about the most famous—and infamous—women in scriptural history, from Bathsheba to Mary Magdalene. Liz’s award-winning historical novels, which transport the stories of Rebekah, Leah, Rachel, Dinah, Naomi, and Ruth to eighteenth-century Scotland, also invite readers to view biblical characters in a new light.

Key Scripture: John 11:22

Featured Songs: Faithful Still – Emmanuel Live; Elohim Acoustic – Hillsong Worship; Rise – Danny Gokey

The faith of Martha