John 11:24 is Martha’s reply to Jesus after her brother Lazarus has died. She is saying that she expects Lazarus to be raised, but only at the final day when all the dead are raised, which she takes as a settled hope rather than a fresh request. Martha speaks these words in Bethany, to Jesus, as she grieves and as she waits for him to arrive.
Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
John 11:24 (WEB)
What John 11:24 Means
The phrase “I know” shows that Martha is confident of what she believes. She is not hoping vaguely. She has been taught, as many Jews of her time were, that God will raise the righteous dead at the end of history, and she holds that belief firmly. When she says “he will rise again,” she means that Lazarus will rejoin the resurrection of the just that God has promised.
The words “in the resurrection at the last day” place that hope far in the future. Martha is not describing something happening that afternoon in Bethany. She is describing a truth about God’s plan for the end of all things. This is why her answer can feel a little distant. She has real faith, but it points toward a day that still seems far away while her brother lies in the tomb.
The verse does not promise that Lazarus will be raised immediately, and Martha herself does not ask for that. It also does not tell us what Martha expected Jesus to do next. It simply records her sure but distant hope. The verse is a window into her faith, and into how much she was still learning about what Jesus was about to show her.
The Context of John 11:24
John’s Gospel was written to lead readers to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that through believing they may have life in his name. Chapter 11 tells the story of Lazarus, and it is one of the signs that point toward that goal. The original readers were people who already knew the story of Jesus and were being encouraged to see its deeper meaning.
Just before verse 24, Martha says to Jesus that if he had been there, her brother would not have died, and she adds that God will give Jesus whatever he asks. Jesus answers that her brother will rise again. Martha’s reply in verse 24 is the honest, guarded response of someone who trusts Jesus but is not yet ready to hope for more. Just after verse 24, Jesus says, “I am the resurrection and the life.” That claim turns Martha’s distant hope into a present reality. So verse 24 is best read as the step just before Jesus reveals that resurrection is standing right in front of her.
Key Phrases in John 11:24
1 Corinthians 15:55
“Death, where is your sting? Hades, where is your victory?”
(WEB)
Paul celebrates the victory of God over death, drawing on the same resurrection hope Martha expresses. Reading it alongside John 11:24 shows how the early church built its understanding of death and new life on the promises Martha held.
John 11:25-26
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will still live, even if he dies. 26 Whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
(WEB)
These verses are the words Jesus speaks right after Martha’s reply. They show how Jesus takes her distant hope and makes it a present reality in his own person, which is the heart of the chapter.
A Short Prayer From John 11:24
Lord, I confess that I often believe the truths of your promises without feeling their nearness. Like Martha, I hold to the hope of the resurrection, yet my heart still aches in the present moment. Help me to trust not only what you will do someday but also who you are right now, the resurrection and the life. Let my knowing become a living trust in you, and steady me as I wait. Amen.
