NOTES for Joh 11:25-26
Many of us know this situation: someone close to us has died, and friends come to express their condolences. They say, “We grieve with you,” or “We will all end up there,” in one way or another acquiescing to death and accepting its finality. Jesus' words are strikingly different. He speaks of resurrection, of victory over death. He speaks of Himself as the bearer of a life for which death is not the end. More than that, He can give such life to others.
Then comes the most important question: “Believest thou this?” For each person to whom this question is addressed, the moment of decisive choice now arrives—the choice of faith. Reason cannot help, because it has nothing to do where there is no information. An adventurous temperament cannot help, because both answers are equally risky. This choice can be made only by the human heart, the center of a person's free will and his capacity for love and trust without any proof. This question is now put to every one of us: “Believest thou this?”