In the narrative of what happened at Bethany, the belief of both Martha and Mary in Jesus, the Messiah, the Son of God, is shown (11:27-32). Both made the same statement of belief (11:21,32) meaning that if Jesus had been there earlier, he would have healed Lazarus of his illness; others present also believed this 11 :37). Martha indicated, without further explanation, that she believed that Jesus could still help them (11:22). She understood Jesus' reply (11:23) to refer to the resurrection of believers at the end of the present age (11:24). Her belief in Jesus had limitations, as her reaction in 11:39 showed. She could not grasp the depth of the significance of the 'I AM' saying of 11 25 although she connected it with the hope of the resurrection of believers at the last Judgement. She could not understand that the power of death is already overcome for the believer in this life, through belief in Jesus Christ. Physical death will occur for everyone but its power and terror are destroyed because death for believers is only a transition to the fullness of eternal life. Paul sets out the glorious victory of Christ over death in 1 Corinthians 15.

When Mary heard that Jesus had come, she went to him and wept but said no more than her sister had said (11:28-33). The sorrow of those who, although knowing Jesus had not yet met him as the risen Lord, is shown vividly in this passage; death was still the final destroyer of life to them. The great emotion of Jesus is referred to as he saw the grief of the people around him, and his own tears were not only the understandable result of a situation of great sorrow but showed an even deeper agony in himself. Before he could bring glorious hope to those who were confronted with the harshness of death, he had to endure his own agony and death, which, in a sense, had already begun. The cost of freeing others from the power of death was his own self-sacrifice.

He went to the stone tomb and ordered it to be opened (11:34-39) and prayed to his Father for the restoration of physical life to Lazarus - 'for the sake of the people here, so that they will believe that you sent me' (11:41-42). Lazarus came out of the tomb, alive (11:43-44).