power of His own, as God, to work a miracle, and as if lie could not command a cure, but must ask God for it, as Elisha did. She must have strangely forgotten the manner in which our Lord had often worked His miracles. Chrysostom remarks, that she speaks as if Christ was only " some virtuous and approved mor- tal."
Let us note here that there may be true faith and love toward Christ in a person, and yet much dimness and ignorance mixed up with it. Love to Christ, in Christian women especially, is often much clearer than faith and knowledge. Hence women are more easily led astray by false doctrine than men. It is of the utmost importance to remember that there are degrees of faith and knowledge. How small a degree of faith may save, and how much of ignorance may be found even in one who is on the way to heaven, are deep points which probably the last day alone will fully disclose.
Let us do Martha the justice to observe that she shows great confidence in the value and efficacy of prayer.
23. — [Jesus saith... brother... rise again.~\ These words, the first spoken by our Lord after arriving at Bethany, are very remark- able. They sound as if He saw the vague nature of Martha's faith, and would gradually lead her on to clearer and more dis- tinct views of Himself, His office, and Person. He therefore begins by the broad, general promise, " Thy brother shall be raised up." He does not say when or how. If his disciples heard him say this, they might have some clue to his meaning, as He had said, " I go that I may awake him out of sleep." But Martha had not heard that.
Let us note that our Lord loves to draw out the faith and knowl- edge of His people by degrees. If He told us everything at once, plainly, and without any room for misunderstanding, it would not be good for us. Exercise is useful for all our graces.
Bollock sees in this verse a signal example of our Lord's unwillingness to " break the bruised reed, or quench the smoking flax." He nourishes and encourages the little spark of faith which Martha had.
24.— -[Martha. ..Iknow... resurrection. ..last day.'] Martha here reveals the extent of her faith and knowledge. She knows and feels sure that her brother will be raised again from the dead in the last day, when the resurrection takes place. This, as a pious Jewess, she had learned from the old Testament Scriptures, and as a Christian believer, she had gathered even more distinctly from the teaching of Jesus. But she does not say, " I know and feel confident" of anything more. She may perhaps have had some glimmering of hope that Jesus would do something, but she does not say, "I know." General faith is easier than particular.
We see from this verse that the resurrection of the body