19. The Jews, whom our Evangelist always carefully distinguishes from the “turba,” or lower class, were leading men among the people; so that it appears from this that the family of Lazarus had a good social standing.

20. Martha ergo ut audivit quia Iesus venit, occurrit illi: Maria, autem domi sedebat.20. Martha therefore, as soon as she heard that Jesus was come, went to meet him; but Mary sat at home.
21. Dixit ergo Martha ad Iesum: Domine si fuisses hic, frater meus non fuisset mortuus:21. Martha therefore said to Jesus: Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.
22. Sed et nunc scio quia quaecumque poposceris a Deo, dabit tibi Deus.22. But now also I know that whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee.

22. Even still she has hope that He may intercede with God to restore life to her brother.

23. Dicit illi Iesus: Resurget frater tuus.23. Jesus saith to her: Thy brother shall rise again.

23. In words, purposely ambiguous, and meant to try her faith, Jesus assures her that her brother shall rise again.

24. Dicit ei Martha: Scio quia resurget in resurrectione in novissimo die.24. Martha saith to him: I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.

24. Understanding Him to speak of the final resurrection, [pg 198] or at least wishing to force Him to explain, she says: I know, &c. Note how Martha's words prove the faith of the Jews of that time in the resurrection of the body.

25. Dixit ei Iesus: Ego sum resurrectio et vita: qui credit in me, etiam si mortuus fuerit, vivet:25. Jesus said to her: I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in me although he be dead, shall live.
26. Et omnis qui vivit et credit in me, non morietur in aeternum. Credis hoc?26. And every one that liveth, and believeth in me shall not die for ever. Believest thou this?

25, 26. Christ avails of this occasion to perfect her faith, and in the beautiful and consoling words which we read in the antiphon of the Benedictus in the Office for the Dead, declares that He Himself by His own power, and not merely by supplication to the Father, as she imagined (verse [22]), is the author of our resurrection and life. In the following words He explains what He means. He who believes in Me, and dies in the living faith, which worketh by charity, even though he be corporally dead, like Lazarus, shall live again a glorious life, even in his body; and everyone who is living in the body, and so believeth shall never die, because though he shall indeed pass through the gates of death, I shall quicken him again to a better life so that he may be said rather to have slept than died.[76] If this interpretation of the words, “shall never die,” seem to anyone strained, he may take them in reference to the death of the soul; but as there is question in the context of the raising of the body of Lazarus, we consider the opinion we have adopted more probable. In these verses, then, Jesus declares Himself the resurrection and the life; the resurrection of the dead, the enduring life of the living. So that verse 25 encourages Martha to hope to have Lazarus restored to her, and verse 26 warns her to look to herself, in order that she may live for ever.

27. Ait illi: Utique Domine, ego credidi quia tu es Christus Filius Dei vivi, qui in hunc mundum venisti.27. She saith to him: Yea, Lord, I have believed that thou art Christ the Son of the living God, who art come into this world.
28. Et cum haec dixisset, abiit, et vocavit Mariam, sororem suam silentio, dicens: Magister ad est, et vocat te.28. And when she had said these things, she went, and called her sister Mary secretly, saying: The master is come and calleth for thee.
29. Illa ut audivit, surgit cito, et venit ad eum.29. She, as soon as she heard this, riseth quickly and cometh to him.
30. Nondum enim venerat Iesus in castellum: sed erat adhuc in illo loco ubi occurrerat ei Martha.30. For Jesus was not yet come into the town; but he was still in that place where Martha had met him.
31. Iudaei ergo qui erant cum ea in domo, et consolabantur eam, cum vidissent Mariam quia cito surrexit et exiit, secuti sunt eam dicentes: Quia vadit ad monumentum ut ploret ibi.31. The Jews therefore who were with her in the house and comforted her, when they saw Mary that she rose up speedily and went out, followed her, saying: She goeth to the grave, to weep there.
32. Maria ergo, cum venisset ubi erat Iesus, videns eum, cecidit ad pedes eius, et dicit ei: Domine, si fuisses hic, non esset mortuus frater meus.32. When Mary therefore was come where Jesus was, seeing him, she fell down at his feet, and saith to him: Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.