NOTES for Joh 11:25-26

Many of us know such a situation: someone close has died, and friends come to express their condolences. They say, "We grieve," or "We will all be there," in one way or another agreeing with death, accepting its finality. Jesus' words are strikingly different. He speaks of resurrection, of victory over death; He speaks of Himself as the bearer of such life for which death is not the end. More than that, He can endow others with such life. And then comes the most important question: "Do you believe this?" And here for every person to whom this question is addressed, the moment of decisive choice arrives, the choice of faith, in which reason cannot help because it has nothing to do where there is no information, and an adventurous temperament cannot help because both answers are equally risky. This choice can be made only by the human heart, the center of one's free will and capacity for love and trust without any proofs. And now this question is put before each of us: "Do you believe this?"