Where Martha lived was near Jerusalem. Here, some time after the Passover of 31 C.E., Jesus had spoken of his God-given commission to resurrect the dead. He had come under religious criticism because on the Sabbath day he had healed a man and told him to pick up his cot and go home. In response to such criticism, Jesus said:

7, 8. (a) Whom does Jesus Christ make alive from the dead, and like whom does he deserve to be honored, and why? (b) Who is it that now passes over from death to life? (c) To what kinds of resurrections will the Son of man call forth all those in the memorial tombs?

⁷ “For just as the Father raises the dead up and makes them alive, so the Son also makes those alive whom he wants to. For the Father judges no one at all, but he has committed all the judging to the Son. . . .

And he has given him authority to do judging, because Son of man he is. Do not marvel at this, because the hour is coming in which all those in the memorial tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who did good things to a resurrection of life, those who practiced vile things to a resurrection of judgment. I cannot do a single thing of my own initiative; just as I hear, I judge; and the judgment that I render is righteous, because I seek, not my own will, but the will of him that sent me.”​—John 5:21-30.

9. In the aforequoted words of Jesus the emphasis is particularly laid on what matter?

⁹ In the above words we notice the emphasis that is laid on the matter of judgment, the words “judge,” “judges,” “judging” and “judgment” occurring together for a total of seven times. Also, a “resurrection of judgment” awaits a practicer of vile things.

10. During Christ’s reign of a thousand years the judging of mankind is turned over to whom, and why will there be no appeal from such judging?

¹⁰ Thus the subject of resurrection is associated with judgment. Because the Son of God from heaven became the “Son of man” on earth, he has been given the authority to do the judging of all the members of humankind. So God the Father has made his faithful Son to be his associate judge. During the thousand-year reign of Jesus Christ the judging of all mankind is first turned over to the Son of God as Associate Judge. There will be no appeal from the judgment rendered by the Son of God, because it will be perfect.