“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world” (John 11:25-27).
Lazarus had died several days earlier, and Martha, one of Lazarus’s sisters, ran to meet Jesus when she heard that he had come to the village. Jesus said, “Your brother will rise again” (v.23), and expressed confidence that he would indeed rise again in the resurrection on the last day.
But Jesus had much more in mind than Martha was thinking. He intended to take Lazarus out of the grave at that very moment. But he wanted Martha to understand something. Any resurrection from the dead, now or at the end of time, will always be by His power. He said, “I am the resurrection and the life.” “Whoever believes in Me, even if he dies, he will live; and whoever lives and believes in Me will never die.” Jesus’ own resurrection would prove Him to be the Son of God (Romans 1:4) – and as God, the Giver of life, Jesus had the power of life and death. In John 5:21, He made this important claim, which was sobering and hope-giving at the same time: “Just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whomever He wants.”
Martha not only saw the force of what Jesus said; She believed he was telling the truth. “I believe,” he said, “that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.” He saw that the Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament was not to be an earthly ruler over the restored kingdom of Israel; He will be no less than God himself, breaking the power of sin and death – establishing a kingdom where God’s redeemed people can enjoy A life that was eternal in every sense of the word. This life, then, is our great hope, as Jesus promised: “This is the will of my Father, that whoever looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:40).
“The resurrection of Jesus is our hope today. It is our assurance that we have a living Savior who will help us live as we should now, and when, at last, we set out on that last great journey, we will not travel an unknown path, but we will go on a planned journey – from life through death to eternal life” (Raymond McKendree).
Gary Henry – WordPoints.com AreYouaChristian.com
