Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? John 11: 25, 26
Dear God, we need to believe this! We are surrounded with suffering and death, and only the assurance that death is not the last word gives us hope. So please speak Lord. Amen
Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha, had just died. Prior to his death, his sisters had sent word to Jesus that the “one whom [He] love[d]” was sick. Lazarus, as well as Mary and Martha, were Jesus’ very good friends. The natural reaction, after receiving such a message, was that Jesus would drop everything and hasten to the bedside of His friend. Instead, Jesus remained where He was for two more days, and then began His journey toward Bethany. By this time, Lazarus was dead. Why had He allowed his friend to die when He could have prevented it?
When Martha heard that Jesus was on His way to their village she arose from where she was sitting in the house and ran to meet Him. “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” Jesus assured her that her brother would rise from the dead. But Martha thought that Jesus was speaking of a future resurrection. Mary comes to where Jesus is and almost as if they had planned it, she says the same thing to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here…”
There will be times when some deaths are going to seem so unnecessary. We may find ourselves asking Jesus the same question: Lord, where were You when my loved one died? If You had been here…” My prayer is that at these times we will remember that Jesus is still the Lifegiver, and that death has already been conquered! It saddens His heart that they are heartbroken in His presence and Jesus weeps at their lack of faith.
“And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” Do you and I believe it? Exactly what does Jesus mean by “shall never die?” Just what He says! For the person who lives believing in Christ, eternal life has already begun! That is why John could pen these words, “And this is the testimony: God gave us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life” Now, isn’t that GOOD NEWS? Two days ago we said that those who receive Christ, were given power to become the children of God. Now here is another piece of that good news, You who have the Son already have eternal life!
So Jesus could assure Mary and Martha that their brother Lazarus would live. In the previous chapter He makes it plain that it was He, who had laid down His life, to take it up again, because He had received the command from His Father. Because He and the Father are one, even though He has laid aside His divinity, He could go to the Father, and in His name, call Lazarus forth from the dead. After four days! Why was time so important? Because Ancient Jewish Tradition states that for three days the soul of a person stays close to the body, but by the fourth day, the person is really dead! There was no possibility that Lazarus was in a trance, or a state of catalepsy. Lazarus was dead. But wonder of wonders, at the sound of the Lifegiver’s voice, Lazarus came forth!
One day soon, all those who are dead in Christ, will hear the sound of Jesus’ voice, and will come forth clothed in vigor and health. Why? Because when they were laid in their graves, they already had eternal life, because they had Jesus. Do you have eternal life? It can be yours today, in Christ!