Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
This is a familiar scripture, powerful in truth and penetrating to the very depths of our being. This is true especially when we think about the context in which Jesus spoke these words. Jesus was speaking with Martha, the sister of Lazarus, who had just died from sickness days before. Jesus had returned to Judea after receiving the news. Martha had met him as he arrived.
Lazarus was dead. He had been buried in a tomb. They mourned. Martha was comforted in Jesus’ arrival and said to him, “If you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
Jesus replied, “Your brother will rise again.”
Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
Martha believed in the ultimate resurrection from the dead, but this is not all that Jesus was talking about. He was not just saying, “Lazarus, your brother will rise again someday” … but he knew that Lazarus was about to rise from the dead “that day,” in response to his command to “come forth!”
Believing in the wondrous truth of eternal life with God, through faith in Jesus Christ, is the anchor of our faith – that glorious hope. But what happens in this story demonstrates the power of God in the present, in the now, and just in ways we think – Jesus has the power to over-rule death NOW!
Oh Lord, help us turn to God and believe in the power of Jesus in the midst of whatever death-dealing situation or circumstance we are facing.
Louis J. Locke is founding pastor at Carson City Foursquare Church.
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