Quote for the Day
“I am the resurrection and the life.”
Today's Prayer
Jesus, this week I ask for you. My prayer is for all of you to be all of me.
John 11:17-29
John 11:17-29 (NIV)17 On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. 18 Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, 19 and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. 20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.21 “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”24 Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; 26 and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”27 “Yes, Lord,” she told him, “I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.”28 And after she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. “The Teacher is here,” she said, “and is asking for you.” 29 When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him.
Message
Many of us have much the same problem as Martha: we have not allowed knowledge to make its way from the brain to the heart. We know all the right things, but we refuse to believe what we know. Scripture is memorized and prophecies “understood.” By our own power we have committed our lives to Jesus, but to entrust the daily events of life into His hands seems to be too hard. Martha is complaining to Jesus that her brother would not have died if Jesus had come earlier. Jesus tells her that Lazarus will rise again only to have her quote “theology” to the Creator. Just as He does with us, Jesus explains that He alone is resurrection and that He alone holds our lives today and forever.Jesus being the resurrection is an important concept to understand. Jesus is trying to help Martha (and us) understand that He does not merely have the power to bring Lazarus back to life, but that in fact Jesus IS THE resurrection (and the Life). Many times today we ask for parts of Jesus. We pray for His ability to forgive, or His ability to love, or some other portion of who He is. What we need to ask for is HIM…period. Lazarus did not need the power of Jesus’ resurrection; he needed JESUS, because Jesus is resurrection. This life we live today needs to have Jesus as its life. Paul repeats this (as do many other Bible authors) with the words of Galatians 2:20, “…I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” What a mighty Savior, who is our very life!