February 28
JOHN 11
23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”28 When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying in private, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” 29 And when she heard it, she rose quickly and went to him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha had met him. 31 When the Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary rise quickly and go out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there. – John 11:23-31
JOHN 11 THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
If you are downcast and overwhelmed by life’s challenges
Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and he will bring changes
He is the source of life; anything dead, he can restore to life
If you believe in him, even if you die, you will still live
Do not believe in the world system or you will be in the dark
If you believe in Jesus, you will see light and will have a way out.
I wonder how many of us truly understand the concept of the resurrection and the life that only comes from Jesus Christ. When Jesus speaks of dying here, I think it is not just limited to physical death as the case with Lazarus. In this account, Jesus is about to resurrect Lazarus from the dead. Those people present still have no idea what he was about to do. One of the reasons for him to perform this miracle is to make people see the power of God over death. This is why he waited longer when Lazarus died so they can actually witness the power that God can only perform. No human being is capable of bringing a person back to life. Only God can do such signs. There is another purpose for doing this and that is to foreshadow his coming death and resurrection. If people believe him, he promises eternal life. Even if they are dead, they will still live.
REFLECTION
• What kinds of death can Jesus resurrect us from? Share insights on this.
