Do you believe this?

Scripture:

• Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live. And everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” John 11:25, 26

Reflection:

Do you believe this? What a question! Jesus asks this piercing question to Martha, the sister to Lazarus just four days after her brother’s death. This verse could be called the “ne plus ultra” which in latin stands for the, pinnacle or highest point in declaring God’s mission on earth. It could be said that this verse is “the very crux, or the center, the nucleus, the core, the main point, the very heart, the bottom line, the essence, the substance, the root, the full expression or the single absolute definition” of our faith. For Jesus not only demonstrated he was the resurrection and life by his own death and resurrection, but he demonstrated it weeks beforehand with his close friend, Lazarus. Raising Lazarus from the dead was Easter on display and demonstrated to a world enslaved by sin only weeks before the actual Easter event. 

This Easter can be a time where we challenge ourselves with this question once again. Do I believe that Jesus is the resurrection and the life? Paul the apostle wrote that Jesus was “he who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light”  (2 Timothy 1:10). Jesus abolished death. Jesus is the resurrection, Jesus is life and that is what we celebrate every Easter. 

One last point. If you consider the current death-rate all around us, it can be quite intimidating. In our world, three people die every second, 180 every minute, nearly 11,000 every hour, which translates into about 260,000 every day and about 95,000,000 every year. Death comes to both the young and old, the rich and poor, the good and bad, the educated and the foolish. One ancient philosopher said, “It is possible to provide security against other ills, but as far as death is concerned, we live as men in a city without walls.”

We have heard it said that death is no respecter of persons nor of time nor of place. It can strike at any moment, day or night. There is not a single spot on the face of the planet we call home where it is not able to strike, yet for those that believe Jesus, who believe on his name, death has no victory.  It may strike, yet we do not need not worry for in Christ we shall live. Every single person who trust in Christ…will live!  We will live…we will have a resurrection, we will have fullness of life because of the resurrection and the life in Christ Jesus. We celebrate this Easter that “This corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory.’ “O Death, where is your sting? O Hell, where is your victory?” (1 Corinthians 15:52-55).

Do you believe this?  I do!

Happy Easter!

David