I want to share a quick thought from John 11, and the resurrection of Lazerus. You can read the whole story in John 11, but I want to jump in when Jesus shows up on the scene and meets up with Martha.

Martha then said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. Even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.” – John 11:21-22

Martha almost asks Jesus to ask the Father to raise Lazerus up.

Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”

Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” – John 11:23-24

Martha believed in an end-time resurrection and believed that her brother had faith enough to take part in it.

I feel like Martha’s doing pretty well here, based on her words. But she’s missing something. She gets how connected Jesus is to the Father and how He can ask anything and God will do it. But Jesus’ response to her takes it all to another level.

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” – John 11:25-26

The answer for Martha comes not from Jesus’ tight connection with the Father, or with the amazing things Jesus can do.

We get stuck on what Jesus can do sometimes.

Like the Leper Jesus met in Matthew 8

And a leper came to Him and bowed down before Him, and said, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” – Matthew 8:2

What we are missing, like Martha and the leper, is not what Jesus can do, but who He is.

I AM – the Greek phrase Ego Emi. It’s actually the reason the Jews wanted Him dead, and Jesus used this phrase over and over through out His ministry.

It was not that He had the power or the connection with God. Jesus is resurrection. He is THE LIFE! Life and death are like hot and cold, or light and dark. Death, cold and darkness are not measurable. These words represent the absence of something. When it’s cold out, it’s because there is less heat available. Darkness flees in the face of light because it only represents the absence of light.

So it is with death. Death is simply the absence of life.

So when life Himself comes on the scene, what can death do but yield. Death flees in the face of The Life.

Thanks for taking a minute for me today.

See you again soon,

Ben