THE RESURRECTION & THE LIFE!
“He has been dead and in that tomb for four days now. If only Jesus had been here, my brother would not have died; If only Christ had responded to our invitation on time, the one that He loved would still have been alive and with us now. But he is gone... So far the counting of days confirms the painful reality that Lazarus is very dead! Could this really be happening to us? Will I ever recover from this? Now, everyone knows that my beloved brother is irreversibly dead”... These were probably the statements that echoed words that two sisters had said to each other again and again, first as they waited for Jesus to show up when their brother ailed and as they mourned his death.
Countless emotions would have ran through their minds: pain mixed with disappointment, regrets and a feeling of hopelessness. It is demanding enough to look after someone that has been unwell, but for all efforts at nursing him back to health to end up in death is heart-breaking. Worse would have been hearsays in the neighbourhood about circumstances relating to the bereavement, news flying all over the place on conceived notions about the absence of Jesus who had been a good friend of the family. Some might have scoffed at Mary and Martha. In fact, this unpleasant situation could have led to the risk that their belief in Jesus be perverted.
But Martha’s faith had not been shaken; for when Jesus showed up with His disciples, four days past Lazarus’ death, she was in the affirmative when she said “and even now, I know that whatever you ask from God, He will grant it to you” John 11: 22 (AMP). Though she was not referring to any hope that Lazarus would be revived, she yet attested to her faith in Jesus that He is the Messiah, He says; “Blessed are you who takes no offence at me and finds no cause for stumbling... and is not hindered from seeing the Truth” Matthew 11: 6. (NIV). Jesus assured her that her brother would live again, though she had no idea that He spoke about the then physical, she thought Jesus referred to resurrection at the last day.
Natural laws and medical assertions are not falsehood in themselves. It is just that, in comparison with spiritual laws, they cannot stand the test of time, so they should not form a basis for final judgement. A covenant child keys into the law of the Spirit of life and he/she is set free from the laws of nature!
Jesus said to Martha “I AM {Myself} The Resurrection and The Life. Whoever believes in {adheres to, trusts in, and relies on} Me, although he may die, yet he shall live;” John 11: 25 (AMP). This is an audacious self awareness; “I AM”… An assurance in firm resolve of the idea that initiated the whole of existence! Eternal and One who has been and always will be! There is a lot of significance in that description than anyone can realize. Yahweh; Jehovah, The Ever present and Living One. There is no single way to explain God appropriately!
A description that is extremely rich in meaning: “I AM {Myself} The Resurrection and The Life”... It expresses the truth of the Omnipotence of God, who is the Living Spring- the Everlasting Life Source. If you believe, Martha??? That these bones that are beginning to rot; that the internal organs of our beloved Lazarus, though already taken over by maggots, would yet live at my command? Only that Martha got a revelational knowledge of Jesus’ assertions and not about His ability to deal with her present situation. Jesus was stating that He has authority over life and over death! …“Yes Lord, I have believed (I do believe) that you are the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One), the Son of God…. That the world has waited” John 11: 27. (AMP). The raising of Lazarus to life serves as a kind of prediction of the resurrection of Jesus and it signifies the power of resurrection and life that God had given to Him. But the raising of Lazarus was a return to the ordinary mortal existence, until eventual natural death, Jesus’ risen life depicts a transfiguration, a prophetic rather than a historical event. No act of the matchless God can be open to scrutiny as though it was just another event in the course of history!
…“but Lord, by this time, he {is decaying and} throws off an offensive odor, for he has been dead four days!” John 11: 39b. (AMP). This in fact about the hopelessness of this situation, an obstacle to faith but Lord, despite my unbelief; glorify your name in me, that my life may conform with the Prophesy of Jesus. Let the living standing here recognize your resurrection command, this 21-day waiting period, let your Word move me from the sphere of death into life!
I need no other plea… I need no other evidence… It is enough that “The Resurrection and The Life” died and rose again for me! For at Calvary, there is great mercy that surpasses judgment, pardon there still flows and is multiplied to me… My burdened self comes to You, Lord, breathe new life into me and permit no deadness around me!
ayanfeLAMPROS…