On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days.
There is finality about death. Life is over!
Or is it?
Here the Teacher asks His students to believe what is beyond the possibility of human achievement. To trust He is able to offer continued life after death. He even claims to be the source of life.
I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.
Lazarus is very dead, at least four days dead. Jesus plans to bring him out of the tomb. Give his life back to him.
But before He does this He asks the students standing there a question:
Do you believe this?
This is a question all who seek to follow Him must answer. And here He probes their faith in Him knowing full well He will prove His ability to keep the promise.
By the very nature of the case, this is what He must do with each of His students. For it is a question we must answer while we are alive, before we die, and have opportunity to personally experience the truth of His claim.
Martha, Lazarus’s grieving sister, answers for herself - "Yes, Lord," she told him, "I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world."
There are many teachers in the world. But only one Teacher who is able to give resurrection and life after death? This is The Difference!
Her faith is outstanding
ReplyDelete"But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask."
Is she asking him to bring him back? She doesn't directly - but what is this statement? A statement of faith that Jesus and God are one - and that God would grant whatever He asked.
Maybe part of the problem with our prayers is we ask selfishly for things we really don't need. Or maybe the problem is that we don't pray with faith like Martha.
Should pray for God's will? Absolutely. But should we also pray for what we desire and need? Yes. How? With faith.