DAILY REMINDER – Today, November 9’s Bible reading is John 11-12.
NEXT DAY REMINDER – Tomorrow, November 10’s Bible reading is John 13-15.
May God bless you with the reading of His WORD.
JOHN MOMENT – (09NOV19)
I AM the Resurrection and the Life (John
11:25-26a)
[Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will
live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in
me and believes in me will never ever die (John 11:25-26a)][1]
There are countless remarkable
advances to sustain life that have been made throughout the centuries in the medical
field. From the first open-heart surgery to the transplantation of various
organs, science has in no doubt improved the quality of life for many people. Peter
Safar, an Australian surgeon, has been credited for the invention of
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), and as early as the 1700s, mouth-to-mouth
resuscitation was being recommended for drowning victims.[2]
This life-saving method has saved an innumerable amount of people. The American
Heart Association has projected that up to 200,000 lives a year could be saved
if CPR was done early enough on needed individuals.[3] CPR
has been instrumental in helping to save many lives and yet, there is a point
that even CPR nor machines can revive a dead person.
Modern medicine has been unable to put
the breath and soul back into the body once it's completely gone. Science has
failed at this and have resorted to cryogenically freezing individuals who have
voluntarily paid thousands of dollars to have their bodies artificially
preserved should there be a cure for certain diseases and even death itself.[4]
Nevertheless, there are things that only God can do regardless of man’s medicine
and modern technical advances. He is the only One who can give life and
resurrect the dead for He is the Breath of Life who breathed into Adam and he
became a living soul.[5]
John’s Gospel tells the story of
Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha, who had taken ill and later died. Word
had been sent to Jesus of his illness through a messenger in hope that He would
come in time to prevent him from dying.[6]
Jesus, however, did not rush to get to the bedside of Lazarus because He knew
that God would be glorified out of the situation. By the time Jesus reached the
city, Lazarus had been dead for four days which meant that his body had already
begun to decay.[7] The
Jews did not practice the embalming techniques used by the Egyptians nor were
there any life-support machines available to sustain life. Yet, time was not of
the essence when it came to Jesus, for He knew who had the power over death and
would make that known for all to see.
Jesus, upon arriving to Bethany where
the family lived, assured Martha that her brother would rise again, for He felt
her pain and was sympathetic to her grief. Although agreeable, Martha mistakenly
thought that Jesus was referring to the final resurrection and would not have
the joy of seeing him anymore in this life. Jesus knew what she was thinking
but expounded further for He was speaking in terms of an immediate miracle to
demonstrate that He is the Resurrection and the Life for all who believe.[8] The
family was quite familiar with Jesus’ teachings and yet, He asked if she
believed. The Bible says that it is impossible to please God without faith, so
there had to be a measure of faith for God to be glorified.[9] Martha
affirmed her belief but was concerned that Lazarus, having been in the tomb for
four days, would have been subjected to odor and decay – making it impossible
for Jesus to perform a miracle, but that was not going to hinder Jesus from
glorifying his Father. He was about to show those present that He was not only capable
of restoring vitality to rotted flesh but was the refreshing Breath of Life who
would overtake the stench of death.
Jesus prayed to his Father and gave
thanks in advance for what God was about to do. He told the men to remove the
stone that covered the entrance to the tomb. After which, Jesus commanded Lazarus
to come forth and he did. One can possibly imagine the onlookers’ amazement.
Jesus showed that He is the Resurrection and the Life-Giver for what was
impossible for man to do was possible for Him. Human bodies break down with age
and disease, but Jesus not only can heal the physical body, He came to
resurrect the spirit so that one day, man can have an eternal life with Him. To
be in Christ is to have eternal life because the Bible says that once a person
is out of the earthly vessel, the believer will be with the Lord.[10]
There is no area in a person’s life
that Jesus cannot resurrect. There is no situation that is dead where Jesus cannot
give life to. Jesus came to resurrect those who were spiritually dead and
wounded so that they may have the Gift of Life. Sin separated man from God, but
Jesus came to restore, resurrect, and help the spiritually dead to regain their
relationship with the Father. In seeing that Jesus is the Resurrection and
Life, there is the promise of hope, love and joy in knowing that despite what
obstacles the devil throws one’s way, death is not the end for all who believe.
A.
Overview of Divine Qualities as the Resurrection
and Life.
a,) Oneness with
the Father
aa.) Jesus
showed His oneness with the Father through the miracles He did on earth as He
brought life to those who were dead both spiritually and naturally.
b.) Incarnate
nature
bb.) Jesus left His heavenly home to come to earth as a
baby born through a woman to show the world the Gift of Life given by the
Father that would be made possible for all eternity.
c.) Transcendent
qualities
cc.) Jesus being the Resurrection and the Life was the
only One capable of showing God’s life-giving abilities manifested through His
works on earth as He did what was not humanly possible for man apart from the
Father.
d.) Redemptive
works
dd.) Jesus died so that man could have eternal life, and
because of that sacrifice, Jesus got the keys to death and hell for all
eternity conquering its power and gaining ultimate victory.
B. Application
of the Believer
a.) Death
brings grief to many upon the loss of a loved one. Nevertheless, there is hope
in Jesus being the Resurrection and the Life to all who are saved. Death is not
the end for those who are in Him. Just as Lazarus was resurrected, Jesus will
bring life to those who have died in Him in the natural and to those who are
dead spiritually, so that they may have an eternity with Him free from the
curse of death forever. Lazarus’ miracle was a foreshadowing of Jesus own death
and resurrection as well as all who believe on the name of the Lord.[11]
[1] John 11:25-26a (New Living Translation).
[2] The American Heart Association,
"History of CPR," CPR and ECC, last modified 2018,
https://cpr.heart.org/AHAECC/CPRAndECC/AboutCPRFirstAid/HistoryofCPR/UCM_475751_History-of-CPR.jsp.
[3]CPR & First Aid Emergency Cardiovascular
Care, "CPR Facts and Stats," CPR and ECC, last modified 2018,
https://cpr.heart.org/AHAECC/CPRAndECC/AboutCPRECC/CPRFactsAndStats/UCM_475748_CPR-Facts-and-Stats.jsp..
[4] Zack Guzman, "This Company Will Freeze
Your Dead Body for $200,000," NBC News, last modified April 26, 2016,
https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/innovation/company-will-freeze-your-dead-body-200-000-n562551.
[5] Brown, "Creation’s
Renewal," 282.
[6] John 10 (New International Version).
[7] Ibid.
[8] Ibid.
[9] Hebrews 11:6 (New International Version).
[10] 2 Cor. 5:8 (New International Version).
[11] Brown, "Creation’s
Renewal," 288.
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