Martha answered, "I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." Jesus said to her, "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. Do you believe this?" John 11:24-26
As presented on *The Lutheran Hour® by the Rev. Kenneth R. Klaus, 2005
King Herod was terrified of the baby Jesus and tried desperately to have him killed. But Herod isn’t the only powerful person who has been disturbed by the Bethlehem Baby. The Russian Bolsheviks, the Nazis, the People’s Republic of China, and North Korea have all persecuted people for their faith in the Baby. Some Islamic and Buddhist nations forbid public worship of the Bethlehem Baby.
What can possibly be so frightening about a baby that would make world powers tremble in terror? Simply this: the Bethlehem Baby didn’t stay a baby. He grew up and began doing miraculous things. He grew up and explained whom He was and why He had come. As John tells it in today’s Scripture reading, Jesus claimed, “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.”
No human being can make such claims for himself. Only the Son of God could truthfully say such claims. And the Son of God is who Jesus claims to be.
If these words are true, the other religions and rulers of the world need to be afraid. If they are true, then our allegiance must first and always be to our heaven-sent King. If these words of Jesus are true, all other religions must be fake and filled with falsehood. Paraphrasing Jesus, I ask, “Do you believe this?”
Dear Jesus, I believe that You are the Son of God and deserve my allegiance. Please help my unbelief. Amen.
Taken from A Message of Hope: Proclaiming the Promise (selections from messages broadcast on *The Lutheran Hour, celebrating 75 years of proclaiming the promise).
Copyright © 2005 by Lutheran Hour Ministries
*The Lutheran Hour is the longest-running Christian radio broadcast in the world. It is a production of Lutheran Hour Ministries. For more information, visit www.lutheranhour.org.
Today's Bible Readings: Genesis 10-12 Matthew 4
To Download Devotion MP3 to your computer, right click here and select "Save Link As" or "Save Target As" or "Download Linked File As"