So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met Him ... Jesus said to her, "I am the Resurrection and the Life. Whoever believes in Me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?" (John 11:20, 25-26)
Martha came to Jesus quickly, before He got to the house. Why? It sounds like she hoped He would raise her brother from the dead. Otherwise what did she mean by saying, "Even now I know that whatever You ask from God, God will give You"?
Jesus promised, "Your brother will rise again." But Martha still wasn't clear. Did Jesus mean the general resurrection at the end of the world? Or something sooner?
Jesus confirmed her best hopes. He said, "I am the Resurrection and the Life." The resurrection is not just some far future event. Jesus, standing right there, face to face with Martha, is the resurrection right now. He is the Son of God, and all power, including the power of life, is in His hand.
And that's still true for us today, isn't it? Jesus is our resurrection, right now—the Son of God, the crucified and resurrected Savior, who can meet all our needs.
That means it's never too late to ask Him for help, and get it, if the thing we are asking for is in accord with God's will. Never too late to ask for help with sickness, with pain, with dying. Never too late to ask Him to heal the deathly messes we create for ourselves—broken families, ruined marriages, bad jobs, addictions.
WE PRAY: Lord, You are my resurrection. Please raise me from the deathly situations I am in. Amen.
Reflection Questions:
* Why doesn't Jesus raise everybody from the dead right now?
* Think privately: What is a situation in your life that would take a resurrection to get better?
* Pray silently about that.
Lenten Devotions were written by Dr. Kari Vo.
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