Jesus raises the dead
A time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out–those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned (John 5:29)
Jesus is the One who gives us life and can resurrect life from the dead. Through Jesus, all things were made, and without Him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of men (John 1:3-4).
Jesus’ resurrection of Lazarus from the dead glorified Him
Shortly before Jesus’ sacrificial death, His friend Lazarus was sick. So, Martha and Mary, Lazarus’ sisters, sent word to Jesus about his condition. They knew Jesus had healed others, so they expected him to come and heal their brother too. But Jesus had a better plan. He wanted to use this circumstance to do something that had never been done before. He would wait four days following Lazarus death and then demonstrate His power by bringing him back to life.
By waiting four days, no one could question whether or not Lazarus was really dead. The Jews believed that the spirit of the deceased can remain for up to three days before departing. They did not embalm the body. So, the body would begin to decompose soon after death and would stink greatly by the fourth day.
Jesus said to his disciples, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it” (John 11:4). Jesus knew that He was doing the very work the Father gave Him to finish. And this testifies that the Father sent Him (John 5:36-37).
On an earlier occasion, when Jesus told the Jews, “I am God’s Son”, the Jews accused Jesus of blasphemy. He told them, “Do not believe me unless I do what my Father does. But if I do it, even though you do not believe me, believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father” (John 10:37-38).
Once again, God would make Christ credible to the world through the signs and miracles performed through Jesus. The Spirit of God in Jesus accomplished the work of the Father by means of the miracles performed.
Jesus declares Himself to be the resurrection and the life
Both Martha, and later Mary, met with Jesus when He arrived in their hometown of Bethany. They were perplexed by Jesus’ late arrival and told Him that their brother would not have died if He had been there. Jesus plainly told Martha that her brother would rise again. However, she thought Jesus was referring to the resurrection on the last day, which Jesus had taught. Yet, she was still hanging onto some hope. For she said, “But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask” (John 11:22)
“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 11:25-26). And once again, she reveals her faith in Jesus by saying, “I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world” (John 11:27).
Jesus proves He is the resurrection and the life by raising Lazarus from the dead
Jesus was moved by all the sorrow and mourning of Martha and Mary and those who who were consoling them. He wept bitterly as He understood the sorrow of the moment. He could also weep as He thought about the judgment to come for everyone who would ever reject Him as the Son of God.
Jesus came to the tomb of Lazarus, which was a cave with a stone in front of the entrance. He then instructed those who were there with Him to remove the stone, which they did. Jesus prayed publicly. But instead of asking God to raise Lazarus, He thanked God for having heard Him. He did this for the benefit of those who were there so they would believe the Father sent Him for this purpose.
Jesus then called out in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” (John 11:43). He spoke only three words, and life reentered the decomposed body of Lazarus. He came out of the tomb, wrapped with his grave clothes. No one had ever seen a miracle like this before. Then, Jesus told them to remove the wrappings and let him go.
The resurrection miracle enraged Jesus’ enemies
The word of this miracle spread rapidly throughout Israel. The display of Jesus’ power served multiple purposes. Many of those who saw the miracle placed their faith in Him, while others reported what Jesus had done to the Pharisees. All Israel knew that the Pharisees hated Jesus. He was openly critical of them. They saw that His popularity and influence was undermining their own position and authority in the community. So, they wanted Him killed.
This miracle further hardened their hearts against Jesus. They assembled the Sanhedrin and agreed with their high priest, Caiaphas, that Jesus would have to die. Of course, their decision just happened to be in complete alignment with God’s purpose and timing. God chose to use the scheme of wicked men to make Jesus a sacrifice for sin.
After Jesus death, resurrection, and ascension, Peter preached to the crowd in Jerusalem, saying the following:
“Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross.
“But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him” (Acts 2:22-24)
How will you respond to Jesus?
You must make a choice. God won’t allow you to sit on the sidelines over the most important decision that man will ever make. There are basically three options: 1) Trust in Jesus as your Savior and Lord, 2) Remain undecided, indifferent or apathetic—neither being hot nor cold (see Revelation 3:15-17), or 3) Reject the teaching of Holy Scripture and face the consequences of your sin.
You must not only know the facts about Jesus and believe it is true to be saved, you must also personally trust in Him alone to save you.
Ask yourself two very important questions. First, are you sure that you’ll go to heaven when you die? Secondly, are you certain why God should let you into heaven? If you don’t know for sure, you can settle that matter today. Visit my post, How to Begin Your Life Over Again and you’ll know where and how you’ll spend eternity.
And for crystal clear YouTube presentations of the gospel message from several trusted sources, click here.
