Scripture:
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
Reflection:
Two weeks from today we celebrate the most amazing and unparalleled
event in history: the resurrection of Jesus Christ! Today's scripture
reading is taken from the story of the raising of Lazarus from the
dead. Jesus' raising of Lazarus acted as a prophetic miracle that
anticipated and pointed to his own resurrection.
Martha, the sister of Lazarus, meets Jesus along the way as he draws
close to the burial place of Lazarus. They talk about her brother's
death, which Martha believed could have been avoided if only Jesus
had arrived sooner. The subject matter soon turns to the resurrection
at the last day. That day was Martha's last hope for her brother. A
day ... sometime in the future. But Jesus quickly shifts the focus
away from the resurrection being a day, to the resurrection being a
person: himself. He proclaims, "I am the resurrection and the
life!" The hope of resurrection is not so much a day in the
future, not so much an event that we all look forward to some day.
The hope of the resurrection is Jesus himself!
When death stares us in the face, when death reminds of loved ones
who have gone on before, when that glorious day of resurrection seems
like a distant, uncertain illusion, remember that Jesus, the
resurrected, exalted, ever reigning Jesus, is our sure hope. He is
our resurrection!
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, you are our hope. You are our resurrection. You are our
life. Though our days may uncertain, our futures unpredictable, our
lives a mere breath away from eternity, you are sure, you are
certain. You are our rock, our fortress, our strong tower. Our
confidence is in you, in you alone. Help us to trust you more each
day. Amen.
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