2 October | EVERYONE
"Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?’” John 11: 25,26
The atmosphere that day was gloomy, dreary, and bathed in tears. Lazarus was dead, and his sisters wept inconsolably. Messengers had been sent to Jesus while Lazarus was still alive, but the Master was slow to arrive. Now four days had passed since Jesus' friend had died and the corpse was already decomposing. From a human point of view, there was no more hope. But Jesus came that day. The sisters of the deceased believed that it was too late; they did not know that in the presence of Jesus there are no time limits.
When Martha, the eldest sister, heard that Jesus had arrived, she ran to meet Him and complained that if He had come when they called Him, her brother would not have died. Jesus looked at her with tenderness and compassion. Through her, he saw human beings of all times. How easily we lose hope! How quickly we become discouraged and faint! Jesus was not concerned about the passing death of Lazarus. That death was a mere dream from which He would awaken him. That is why He said to Martha, "I am the resurrection and the life; He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live."
Innocent human beings! They were in the presence of Life itself and wept for death. Isn't death the absence of life? Why, then, all that pessimism if Life was present in the person of Jesus? The death that should cause us fear is eternal death, but "whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die," said the Creator of life.
Take Action
Are you facing death, in any way, right now? Fear not. When Jesus called Lazarus, death fled in terror. For in the presence of Life there is no place for death. It can still get to us, but it is already doomed. Sing "The Resurrection and the Life" (if possible, with your family).