"Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in Me, even if he dies, will live. Everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die - ever. Do you believe this?'"
John 11:25-26, HCSB
I have to take a moment and ask the same question of you that Jesus asked of Martha: do you believe this? I mean, honestly, do you believe and know in your heart that there is nothing that can stop the Son of God, and do you believe that He can call forth a person from any condition, from any tomb, even from complete nothingness? I believe it. I completely believe it.
Again referring to my profession, death is so personal a thing for so many families. Burial versus cremation and other alternates is a real struggle in the hearts of those left behind, and there are many people who are opposed to the idea of cremation, because of many varying reasons. Others are opposed to burial for a similarly long list of reasons. Some want to be shot into space, frozen for keeping, made into diamonds, buried at sea, cremated and molded into a reef formation to be sunk at sea... the list goes on and on and on. The one thing I want you to take away from this added (and admittedly useless) knowledge, though, is that from whatever condition you are in after you have passed away, Jesus Christ has NO LIMITATION on bringing you back to Himself. He is able to reform cremated remains, able to bring back those shot into space, able to raise those buried at sea, and able to rebuild entirely those obliterated completely. He IS able, and MORE than able, to do this and all other things that we can think or imagine... as well as those things that we cannot imagine!
Having explained that power a little more, now let's take a look at the moment. One key verse that must be referenced in this passage and in this Statement is John 11:35, "Jesus wept." This, the shortest verse in Scripture, carries a powerful punch. I referenced this in the Signs, and I will teach it again and again and again, because there is no end to the power of this moment. Jesus Christ, looking at the fear that had spread through this town from one death (because they didn't understand death, and had no knowledge of the Resurrection as you and I do); looking at the rampant sadness that was flowing from everyone, due to the same lack of knowledge and understanding; looking at the confusion of the entire moment, and seeing that when sin entered the world through Adam, and death came with it, the created beings of the Word now live in terror. Jesus Christ saw all of this and wept for the people... all of them. As added encouragement, I have to tell you that since He sees all of time in a single frame, He was also looking right at you when He shed these tears. He knows your fear, and He knows your pain, and He knows your anguish over this frightening topic, and it moves Him, the Son of God, the Creator of all things, the Word, the Messiah, to weep for YOU!!!
There are those who say that crying is a sign of weakness, and that men should not cry in public. I disagree, and I do so based upon John 11:35. Christ's immense love for us and for our need to be freed from the power that sin held over us moved Him to tears, and that is not a sign of weakness... it's a determination of overcoming a massive obstacle! He already knew that He was going to overcome it, and He already had the ministry laid out to do so, but I like to believe that His humanity fully surfaced in this moment, and the emotions with which we are blessed became an added strength to Him for this purpose. (Yes, folks, I am keenly aware that nothing was a surprise to Christ, and that He has all knowledge, and that He probably knew that He would be overwhelmed by the sight that day to the point of tears... please don't think anything different.)
HE is the resurrection. He IS the resurrection. He is THE resurrection. He is the RESURRECTION. Like with the others, no matter where you put the emphasis, the Truth remains the same... and what happens next proves this Truth, in grand abundance!
God bless you all!!!
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