These days I often reflect on the incident when Jesus brings Lazarus back to life, in John chapter 11. Read the full story here. It's interesting that Jesus purposefully delays his visit to Lazarus, his dear friend. He gets the news of latter's illness.
4 When Jesus heard this he said, "This illness is not to end in death, but is for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it."
He goes only after Lazarus' death. Knowing that Jesus came, Lazarus' sister Martha meets Him.
21 Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.
22 (But) even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you."
23 Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise."
24 Martha said to him, "I know he will rise, in the resurrection on the last day."
25 Jesus told her, "I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live,
26 and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"
27 She said to him, "Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world."Martha believed that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God. She had witnessed many miracles done by Him which assured her that Jesus could have healed her brother had He been around. But Jesus had different plans. He wants to use this incident to underline a new teaching - that He is the resurrection and life. Every miracle He performed had a few intentions behind it.
- To demonstrate His immense love for us, and His care and concern for the needy.
Examples:- Cleansing the leper. Mat 8:2-4
- Healing the blind men - Mat 9:27-30
- To demonstrate His authority as the Messiah & the Son of God, over the whole creation, and over sin. Examples:
- Evil spirits - Casting out demons. Mark 5:1-16, Luke 4:31-36
- Water - Walking on the water, turning water to wine. John 2:1-11
- Wind, sea & the storm - Mat 8:24-26
- Sin - Healing the paralytic brought by 4 persons breaking the ceiling. Mat 9:2-8
- Sicknesses - All the healings
- To teach something that is different from the general perception Examples:
- The gentiles will inherit the kingdom of God - Healing the servant of the Centurion. Mat 8:5-11
- Love your enemies - Healing the ear of the soldier who came to seize Him. Luke 22:50
- To confirm the validity of His teachings. Examples:
- He is greater than the prophets - Transfiguration at Tabor Mat 17:1-8
- He is the Anointed One - Baptism at Jordan. Luke 3:21-22
- Fulfilment of prophesies about the Messiah - Reply to the disciples of St John the Baptist. Mat 11:2-6
Jesus keeps stressing about the importance of BELIEF. The belief in Him (".. whoever believes in me...."), and the belief in His words/teachings ("... Do you believe this?")
Let me take you back to Matthew chapter 8.
27 And as Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed (him), crying out, "Son of David, have pity on us!"
28 When he entered the house, the blind men approached him and Jesus said to them, "Do you believe that I can do this?" "Yes, Lord," they said to him.
29 Then he touched their eyes and said, "Let it be done for you according to your faith."
30 And their eyes were opened.......
Jesus is setting their faith right, before their eyesight. Verse 29 seals the importance of the act of thier faith expressed by saying "Yes Lord". And in V 30 we see the result.
Back to John 11... Mary too joins the scene. She expressed their sorrow for their loved one's departure, and the hope they had in Him, who could have healed him. Jesus weeps with them. He is the One who put on the sorrows of the entire humanity, and who else knew her pain more than Him.
And now the greatest surprise of all. Jesus asks the people to remove the stone. Martha tries to make Jesus come to terms with the realities. She might have thought of His inexperience in these matters. His reply is strange, but convincing - "Did I not tell you that if you believe you will see the glory of God?"
Jesus did not remove the stone Himself. Then who did it? A "practical" man wouldn't have done that. I think some "crazy" fellows got impressed by the confidence Jesus displayed. He was well composed. That reminds me of a popular statement in the crime-fighting serial (Seldge Hammer) I used to watch on TV long time back - "Trust me, I know what I'm doing."
And a few prople came forward. Might be thinking - "I know it's weird. But this man has done many things in the past quite differently. Such unexpected things can be expected of him." Yet they don't quite seem to believe that Jesus is sent by God.
41 So they took away the stone. And Jesus raised his eyes and said, "Father, I thank you for hearing me.
42 I know that you always hear me; but because of the crowd here I have said this, that they may believe that you sent me."
43 And when he had said this, he cried out in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!"
44 The dead man came out, tied hand and foot with burial bands, and his face was wrapped in a cloth. So Jesus said to them, "Untie him and let him go."
45 Now many of the Jews who had come to Mary and seen what he had done began to believe in him.
WOW... The dead man is back to life!!! And not only that... many people began to believe in Him!!!
See... Jesus insisted on belief... Martha & Mary believed... People saw the miracle... They too believed... And Martha & Mary saw the glory of God, as He promised. Well, they will see the full glory of God in eternity, because they believed. They could believe that too, which is still unseen, because they see time and again that Jesus is a man who keeps His Word.
"Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen." (Heb 11:1)
My RSV translation says - "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen."
By faith we understand that the universe was ordered by the word of God, so that what is visible came into being through the invisible. (Heb 11:3)
"For we walk by faith, not by sight." (2 Cor 5:7).
"Because he is found by those who test him not, and he manifests himself to those who do not disbelieve him." (Wisdom 1:2)
"Seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand." - St. Augustine
There is only one door to reach and understand God - FAITH. It is upto you and me to whether enter through it or show our back to it.
Those who deny God and His existence, question the authority of the Church and the Bible, shut this door for themselves. They do not know what they lose, but finds pride in not bowing before anyone. But who can measure the infinite goodness of God???? He calls them day by day towards Him through the language they can understand - their emptyness within themselves (for depriving God His temple), their sufferings, their boredom towards the pleasures of this world which robbed them of their true joy.
Dear "Da Vinci Code" followers, "Harry Potter" fans, Rock Music fans .... Now is the time when God is calling you.... Happy is the one who hears Him, and reach him through the beautiful door, called FAITH.
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