Do You Believe This?

In our Gospel lesson we find a family experiencing a crisis. Lazarus and his sisters, Martha and Mary, were close personal friends of Jesus. Jesus spent time in their home. They had shared many enjoyable evenings together. When Jesus heard that Lazarus was ill, he said, “This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” By the time Jesus finally made his way to the home of Martha and Mary, their brother was already dead.

Our Gospel lesson is more than just a story about a family in crisis. It is about the crisis of the world that at time promotes sin and death rather than mercy and hope. The purpose of today’s Gospel story is to reveal Jesus as the Resurrection and the Life. Before going to Lazarus Jesus speaks with Martha who accepted him as the Resurrection and the Life. Moments later Jesus – who is facing his own mortality – raises Lazarus from the dead.

As we prepare to celebrate the greatest event in the history of the human race – the Resurrection of Jesus Christ — Jesus gives hope to all of us — not just the hope that there is life after death, but also a hope that there is life after life. What do I mean by that? Everyone needs hope. We need hope that our life matters today, but we also need hope that there is more to life than this life tomorrow. To put it simply, everybody wants to know that they matter. We want to know that our life makes a difference here on earth and hopefully that somehow life continues after our journey on earth is over.

In other words, every human being on this planet longs for significance and security. Nobody knows that better than the God who made us and that is exactly why He sent His son, Jesus Christ.

Jesus made the following six statements never repeated anywhere else in the Bible. In those statements, He explains to us two very crucial things – Who He Is and Who we can become.

They are known as the “I am” statements.

“I am the resurrection and the life”

“I am the good shepherd”

“I am the bread of life”

“I am the door”

“I am the vine”

“I am the Light of the world”

Living in a world very much in need of hope, Jesus turns to us. He asks us the same question he asked Martha… “Do you believe this?”