Saturday 2 December 2017

Jesus is the Messiah

Jesus is the Messiah
John’s gospel records this incident in which a friend of Jesus, Lazarus, had died. Not only that he had been dead four days upon the arrival of Jesus.
“On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days.  
Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem,  and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother.  
When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home. 
“Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died.  
But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.” 
Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 
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?” 
“Yes, Lord,” she told him, “I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.... 
Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance.  
“Take away the stone,” he said. “But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.” 
Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” 
So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me.  
I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.” 
When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”  
The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.” John 11:17-27,38-44.
Here again the apostle John notes something that if not true would harm the fledgling Christian movement.
John records Jesus as saying to Martha,
“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?” 
“Yes, Lord,” she told him, “I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.”
Martha truly believed Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah.
John does not stop however with Martha’s confession of faith in Jesus. Martha’s brother Lazarus had died. He had been dead four days. Jesus asks to be taken to where he was buried. Where upon Jesus prays saying,
“Father, I thank you that you have heard me.  
I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.” 
When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”  
With that John records that Lazarus rose from the dead.
Like I have said in my previous blogs if this was not true why would the early believers in Jesus include it in their writings.
Someone has said “fact is often stranger than fiction” this I believe is true when it comes to Jesus.
People in general have preconceived ideas of how things should happen. That includes I believe the way they think God should do things.
However when it comes to God, God does not do things our way.
God especially in the case of Jesus places the events in Jesus life before us and asks us to have faith that they are true.
He asks all people everywhere to have faith that He exists and that Jesus is indeed God in the flesh. The writer of Hebrews telling us,
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for
 and certain of what we do not see.”  
                                                    Hebrews 11:1
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, 
because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists 
and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” 
                                                                 Hebrews 11:6.
Please think about it.  

No comments: