Resurrection Serves a Purpose

Scripture Reading

John 11:20-26 (NRSVUE)

When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary stayed at home. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.”Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

Introductory Remarks:

The Resurrection is often shrouded in mystery because of the varying Gospel writers’ accounts of Jesus’ Resurrection from the tomb and the question of Bodily Resurrection v. Bodily Resuscitation.

No matter your faith position on the issue of Resurrection, know this: Resurrection affirms God’s will of eternal life for Jesus and for you, too. 

Major Points of the Lesson:

1. Resurrection affirms that God’s will is always on the side of LIFE, not death.

2. Today’s scripture is one of several scriptures that bear witness to Jesus’ conscious affirmation of God’s ‘Resurrection Power’ within the soul of humankind. This is evidence that Resurrection is not a one-time event, limited to Jesus alone.

Quote: 

“A strong, positive, powerful, constructive belief in life will lead to the rejuvenation of mind and body, and that is something we all want and can have.” Jim Lewis, Mystical Teachings of Christianity.

ASSIGNMENT:

Spend time this week and as often as you desire, speaking words of life over yourself and others.