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Healing Resurrection
Brian Mashburn
April 8, 2007
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The Healing Resurrection
Jesus was about to say something very profound. The word "educational" wouldn't do it justice. "Revolutionary" would come closer, but still fall short of its muscle. The words would be few, and they would roll off his tongue effortlessly as if they had always been true, but their depth would demand meditation. Jesus knew that days, or even years, of contemplation would not exhaust the power of what he was about to speak.
It was Martha he was looking at when he spoke them. And they had treasures untold for her personally in that moment, but the acceptance of them would demand a re-orientation of religious thinking that had been assumed for centuries by her people.
Martha's brother Lazarus had just passed away. Her sister Mary and she had sent word to their friend and master, Jesus, the healer, when Lazarus went down sick, knowing that if he would come he could heal him. And they were right.
Only Jesus didn't come. He intentionally waited for Lazarus to die before he showed up. They had come to know Jesus as the great healer. That's why they put their faith in him. They knew he could heal. But Jesus wanted them to know him more. He wanted them to know the extent to which he could heal. And for that, Lazarus needed to die.
When he arrived in the presence of this mourning, confused family of followers, his heart broke at their suffering. He comforted them with the words, "Your brother will rise again." Martha responded in her appropriate religious way, "I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day."
Here come the words, preceding a demonstration of these words, that would blow their minds forever: "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."
This Easter, let's not pretend to fully understand these words. Let us instead consider their greatness, their impact, the gift that they contain. Let us celebrate that whatever the breadth of their meaning, it is gloriously good news for us.
Just for today, let us consider the question that he finished with after speaking these words to Martha.
"Do you believe this?"