Both Tears and Hope: Jesus' Resurrection Gift
Daily Scripture
John 11:20-44
20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him, while Mary remained in the house. 21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother wouldn’t have died. 22 Even now I know that whatever you ask God, God will give you.”
23 Jesus told her, “Your brother will rise again.”
24 Martha replied, “I know that he will rise in the resurrection on the last day.”
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me will live, even though they die. 26 Everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
27 She replied, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, God’s Son, the one who is coming into the world.”
28 After she said this, she went and spoke privately to her sister Mary, “The teacher is here and he’s calling for you.” 29 When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to Jesus. 30 He hadn’t entered the village but was still in the place where Martha had met him. 31 When the Jews who were comforting Mary in the house saw her get up quickly and leave, they followed her. They assumed she was going to mourn at the tomb.
32 When Mary arrived where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother wouldn’t have died.”
33 When Jesus saw her crying and the Jews who had come with her crying also, he was deeply disturbed and troubled. 34 He asked, “Where have you laid him?”
They replied, “Lord, come and see.”
35 Jesus began to cry. 36 The Jews said, “See how much he loved him!” 37 But some of them said, “He healed the eyes of the man born blind. Couldn’t he have kept Lazarus from dying?”
38 Jesus was deeply disturbed again when he came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone covered the entrance. 39 Jesus said, “Remove the stone.”
Martha, the sister of the dead man, said, “Lord, the smell will be awful! He’s been dead four days.”
40 Jesus replied, “Didn’t I tell you that if you believe, you will see God’s glory?” 41 So they removed the stone. Jesus looked up and said, “Father, thank you for hearing me. 42 I know you always hear me. I say this for the benefit of the crowd standing here so that they will believe that you sent me.” 43 Having said this, Jesus shouted with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The dead man came out, his feet bound and his hands tied, and his face covered with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Untie him and let him go.”
Daily Reflection & Prayer
“Resurrection’ isn’t just a doctrine. It isn’t just a future fact. It’s a person, and here he is standing in front of Martha, teasing her to make the huge jump of trust and hope. He is challenging her, urging her, to exchange her ‘if only…’ for an ‘if Jesus …’.
If Jesus is who she is coming to believe he is …
If Jesus is the Messiah, the one who was promised by the prophets, the one who was to come into the world …
If he is God’s own son, the one in whom the living God is strangely and newly present …
If he is resurrection-in-person, life-come-to-life ….
the key to it all, now as then, is faith. Jesus is bringing God’s new world to birth; but it doesn’t happen automatically. It doesn’t just sweep everyone along with it, willy-nilly. The key to sharing the new world is faith: believing in Jesus, trusting that he is God’s Messiah, the one coming into the world, into our world, into our pain and sorrow and death.” *
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Rome’s power, like every human tyranny, rested ultimately on one simple threat: “Do what we say, or we’ll kill you.” Jesus’ followers changed the world because Jesus’ words and actions convinced them that even Rome’s violent threat couldn’t do them lasting harm (cf. Hebrews 2:14-15). At Lazarus’ grave, and after his own death on the cross, Jesus showed them clearly that he truly IS “the resurrection and the life.” Their fear of death was gone—and ours can be, too. In what ways have you found Jesus powerfully real in your world, not erasing or denying your grief (verse 35: “Jesus began to cry”), but giving you confidence in God’s ultimate victory over pain, grief, and death?
Prayer
Lord God, weave your reality into the fabric of my life. Empower me to trustingly pray Julian of Norwich’s beautiful prayer: “All shall be well, and all shall be well and all manner of thing shall be well.” Amen.
GPS Insights
Brent Messick
Brent Messick, now retired, formerly served as Church of the Resurrection’s Managing Executive Director of Operations
Have you ever been given a second chance in life? When I read the story of Lazarus, it reminds me that God is the God of the Second Chance. Whoever coined this phrase is spot on.
I am not necessarily referring to being raised from the dead like Lazarus in today’s Scripture passage. To me, second chances can take many forms. Surviving a health crisis, like cancer. Beating an addiction. Overcoming the heart-breaking loss of a loved one. Getting fired and starting a whole new career. Repenting of our sins. It’s what we do with that second chance that matters.
I think of some real-life examples here in the Kansas City area. Pastor Darryl Burton, Church of the Resurrection, was incarcerated for over 20 years for a crime he did not commit. He was exonerated and given a second chance where he became a pastor and now leads a prison ministry for the church. Kareem Hunt, running back for the Kansas City Chiefs. He started his career with the Chiefs as a successful running back, but he was released. His career as a running back was in doubt, until he resigned with the Chiefs in 2024. He took advantage of this second chance and helped them get to the Super Bowl.
I think about my wife, Barb. She is a breast cancer survivor. While she still struggles with other health conditions, Barb has started a hula-hooping group, called the “Sassy Hoopers,” where women come together weekly for exercise and fellowship. She is using her second chance to help others.
Then I think about our spiritual lives. We all fall short of God’s mark for us. Sometimes the guilt of our sins or the pain of our tragedy paralyzes us and prevents us from moving forward. We don’t see how God could possibly forgive us or help us get through a tragedy. We might question our faith.
No matter how serious our sins or our tribulations, God does not abandon us. He loves us. He gives us strength to move forward. He forgives us. Yes, He wants us to repent our sins. We don’t get a hall pass to keep on sinning. God will give us a second chance. All we have to do is humble ourselves and put our trust in Him. I find great comfort in that.
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Scripture quotations are taken from The Common English Bible ©2011. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
References
* N. T. Wright, John for Everyone, Part 2: Chapters 11-21 (The New Testament for Everyone) (pp. 6-7). Westminster John Knox Press. Kindle Edition.
