Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.
Do you believe this?”
She said to Him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”
John 11:25-27
Jesus made a lot of bold statements and this one is pretty big. It came out of a conversation He had with Martha after telling her He would raise her brother Lazarus (who had been dead four days) back to life.
Why did she say yes? What made her believe that this was no ordinary man but, rather, “the Son of God?”
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
She knew Jesus. He was a close friend of the family. She had spent enough time in His presence to know He was different and His claims were for real. This is evident because she declared her faith in Jesus before He raised Lazarus from the dead.
And it’s this kind of personal experience that leads us to faith in Christ as well. For me, the transformation I saw in myself after I made the decision to follow Christ was pretty dramatic. And, even though I have not been perfect in this journey of faith, I can testify that He has been perfectly faithful to me.
POWER OF THE EMPTY TOMB
There have been a lot of people who have gone to great lengths to refute the scriptural accounts of Jesus’ resurrection. But, in their attempts to cover up the empty tomb, they have unwittingly exposed the emptiness of their own argument.
Because the truth is, this one event is not the only proof of Jesus’ power.
If you’re going take a hammer to the gospels and drive a nail through the heart of the resurrection story, this cornerstone of all Christian belief, you cannot forget to include a rebuttal for all those other miracles Jesus did.
You may call God a liar but try telling that to all those other people He healed, especially the ones He raised to life -
Like Jairus’ daughter (Luke 8: 40-42, 49-56),
or the only son of the widow of Nain (Luke 7:11-15),
or Lazarus, brother of Mary and Martha (John 11).
Try convincing the original disciples and the thousands of converts to the early church including that killer of Christ followers turned follower of Christ himself, the apostle Paul.
You can deny historical records along with the testimonies of saints past and present and mock all you want. But it’s hard to dismiss the fact that so many people who walked with Jesus were willing to die a martyrs death.
PROOF OF THE RESURRECTION
This may be the most compelling proof of the resurrection, because I sincerely doubt that those who were eye-witnesses to these events would die for a mere man whose claims to be God had never been verified. They had to have been 100% convinced.
And we are further evidence. You and I and every single person who has ever encountered the living Christ and answered “Yes” when asked, “Do you believe this?”
And why do we believe in Jesus?
Because He is still emptying tombs.
Capable of raising to life whatever is dead or dying in us.
Resurrecting hope.
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Are you searching for a reason to believe? You might want to read this article:
Evidence For The Resurrection by Josh McDowell
Are you already a believer but going through a struggle of some kind? Maybe you need a reminder that Jesus suffered too, and He rose from the grave to let you know He has the power to lift you out of whatever depths you find yourself in today.
Let this song encourage you. Let it be your prayer.
And may this be your most blessed and joyful Easter ever!
DO YOU BELIEVE?
