17When
Jesus arrived,
he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. 18Now
Bethany was near Jerusalem, some two miles away, 19and many
of the
Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them about their brother. 20When
Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary
stayed at
home. 21Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here,
my
brother would not have died. 22But even now I know that God
will
give you whatever you ask of him.” 23Jesus said to her,
“Your
brother will rise again.” 24Martha said to him, “I know
that he will
rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 25Jesus
said to
her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even
though
they die, will live, 26and everyone who lives and believes
in me
will never die. Do you believe this?” 27She said to him,
“Yes, Lord,
I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into
the
world.”
In last week’s Gospel story something very special happened. Jesus performed a miracle. Do you know what a “miracle” is?
Miracles are things that only God can do. People can do lots of amazing things - but no matter how hard we try, there are certain things that we just can’t do – and problems that we just can’t fix.
Do you remember what Jesus fixed last week – the miracle he performed? He met a blind man – a man had been born with a problem that made it so that couldn’t see – and Jesus healed him. With God’s help, he fixed him in a way that even doctors could not.
In the Bible, the stories of Jesus’ miracles help us to understand important things about God. And this week he does something truly special. His good friend Lazarus has died. And Jesus brings him back to life. What a miracle!
Everything that lives dies someday. It’s just a part of life. Plants die and animals die – and, sadly, people die too. But Jesus not only performs a miracle this week by bringing Lazarus back to life, he makes a very important promise to each of us. He says that "those who believe in me, even though they die, will live." God wants us to live forever in heaven. And that’s a miracle waiting for each of us.
Will you pray with me?
Dear God,
Just as Jesus helped his friend Lazarus to live, we are thankful to know that we too will live with you forever in heaven. Thank you for the miracle of your creation and the miracles you perform in our lives every day. We ask you to surround us with your love and watch over us during the week ahead.
Amen
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