Thursday, March 22, 2007

John 11:17-44 (The Message)
17-20When Jesus finally got there, he found Lazarus already four days dead. Bethany was near Jerusalem, only a couple of miles away, and many of the Jews were visiting Martha and Mary, sympathizing with them over their brother. Martha heard Jesus was coming and went out to meet him. Mary remained in the house.
21-22Martha said, "Master, if you'd been here, my brother wouldn't have died. Even now, I know that whatever you ask God he will give you."
23Jesus said, "Your brother will be raised up."
24Martha replied, "I know that he will be raised up in the resurrection at the end of time."
25-26"You don't have to wait for the End. I am, right now, Resurrection and Life. The one who believes in me, even though he or she dies, will live. And everyone who lives believing in me does not ultimately die at all. Do you believe this?"
27"Yes, Master. All along I have believed that you are the Messiah, the Son of God who comes into the world."
28After saying this, she went to her sister Mary and whispered in her ear, "The Teacher is here and is asking for you."
29-32The moment she heard that, she jumped up and ran out to him. Jesus had not yet entered the town but was still at the place where Martha had met him. When her sympathizing Jewish friends saw Mary run off, they followed her, thinking she was on her way to the tomb to weep there. Mary came to where Jesus was waiting and fell at his feet, saying, "Master, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died."
33-34When Jesus saw her sobbing and the Jews with her sobbing, a deep anger welled up within him. He said, "Where did you put him?"
34-35"Master, come and see," they said. Now Jesus wept.
36The Jews said, "Look how deeply he loved him."
37Others among them said, "Well, if he loved him so much, why didn't he do something to keep him from dying? After all, he opened the eyes of a blind man."
38-39Then Jesus, the anger again welling up within him, arrived at the tomb. It was a simple cave in the hillside with a slab of stone laid against it. Jesus said, "Remove the stone."
The sister of the dead man, Martha, said, "Master, by this time there's a stench. He's been dead four days!"
40Jesus looked her in the eye. "Didn't I tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?"
41-42Then, to the others, "Go ahead, take away the stone."
They removed the stone. Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and prayed, "Father, I'm grateful that you have listened to me. I know you always do listen, but on account of this crowd standing here I've spoken so that they might believe that you sent me."
43-44Then he shouted, "Lazarus, come out!" And he came out, a cadaver, wrapped from head to toe, and with a kerchief over his face.
Jesus told them, "Unwrap him and let him loose."

In this passage we see two important aspects of who Jesus is. One is that Jesus is God and he had the power to raise Lazarus, who had already been dead for four days, back to life. The second is that as a human just like us, Jesus felt emotions. What different emotions did Jesus feel in this passage?

Jesus cried because he was sad. He loved Lazarus and his family and mourned death with him. Jesus also felt anger. Maybe he was angry that Lazarus had died. Maybe Jesus was angry that the people doubted him and what he could do. The passage does not really tell us why Jesus was angry, but that he was.

Does knowing Jesus felt emotions help you trust him? Why or why not?

Does knowing Jesus has the power to raise the dead help you trust him? Why or why not?