We'll Never Die

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

WE’LL NEVER DIE

John 11:17-31

17 On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. 18 Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, 19 and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. 20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home. 21 "Lord," Martha said to Jesus, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask." 23 Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."  24 Martha answered, "I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." 25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; 26 and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"  27 "Yes, Lord," she told him, "I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world." 28 And after she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. "The Teacher is here," she said, "and is asking for you." 29 When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. 31 When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there.

NIV

As this just happens to be Easter Sunday Morning, it is fitting we are right here where Jesus says, “I am the resurrection and the life”, as it is this morning on those many years ago in Israel, that Jesus was resurrected. Of course, for us, the time of that event, sometime in the morning already happened in Israel as it is about seven hours ahead of our location. Yet it was a resurrection that changed the course of history for the whole world. Martha was no slouch when it came to correct theology. She must have spent enough time with Jesus to know about the resurrection on the last day, which we have labeled the rapture. But Jesus sets her straight. There may be the last day, and it might be the day the bodies of believers are raised from the grave physically, but there is something else that is of far greater importance. Jesus makes it clear that whoever believes in him will live, even though he dies and whoever lives and believe in him will never die. In other words, although this body will evidentially wear out, or give in to the unnatural aging process, who we truly are, our spirit, will not be imprisoned in this body any longer but will continue to live in the presence of our Lord. We will, in essence, never die. The reason this body ages unnaturally is due to sin. God never intended Adam or mankind to experience death as he created us as eternal beings, but due to sin, disobedience in the garden, eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they evidentially died. God told them that would be what would happen, but they yielded to the tempter and so we too have to experience the end of the body, but not of the spirit. The fact remains, because Jesus was the firstborn of the resurrected, and we believe in Jesus, we too will be resurrected. In fact, we will never die. We will live forever with our Lord. Hallelujah! Praise His Holy Name! Thank you, Jesus! No matter what happens to us in this temporary situation in this body, our spirits will soar on wings, like the eagle, into our eternal home in heaven. Someday our bodies will show up in a glorified state and we will be reunited with them. At least that sounds about right, for we know that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. So whatever our spirit looks like, it leaves the body behind which is stuffed into a casket and buried in the ground. It remains there while we are with Jesus. However, the resurrection is the raising of the body, as Jesus did with Lazarus, although Lazarus still died some years later as we all must. Nevertheless, it was a lesson in everlasting life. We live because he lives. We’ll never die.