The Resurrection and the Life

Rev. Dan Speckhard, pastor at St. Peter Lutheran Church and School in North Judson, IN, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study John 11:17-27. When Jesus arrives in Bethany four days after Lazarus’ death, all hope for a reversal of Lazarus’ condition seems lost. Martha greets Jesus with raw honesty: “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” Such lamenting before the Lord is exactly what pious Christians should do. As Jesus speaks with Martha, He moves her beyond pious platitudes to real hope. Real hope is found in Jesus alone, for He is the resurrection and the life. This comfort remains ours today at every Christian funeral; Jesus gives us the promise that He will raise from their graves all those who die in Him. “The Word Made Flesh” is a series on Sharper Iron that goes through the Gospel according to St. John. The disciple whom Jesus loved wrote his Gospel account as an eyewitness to Jesus’ life and ministry. As we read the Word of God recorded by St. John, the Holy Spirit works in us so that we might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and so have life by faith in His name.