SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON 02 September 27, 2009

Who do you say that I am?
"I AM the Resurrection and the Life"-Jesus raises the dead
Theme Verse: "Who do you say that I am?" Matthew 16:15
Readings: John 11:17-44 (or 11:1-44) Luke 7:11-17
Memory Verse: "I AM the Resurrection and the Life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies." John 11:25 (Pre-K to grade 3)
      Last week we looked at Jesus' resurrection as "of first importance" in understanding who Jesus is and what difference that can make in our lives. He is (present tense) alive now and forever and wants to have a personal relationship with us now and give us new life, now in this life and the life to come. He was and is the Messiah/Christ, God's WORD taking on our humanity, to live and die for us to give us new life in him.
Jesus has power over life and death.
      In this lesson we see Jesus during his earthly ministry, not just healing people but restoring the dead to life! When Jesus says to Martha, "I AM the Resurrection and the Life" he means that like God the Father, he too has life in himself and can give life to others. In John 5:26, Jesus says, "For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself." (Remember how he also said, "I and the Father are one!" John 10:30). Remember how Jesus said in John 10:15, 17-18 "I lay down my life for the sheep…The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life--only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father." Here Jesus is also saying who he is since only God has this kind of power.
      Notice how Jesus waits till his friend, Lazarus, has already died before he goes to him so that his disciples and friends, including Mary and Martha, can learn more about who he is and that God the Father has sent him and is in him, so that God can be glorified and that they may believe. Jesus wanted to move them from where they are in their thinking to a new relationship with himself. Thomas is full of despair in vs.16, "Let us go die with him." But Jesus is about to show Thomas and the others that he himself is the source of Life and can give new life to others. Jesus moves Martha from saying "If you had been here my brother would not have died" (even as she believes in Jesus' power over death and in life after death). to saying, "I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God who has come into the world." Jesus wants to move us from where we are to a life of hope in him, not hope in the abstract but hope in him.
      When Jesus raised the only son of the widow of Nain (her only support) and Jairus's daughter, they were newly dead (dead bodies were buried the same day) but Lazarus had been dead four days! (When I was in Pakistan they also buried bodies within 24 hours.) There are a few stories in the Old Testament of prophets raising the dead like Elijah raising the widow's son in 1 Kings 17 and Elisha raising a woman's son in 2 Kings 4. They raised the dead by the power of God but Jesus is himself the source of life because of who he is. Hebrews 11:19 tells us that Abraham believed that God could even raise his son from the dead when God asked him to sacrifice him and "figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death."
Eternal Life
      Those Jesus raised from the dead died later, but these miracles point to the eternal life that Jesus wants to give us. Eternal life is not just going to heaven after we die but it is also a new quality of life now, a new relationship with the One who is Life Itself. Jesus says in John 5:24 "Whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me HAS eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life." Jesus' cross and resurrection point to Jesus' victory over both sin and death-- the two biggest enemies people have. Jesus says again in John 17:3 "This is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God and Jesus Christ whom you have sent."
      Now look at Jesus' love and compassion for those who grieve. Even though Jesus knew what he was going to do he "groaned in spirit and was troubled" when he saw Mary and the others weeping. Then he wept. (vs.33,35) Recall how he had compassion for the widow and the girl's parents. (In raising the daughter of Jairus, Jesus showed his love for children. He wanted the children to come to him so he could bless them.) Remember how Jesus wept over Jerusalem because of the disaster coming because they had refused to believe him. Remember how he had compassion on the crowds who followed him "because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd". (Matthew 9:36). Hebrews 4:15 tells us that in Jesus "we do not have a High Priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses" Do we grieve over the things that grieve God? If you ever have seen a picture of a statue of Buddha, he looks serene and worked at being untouched by the pain of life. Jesus is involved in what is happening to his people and cares about us.

      What are some of the ways that the Lord wants us to apply this lesson to our lives?
Have you experienced some of these? Can you share it?
"Now Martha said to Jesus, 'Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.'" (John 11:21) A word received: I AM always with you in your joys and in your sorrows.

"'But even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you.'" (John 11:22) A word received: I want you to know that as well: whatever I ask of my father, he will give me.

"Martha said to him, 'I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.'" (John 11:24) A word received: I want you to live with hope -- hope in the resurrection at the last day.

"Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, though he may die, he shall live.'" (John 11:25) A word received: I am the resurrection and the life. Turn to me for new life and for the life to come. I want you to know me right now as your risen and ascended Lord.

"'And whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?'" (John 11:26) A word received: Do you believe this? I want you to believe this. I want you to know in your heart and in your mind that I AM risen and that I AM life.