A WORD FOR TODAY, November 29, 2021
Peggy Hoppes
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Blessings. Peg
A WORD FOR TODAY, November 29, 2021
“For Christ is the fulfillment of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. For Moses writes about the righteousness of the law, ‘The one who does them will live by them.’ But the righteousness which is of faith says this, ‘Don’t say in your heart, “Who will ascend into heaven?” (that is, to bring Christ down); or, “Who will descend into the abyss?” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead.)’ But what does it say? ‘The word is near you, in your mouth, and in your heart;’ that is, the word of faith which we preach: that if you will confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart, one believes resulting in righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, ‘Whoever believes in him will not be disappointed.’” Romans 10:4-11, WEB
Today’s question comes from the book of John. Lazarus, Mary and Martha were close friends of Jesus, but Lazarus died. His sisters sent a message to Jesus in the hope that He would come heal their brother, but Jesus waited until after he died to go. He had a purpose, and that was to prove that He was who He said He was. The sisters were grieving when Jesus arrived, but they knew that even when it seemed too late, Jesus could make everything right. Jesus told Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will still live, even if he dies. Whoever lives and believes in me will never die.” And then He asked perhaps the most important question in the Bible: “Do you believe this?”
We don’t have the advantage of hearing Jesus speak this question to us, so we do not know the emphasis He put on each of the words. Do YOU believe this? Is this question a personal one? Do you BELIEVE this? Is belief simply intellectual accent, or is it a deep trust in God? Finally, do you believe THIS? What is this? What is it that we are meant to believe?
I don’t know Jesus’ tone of voice, but the question asks all three. It is personal, it is pointed, and it is precise. Martha’s answer touches on each point. She said, “Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Christ, God’s Son, he who comes into the world.” Martha answered in the first person, “I”. She told Jesus that she believed. She confessed a faith that goes beyond the mind and even the heart. She called Jesus the Christ, putting her absolute trust in Him as Lord and Savior. Jesus was not just a kind man, or a good friend, or a wonderful teacher. He was, is, the Son of God, the Lord.
In the coming days we’ll see more and more evidence of the celebration of Christmas, but Jesus puts before us the greatest question of our lives? Do you believe this? The Christmas story is at times quite unbelievable. A virgin birth? A heavenly choir inviting shepherds to a king in a manger? Wise men following a star a great distance? Do you believe these crazy things? And yet, the ultimate faith rests in something even crazier, that Jesus is Emmanuel, God with us, the Incarnation of the Living God. How we answer today’s question defines the God we worship.
We hesitate in answering that question or answer only in part because we struggle against a world that rejects the idea that Jesus is God. The world wants to mold God and His believers to fit into their expectations. But Paul reminds us that the person who believes God’s Word and lives accordingly will not be put to shame. When we say, “Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Christ, God’s Son, he who comes into the world,” we will be saved. Jesus asks and wants to hear a personal answer of faith that goes beyond our mind or heart, putting our absolute trust in Him as Lord and Savior.
Jesus was a kind man, a good friend, and a wonderful teacher. He is our friend and He is there for us in our times of need. However, He is also the Divine, the Son of God. In the story from John, the sisters complained to Jesus that He wasn’t there when they needed Him, but He knew the end of the story. We might think we need Him to be here at this moment, to heal at this time, to finish His work right now, but He sees beyond our immediacy. He knows the right time; He will be where we need Him to be. He is worthy of our trust, our faith, our hope. He is faithful and we will not be disappointed. Do you believe this? Then confess your faith in Him, and experience the incredible grace of God through a personal relationship with the Lord of the resurrection and the life, Jesus Christ.
A WORD FOR TODAY is posted five days a week – Monday through Friday. The devotional on Wednesday takes a look at the scripture from the Revised Common Lectionary for the upcoming Sunday. A WORD FOR TODAY is posted on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/A-Word-for-Today-Devotional/339428839418276. Like the page to receive the devotion through Facebook. For information and to access our archives, visit http://www.awordfortoday.org.
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