Commentary on John 11 (1)
The reason why Chapter 11 of John is so important is because it speaks of the issues of resurrection and life.
In John 11, the attributes of Jesus Christ are revealed as ‘resurrection and life.’
Please especially note that the Lord does not say, ‘I will resurrect you,’ but says in John 11:25, “I am the resurrection and the life.”
Jesus Christ himself is the resurrection.
And he himself is life.
Because we died in Adam, the Lord must become a resurrection to us.
Because we were dead in Adam, the Lord becomes the resurrection that brings us back to life.
And because we are alive through the resurrection, we must continue to eat the life to become eternal life.
So resurrection and life are one set.
You need to understand this properly.
The fact that the word of God is as sweet as honey and honeycomb is evidence of being born again
The word of God became bread.
However, the word of God is not bread for those born on the earth.
For them, world knowledge and information are bread and power.
Money is power, luxury goods are power, and a good car is power, but the word of God is not power.
However, for those who are born from heaven, the bread that comes down from heaven becomes their power.
So, through the words, the attributes of Christ change into ‘resurrection and life’ within us.
Jesus is salvation to his flock and becomes the bread they continue to eat, the pasture of life.
He is the salvation that delivers us from the dead to the living through resurrection, and he is the shepherd who saved us alive through resurrection and continues to give us the pasture of life.
We who died in trespasses and sins in Adam (Ephesians 2:1) live again, and those who live again receive his life and continue to live.
That is why the Lord said that I am the resurrection and the life.
However, a carnal believer always say, ‘I will rise again at the last day.’
And, as in John 11:21, it always says, "If you had been here, Lord."
“Martha said to Jesus, Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
I was like that too when I was a carnal believer, a young believer.
While driving a car, say, “Lord, I need you to be by my side today and help me drive.
“Please keep me from having an accident, and wake me up when I doze off.” This is what I said.
These are the characteristics of the prayer of a carnal believer.
When they feel frustrated and tired because they cannot see the Lord no matter how hard they search with their physical eyes, they say, I wish the Lord would come and hold my hand on a day like today.
This is a prayer of carnal faith.
Now Martha and Mary have the faith that they will rise again at the last day.
Even though the Lord clearly said, ‘I am the resurrection and the life’ (John 11:25), she said, he will rise again at the last day and If the Lord had been here, my brother would not have died.
This means that she only see the Lord as someone who can heal diseases.
She has faith that the Lord is limited by time and place because she said, If he had been here.
Since the Lord is all, there is no place where the Lord is not present.
When I was a young believer, I was taught to focus on church, so there were times when I lost interest in the Lord when I left church.
That is the proof that you are a carnal believer.
Since I left the church I attended when I was young and was staying in Seoul, I felt a little relieved, but there was also a time when my faith became weak.
There was a time when I felt comfortable because I felt like I was less subject to church sanctions.
But later, I found out that God's eyes on me at that time were the church's district leader and deacons.
Just like that, Martha and Mary say, If the Lord had been here.
However, the Bible says that the Lord is with us always, even to the end of the world’ (Matthew 28:20).
Immanuel's God, He never leaves us.
It's just that it seems like He isn't there from our perspective, and there is no place He isn't.
So, the state of a person is actually judged as whether he is dead or alive.
The death of the body also depends on whether the soul leaves or comes in.
I have seen many people dying for a long time and have experienced the fact that “no one will die without God’s approval.”
So, to people who say, I want to die, I want to die, I say sometimes , die.
Because without God’s approval, we can never die.
Even if a person falls from the 20th floor, he or she will not die without God's approval.
However, if God does approve, a person will walk fine but then fall and die.
If God approve, all humans can do nothing.
So, when I see people dying, I see God completing their salvation by that time, counting everything, and then making approval at the right time.
The death of this body is actually not a big deal.
You must always be prepared to die, saying, “When the Lord tells me to come, I will go to my hometown.”
Before, I hated the thought of dying.
It seemed like there was so much left to do and the children were so young.
But now, to be honest, ‘If the Lord tells me to come, I will go to my hometown.’
Paul said, it is good for me to die and be with Christ, but to live is for you. I want Christ to be exalted in my body, whether I live or die. (Philippians 1:20-24)
Paul says anytime is good, I am ready to leave this earth.
By continuously bearing the death of Jesus so that Christ, who is the resurrection and life, can work within us, that life appears in us, and by giving ourselves to the cross and repeating the training of godliness that that life appears in the flesh, we are no longer afraid of death.
Then, your outer self will wear out, but your inner self will be renewed day by day. In the midst of temporary tribulations, you will know the weight of eternal glory and focus your attention on the invisible world of heaven. (2 Corinthians 4:10-18)
Written by Ptr. Yohan Kim.
Translated by Nancy Chung
COME AND SEE WORLD MISSION
To God be the glory.