Do You Believe This?

Do You Believe This?

—John 11:26

It was a sad and somber day in Bethany as Jesus stood in the midst of the brokenhearted family and friends at the grave of Lazarus. From His lips came an astonishing claim: “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die” (John 11:25–26). Then Jesus looked into their faces—just as He looks into our hearts—and asked life’s bottom-line question: “Do you believe this?” (v. 26).

The resurrection is what sets our Lord apart from a thousand other gurus and self-proclaimed prophets who have come along through the centuries. The question, “Do you believe this?” is what drives any responsible hearer to either accept or reject the Christian faith.

Since we obviously have no audio recordings or videos of our Lord’s words, I have often wondered what words He emphasized in statements He made and questions He asked. Here in Bethany did He ask, “Do you believe this?” After all, it is a personal matter. Or did He ask, “Do you believe this?” It is certainly a very pointed question. Or did He ask, “Do you believe this?” His question is also precise. Confronted with this bottom-line question of life, may you answer with Martha, “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world” (v. 27).

LIFE’S BOTTOM-LINE QUESTION IS PERSONAL

Perhaps Jesus emphasized the you in order to drive home the fact that one’s salvation is a very personal and individual matter: “Do you believe this?” When it comes to saving faith in the finished work of Christ, what matters is not what my mother or father, husband or wife, or anyone else believes. It is a personal matter. I have, however, known some who pinned all their hopes of eternal life on someone else’s faith as though they might eventually benefit by some sort of spiritual osmosis. The real question is, “Do you believe this?” It is intensely personal.

One of the intrigues of our modern gnostic culture is the number of people captivated by certain books and movies that question the veracity of the Gospel accounts. Some people refuse to believe Jesus is the Son of God. What about you? Do you really want to believe that His death was, in essence, an unnecessary event and not voluntarily and vicariously experienced for you personally? Or that His resurrection should be relegated to some ancient shelf of obscurity along with other ancient myths and fables?

The question is personal. “Do you believe this?”

LIFE’S BOTTOM-LINE QUESTION IS POINTED

It could be that when Jesus asked this question in the Bethany cemetery, He emphasized the word believe and asked it thus: “Do you believe this?” He was not asking His hearers if they were giving intellectual assent to His claims. He wanted to know if they would actually put their total trust and faith in His words.

It is one thing to know the gospel story intellectually. It is one thing to attempt to conform ourselves to the resurrection by trying to take up a new set of moral standards externally. It is even one thing to reason and argue in the defense of the gospel. But the real issue for Jesus was—and is—one of faith: “Do you believe this?” Life’s bottom-line question is not only personal but pointed as well.

LIFE’S BOTTOM-LINE QUESTION IS PRECISE

Now we come to the heart of the issue. True faith must rest on objective truth and fact. It may well be that Jesus placed emphasis on the last word in the question: “Do you believe this?” Do we believe what? Note the context. Jesus asked this question on the direct heels of an amazing claim: “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die! Do you believe this?” (John 11:25–26, empahsis added).

Do you believe this—Jesus’ claim of deity? “I am the resurrection and the life.” Using the words “I am” captured the attention of those around Him. John’s gospel records an “I am” statement by Jesus seven times. We first hear God use this “I am” statement way back in Exodus 3:13–14 when Moses asked the voice from the burning bush to reveal His name. God simply instructed Moses to tell the children of Israel, “I AM has sent me to you.” When Jesus said, “I am,” all those listening recognized it to be an affirmation of His deity.

The most fundamental belief of the Christian faith is that Jesus of Nazareth is God Himself. This is why the apostle Paul would say, “He is the image of the invisible God. . . . All things were created through Him and for Him” (Colossians 1:15–16). It was this faith in His deity that would later lead Paul, the disciples, and so many early believers to their own martyrs’ deaths.

Do you believe this—His claim about death? Jesus said, “Though he may die”(John 11:25), meaning “though you may die!” Many live in total denial of this coming appointment. One of life’s greatest facts is that you are going to die. Recently, I was looking through a stack of pictures from over a decade ago. I was stunned. My hair was darker. My face looked so much younger. It dawned on me that this body of mine has death in it. I am decaying right before my eyes. Some people opt for plastic surgery, have liposuction, or regularly take handfuls of vitamins and supplements. But none of that can stop the fact that we are marching toward death, our final enemy.

Death is humankind’s common denominator. Just look at the obituary section of your newspaper. On the society page you will read of only one class of people. In the sports section you will read only of those who are gifted in athletics. In the business section, only those who are noteworthy are featured. But on the obituary page, everyone is listed side by side, in simple, cold, alphabetical order. Death knocks on the door of the wealthiest billionaire and the poorest of peasants and sends them both to stand before the Judge of the universe. No wonder Amos thundered out the warning, “Prepare to meet your God” (Amos 4:12).

Do you believe this?—Jesus’ claim about destiny? “Though he may die . . . he shall live” (John 11:25). What Jesus means is, the body may die, but not the spirit. There is a part of you that will live on as long as God lives, which is forever. Do you believe His claim that death is not the end; that even though our bodies will one day die, we will still live in spirit? There is another life that is more than a million times longer than this one: it is an eternity we will spend . . . with Him. Do you believe this? Do you believe Jesus’ claim about His deity and our own death and destiny?

There are a lot of big questions in life. Most of them will be asked when we are young adults, without the wisdom and perspective that come with everyday life experience: “Where will I attend college? What will be my chosen life profession? With whom will I spend my life?” But there is only one big question in death, and it is: “Do you believe this?” You can settle the answer now, once and for all, by joining Martha in her response: “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God” (John 11:27).

Q & A: “Do you believe this?” You are the only one who can answer this bottom-line question of life because it is intensely personal: “Do you believe this?” Yet the question is also pointed: “Do you believe this?” Without faith it is impossible to please God. And this question Jesus asked is precise: “Do you believe this?” As for me, thankfully, I addressed this question long ago by trusting in Jesus and declaring, “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God.”