“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die Do you believe this?” She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe.”
John 11:25-27 (RSV)
Since Martha had her own time line of expectations, she told Jesus that He arrived too late to save her brother, so Jesus had to set Martha straight on some facts.
The fact is that He wasn’t late at all, but had good reasons to wait four days before resurrecting him.
Another fact is that Jesus is the resurrection and the life, and we can put all our hope in Him, whether we think He is on time or not.
The most important fact of all, is that whoever believes in Jesus will live, even if they die.
After laying out those facts, Jesus looked for Martha’s response by asking her, “Do you believe this?” She answered “Yes, Lord, I believe.”
There’s a word in first century Judaism that adequately expressed the adoration, joy and praise that Jesus is worthy of, and that word is “Hosanna.”
The town of Bethany saw Lazarus walk out of a tomb, fully alive after four days, which was an incredible Hosanna moment for those residents to witness. Hosanna moments are not just for Palm Sunday. They are the surprise blessings that lift our spirit to a new level of joy.
We’ve all had Hosanna moments at various times in our lives. It could have been when a particular prayer was answered, a long time problem was solved, or a difficult goal was finally achieved. Reminiscing on past Hosanna moments, restores our joy and places our focus on Jesus, instead of the problem, so we can say like Martha, “Yes Lord, I believe.”
One of my memorable Hosanna moments occurred many years ago, involving a traffic ticket for a moving violation. I made a proper stop at a stop sign, and then moved forward to look around a big pine tree that blocked my view. The officer only saw me move forward, not seeing my initial stop, and gave me a ticket. I decided to go to court and dispute it.
I was telling the story to my boss at the time, and he advised me to go to court, but be factual, not emotional.
I asked him how to be factual, and he suggested that I bring a photo to court, so I returned to that corner and took a photo of that large pine tree that blocked my view.
The court date arrived, and I prayed for God’s help. I told my story to the judge, giving him the photo of the obstructive pine tree. He kept my photo and slammed his gavel down, saying, “Not guilty! ..next….”
It was that quick, no questions asked, just a photo and a fact that sealed his decision. As I headed out, an attorney in the back of the courtroom, leaned in and whispered “Good job.” I was filled with joy and gratitude to God, who helped me win, just by sticking to the facts. My boss’s wise advice led to a Hosanna moment for me.
There will be times in our life when we need to rely on the facts, instead of our emotions. We may not always feel God’s unconditional love, mercy, or His forgiveness, but they are the facts of our faith. Jesus illustrated facts that we can rely on, like His sacrifice at the cross, victory in His resurrection, and His beatitudes for successful Christian living.
We believe what Jesus taught us, not because we feel it, but because facts are truth, and truth is greater than feelings.
When we stick to the facts of our faith, and remember the joy of past Hosanna moments, we can fully invest ourselves in Jesus and say like Martha, “Yes Lord, I believe.”
Lord, thank you for the facts of your unlimited love, mercy, forgiveness, healing and your promise to be with us forever. We offer our Hosanna praises to you today and always. Amen
