This month we are starting a new sermon series on Questions Jesus asked. I want to take this time and dig deep into the reasons that Jesus asked certain questions and why Jesus asked these questions.

This week I want to look at the question, “Do you believe?” Now, this question was not just asked one time, Jesus asked this question multiple times to multiple people. I want to look this morning at one time when He asked it, and how it changed the situation that a family was dealing with.

Belief is a hard thing for most people.

The question is, why did Jesus ask Martha the question? Well to understand that question you must go back and see what He told His disciples before that.

He told them that Lazarus wouldn’t die. I know that the disciples sometimes couldn’t understand the parables because they were not meant to be easy to understand. However, right here Jesus just tells them straight up that it won’t end in death and what happens, they just gloss over it like nothing, no questions, no statements, no doubt, and no belief. It is like the disciples were not paying attention to words.

Jesus tells them that it’s time to go back to Judea to see His friends and the disciples are besides themselves because right before this in chapter 10 they tried to stone Jesus for telling everyone that He was God. They don’t want to go but Jesus is going so they must follow. Jesus tells them that He will wake up Lazarus and they all assumed sleep not death and it is at this moment that Jesus speaks truth to them that they will never forget.

Doesn’t this sound cruel if you think about it, “I’m glad I wasn’t there”, Jesus said this and sometimes that phrase can be harsh but here Jesus says it in a good way. What did Jesus mean by this?

He was glad because He knew the outcome! He knew that Lazarus would walk on this earth again but nobody else could understand how. Sometimes when God is working we don’t understand why God works the way that He does.

God in this instance issues punishment on Israel by using the wicked nation Babylon to punish Israel and the prophet Habakkuk is upset because God didn’t punish Israel the way he thought God should do it. The point is that God knows the outcome of what He is doing and we don’t.

So what happens? Jesus shows up at Bethany but doesn’t go in right away. Martha comes out to see Him and when He finally goes in this is what He deals with.

When He goes to the grave Martha tells Jesus that her brother has been dead for so long that his body is rotten and stinking. Jesus then responds with a phrase that is the whole purpose of what we are here for today.

When Jesus asks the question, “Do you believe?” He wants you to know that the answer to what you need most has already been completed.

What you need most in life is not possessions or finances, family or friends. What you need most is salvation and that Has already been provided. All you have to do is believe.

Believing is what saves us from death

Because we believe we tell others. This morning we are here to strengthen our faith. We are here to push ourselves to do better with our beliefs. If you are here this morning then you are here to either grow your belief or begin to believe.