Acts 1:1-5
Jesus is with His Disciples for Forty Days After His Death
1 In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach 2 until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 3 After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. 4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
Matthew 5:48
God is Perfect
48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
1 Peter 1:15-16
Be Holy
15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16 for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”
Luke 18:19
Only God is Good
19 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone.
John 16:30
Jesus Knows All Things
30 Now we can see that you know all things and that you do not even need to have anyone ask you questions. This makes us believe that you came from God.
John 11:17-44
Jesus Comforts the Sisters of Lazarus
17 On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. 18 Now Bethany was less than two miles[b] from Jerusalem, 19 and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. 20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.
21 “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”
23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
24 Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
27 “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”
28 After she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. “The Teacher is here,” she said, “and is asking for you.” 29 When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. 31 When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there.
32 When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. 34 “Where have you laid him?” he asked.
“Come and see, Lord,” they replied.
35 Jesus wept.
36 Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”
37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”
Jesus Raises Lazarus From the Dead
38 Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. 39 “Take away the stone,” he said.
“But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”
40 Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”
41 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”
43 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.
Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”
When someone is in grief after losing someone very close to them or someone is great pain it is good to know that God is near...And it also good to know that He is Perfect, Holy, and Good...Being near is nice, very nice as we see this when Jesus meets up with Lazarus’ two sisters, Mary and Martha, after their brother’s death...But they needed something else, they needed to know that Jesus was not only there with them and for them, but He really is the Resurrection and the Life...Mary and Martha needed Jesus' assurance of this knowledge that He held and has, when He told them He is the Resurrection and the Life...They may have wondered how this might be, that He is the Resurrection and the Life...And He gave them convincing proof of this assurance and comment of His, when He resurrected their brother Lazarus...Jesus showed Mary and Martha what He meant by His Being the Resurrection and the Life, when Lazarus returned to them...
Jesus Disciples, after His death also needed some reassurance of who He was and who they thought He was...We also need this reassurance...Jesus gives us this reassurance, when He resurrected from His own death and went around for another forty days teaching and convincing His Disciples that He was still alive...He was there for them during this forty days and showed them that there is actually a life after death by being with them after His own death and discussing with them the Kingdom of God...