The Study Watchtower, "Article 16", Week of June 12 to 18, 2023, "Your brother will rise", Answers.

The Study Watchtower, «Article 16», June 12-18, 2023, “Your brother will rise up”, Answers.

“Jesus said to [Martha], 'Your brother will rise'” (JOHN 11:23).

1. How did a child express his faith in the resurrection?

This child, only seven years old, was already aware of his personal situation and the operations he has had to face, and he saw and felt his parents' fear in such a situation. It is incredible how at that age he conveyed such profound and moving words to his parents.

2, 3. Why is it good for us to meditate on the hope of the resurrection?

The Bible teaches us to be prepared and meditate, not so much on death, but on the fact that we will be resurrected and it will make us see this temporary problem of death as a passenger without becoming bitter or living in fear of day to day or of what will happen in the future. tomorrow so that we can focus on what is really worth in this life without losing focus because of this fear.  

In addition to what has been commented, it is not just any resurrection, because as Luke 12:7 says, Jehovah knows all our hair. This means that death is simply a deep sleep and we will resume our life in the resurrection with all the memories and memories we had from before, taking away the bad things and all the pain we knew before.

WHY WE CAN TRUST THE PROMISE OF THE RESURRECTION

4. What must we be convinced of to trust a promise? Give an example.

There are two things that we have to be very sure of and that our faith be robust: desire and power to fulfill this promise. The paragraph mentions the example of a builder who will help us with the house in the event of a disaster. Let's imagine the same situation but now a person who knows nothing about foundations tells us, it's harder for us to believe it. But in this case, the promise comes from God, so we have to be convinced of his desire and power to fulfill it.

5, 6. Why can we be sure that Jehovah wants to raise the dead?

We are very sure of this for two reasons, God created us with the purpose of living forever and put that desire in us, and second, this is reflected, even with the sin of our first parents, in that many writers mention this promise in the Bible, as in Isaiah 26:19, which mentions: Your dead shall live!

One way to cultivate that self-confidence is to see faithful examples of God from the past who fully trusted this promise and were completely sure that they would be resurrected like Job, who knew that Jehovah longed to wake him from the dead, the same desire he has with all of us and to eradicate death once and for all in a perfect Paradise with his people.

7, 8. Why can we be sure that Jehovah has the power to raise the dead?

Jehovah has the power to resurrect us just as we were because, firstly, he is almighty and no one has equal power, he gave us life, he created life and he can do it as many times as he wants, and secondly, given his infinite memory to which everything calls by name as Isaiah 40:26 mentions, will not only give us life, but we remember it as we were.

9. Why do you believe in the promise of the resurrection?

We have not seen this power of God with our eyes, but we know that what the Bible says is true, and its times if several resurrections were contemplated that give us the absolute certainty that nothing is impossible for God, even more, these resurrections are they did through Jesus, so he gave his son power to do his will.

A GOOD FRIEND OF JESUS ​​DIES

10. What happens while Jesus is preaching two days from Bethany, and what does he decide to do? (John 11:1-3).

Jesus is notified by the two sisters of Lazarus and they send him an urgent message, he is sick and died when Jesus received the message. Jesus, as John 11: 4 indicates, was already clear about what was going to happen, and four days later he was in Bethany, performing an act that was for the glory of God, bringing his friend back to life.

11. What lesson about friendship can we learn from this story?

This story teaches us an important lesson, and that is that we do not have to wait for a friend to ask us for help to do something. Friendship will impulsively lead us to help our neighbor even when he does not ask for it or does not expect it, but because we see and know that he is going through a time of anguish as Proverbs 17:17 says.

12. What did Jesus promise Martha, and why could she trust him to keep it? (John 11:23-26).

Jesus promised him that he would live again, even after four years when his body was beginning to decompose. And Marta knew that she would fulfill it because she had faith in the power that God had conferred on Jesus, the resurrection and life as we have just read in the passage and as Jesus had already demonstrated on other occasions.

"LAZARO, GET OUT!"

13. According to John 11:32-35, how does Jesus react when he sees Mary and others crying? (See also drawing).

Jesus, as soon as he saw Mary and the suffering and pain they were going through, immediately shared his feelings and was shocked by the death of his friend, even knowing that he had the power and was going to resurrect him. This teaches us a great example of humility and empathy towards others, putting ourselves in their situation, sharing their feelings and not believing ourselves to be better than anyone else.

In the drawing we can notice and appreciate the pain of the people, relatives and loved ones who were at that moment before the event of the death of Lazarus, and how Jesus is as affected as they were because he shared their pain from the first moment and knew what they felt because he too.

14. What does Jesus' reaction to Mary's tears teach us about Jehovah?

This reaction of Jesus teaches us many things, the tender compassion that Jehovah feels about our anxieties and worries, because Jesus reflects the way of thinking and feeling of his Father, and although he was the one who resurrected him, it happened that way by the will of Jehovah and the power he gave her to make it possible.

ILLUSTRATION

Jesus weeps along with Mary, Martha, and others who are also mourning. Jesus was deeply moved to see his friends crying. (See paragraphs 13 and 14).

15. According to John 11:41-44, what happens at the tomb of Lazarus? (See also drawing).

What happens in the grave has to be impressive, we can hardly even imagine it. Jesus said "Come out" and Lazarus came out, with the bandages that were used at that time for the burial of a corpse. This occurs after a prayer and request to Jehovah, who agreed with the will of his son, and so it happened, for testimony to all present and the joy of his family.

16. How does the account in John chapter 11 help us to be more confident in the hope of the resurrection?

Jesus didn't say, "Well, let's see if we can do something." Not at all, his response was very clear and direct, and he said: "Your brother will get up", it is a strong statement and he did so. The Bible does not tell us: "if they behave well, we will see if we can make a paradise and resurrect good people." No, God's promise is clear, and just as Jesus did, Jehovah will fulfill his most clamored hope for his people.

ILLUSTRATION

Jesus tells Lazarus, who is wrapped in cloth, to come out of the tomb. Marta, Maria and others look on in amazement from outside the tomb. Jesus demonstrated that he can bring the dead back to life. (See paragraphs 15 and 16).

LET'S MAKE THE RESURRECTION MORE REAL TO US

17. What should we do when we read about the resurrections mentioned in the Bible?

We can and must move and live that situation as direct observers and aware that they are people like us, but in another time, with their personal circumstances, defects, errors and also virtues, and the witnesses who personally experienced those events and above all, the most important resurrection, that of Jesus.

18. How can we take advantage of songs that speak of the resurrection? (See also note.)

The way we have to take advantage of the songs is to live them in our own skin and interior, listen, reflect on what their lyrics say and talk about them, record them in our hearts and if we do so, our faith will be strengthened and each song will be a spring of feelings

19. How can we use our imagination when thinking about the resurrection? (See the box “What questions would you ask them?”).

Imagination is a gift that Jehovah has also given us and that we can use to move to this eternal paradise without death and with our loved ones that Jehovah promises us, and it helps us to move there by asking ourselves which ancient servant I want to meet, or that we would ask him or many other questions.

What questions would you ask them?

Imagine that you are talking to the resurrected in the new world and that you ask them the following questions:

To Noah's wife: What's your name? What did they do to protect their children from the evil that surrounded them? (Gen. 6:5, 13).

To Isaac: What was going through your mind as you went up the mountain with the firewood? (Gen. 22:6-8).

To Job: How do you feel now that you know what was happening in heaven while you were going through that trial? (Job 1:6-12; 2:1-7).

To John the Baptist: What was it like to hear the voice of Jehovah? (Matt. 3:13-17).

To the criminal who was executed next to Jesus: What else can you tell us about Jesus' last moments on the stake? (Luke 23:39-43).

20. What should we continue to do?

It may be that each day that passes and we get older we yearn more for this promise and it may be more difficult for us to face it... what we have to do is strengthen our faith, and keep our faith in the resurrection in mind, reflect on it whenever we can or we need it because this will bring us closer to Jehovah.

WHAT WOULD YOU ANSWER?

Why can we trust the promise of the resurrection?

As we have seen, we can trust the promise of the resurrection because it comes from Jehovah, who has the desire and the power to make it come true, as he has demonstrated in the past through his son Jesus, to whom he gave the power to do so. .

What did we learn from the account of the raising of Lazarus?

We learned many things, for example, that Jesus had the power to resurrect him after 4 days and the body began to decompose. Jehovah can raise us from the dust, because he gave us and created life. And on the other hand, Jesus was moved by what we learn to put ourselves in people's shoes, empathy. And finally, all the glory was always attributed to Jehovah, like everything we should do in life, because everything we have we owe to Him.

What can you do to make the hope of the resurrection more real to you?

We can and have to meditate and reflect on this promise, on the examples we have in the Bible, delving into them, imagining ourselves there and in the future paradise with resurrected people and sharing these deep feelings with our brothers and in the congregation, opening our hearts singing with faith and feeling.