John 11:1-16

John 11:1-16
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

  Caleb is terrified of thunderstorms.  They keep him awake at night, and the first signs of lightning leave him wondering what is to come.  Danielle -- she's afraid of dogs, no matter how small.  Dog are great until they get within about 6 feet of her, at which point they become furry balls of death.  Me?  I'm afraid of stuff, too, but let's not talk about my problems...
  Jesus wasn't afraid because he knew how the story ended.  That's the root of most of our fears -- uncertainty.  We don't know what the outcome will be, so we tremble in fear and imagine the worst case scenario.  Jesus already knew the outcome -- he knew that he would triumph and end up in eternal peace and bliss.  What could the world do to make him tremble?
  We see Thomas grasp and display what the Christian faith can look like here at the end.  The crowds in Judea were ready to stone Jesus to death, but Jesus was willing to go back.  Many of the disciples were afraid, but Thomas could see that death was not the end -- he was willing to follow Jesus even to his death, because he trusted in Jesus that death did not have the final say.
  How would your life change if you could trust in Jesus that fear would not have the last word in your life?