Paradigm Shift by David Jeremiah

Tuesday, March 27 Paradigm Shift    Now when [Jesus] had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!”  John 11:43    A paradigm shift happens when a long-held pattern, model, or worldview is changed—something new happens that alters the way we look at life. A paradigm shift occurred in the three years of Jesus’ ministry on earth. Prior to Jesus, the pattern was that dead people remain dead. But three times in three years, Jesus brought dead people back to life. They were raised to life, not resurrected; that is, they ultimately died again. But Jesus established a new model for viewing life: Death is not an unconquerable enemy (Hebrews 2:15).

Recommended Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:54-57

We talk the most about Jesus’ Resurrection, but we should not miss the significance of the three raisings-from-the-dead Jesus accomplished. Imagine what people of that day must have thought: dead people coming back to life! It was a signal that the kingdom of heaven Jesus was preaching about was a kingdom of power and compassion. It was a signal that death, life’s greatest threat, is subject to the power of the Son of God. We live in the age of the new paradigm—life in Christ is not ruled by death. The new life we have in Christ can be canceled by nothing (Romans 8:35-39). Has this world been so kind to you that you should leave it with regret? There are better things ahead than any we leave behind. C. S. Lewis