"Those who do good to a resurrection of life" (John 5:28-29)

I was stunned when on Saturday the day before Resurrection Sunday I read the verse from John's Gospel. Is Jesus teaching about good works for salvation? Or what is Jesus getting at? Over Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday long weekend there would be many "church services". Sometimes preachers, like Christmas, don't know what to preach anymore on Good Friday since it is repeated every year. At least for me, I rested from Christmas 2021 and now Good Friday 2022. It's a relief not to be preaching during these big Festivals. But yet that verse struck me like an arrow that one day God will judge us on the basis of our works, whether good or bad.

The good will rise to a resurrection of life and those who do evil to a resurrection of judgement. Why are Christians so good as appearing religious and holy on certain days but so lacking in good deeds? I remember almost every year I challenged my NT students in Singapore to have their churches set a budget for charity or good works. Perhaps at least 5 percent if not 10 percent of the overall church income. When I was in Ranau straight after the earthquake I chaired a meeting over 4 hours because I wanted to persuade the church council to set aside RM5,000 for a Charity Fund especially to see to the needs of earthquake victims. But as far as I know that the Kundasang Community Hall was opened for 3 or 4 weeks to house the people who were affected by the earthquake, but for a whole month we failed to make a single visit and very little money was expended to help the victims. Those who do good to a resurrection of life. Recently, a faraway village of 90 percent Christians found themselves in a bind as another religious body wanted to build its own house of worship. When I studied why this religious group made an inroad in converting a few people is that they came with bags filled with rice. For the destitute and hard-core poor, religion that is worth their salt is one who can at least feed them. No, Christianity does not guarantee people will be fed physically as Jesus in John 6 makes clear. Jesus rebuked people who followed him just because they had eaten their fill. But it behoves us to think how we could show compassion to the poor by acts of charity lest if we are unloving, our religious claims will simply fall on deaf ears.