I Am The Resurrection And The Life
Why did Jesus say, “I am the resurrection and the life”? Ray continues the I AM series by examining the meaning of the phrase, and its relevance for us today.
What if Your Brother or Best Friend Died?
What if your best friend was dying with an incurable disease. How would you react? Would you try to visit as soon as you could? Who would you turn to for help? This is a real life situation that Jesus was faced with.
In this amazing story from the gospel of John, a friend of Jesus named Lazarus, was dying. Mary and Martha, his sisters sent word to Jesus, anticipating that He would immediately come to their aid. Although it seemed that Jesus could quickly go to see Lazarus, and use His unparalleled healing powers to restore him to health, Jesus delayed. When He finally arrived at Bethany, Lazarus was dead. What Jesus knew was that through this terrible loss, the glory of God and His remarkable power was about to be revealed.
A Distraught Family
Mary and Martha, the sisters of Lazarus were distraught. They had been confident that, if He had been present, Jesus could have intervened on their brother’s behalf. While Mary waited weeping, Martha ran to meet Jesus on the road and immediately told Jesus that she believed He could have healed her brother if He had arrived in time. Was she angry with Jesus, or simply expressing her faith? We don’t know. What we do know is that Jesus used this moment to demonstrate an astonishing level of power that was simply so far outside the norm that it could be seen as nothing short of truly miraculous. He gave a clue as to what He intended to do in the following remarkable statement found in John 11:25, while challenging Martha’s faith.
However, “Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying.” “Yes, Lord,” she told him. “I have always believed you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who has come into the world from God.”
Notice that in Martha’s answer she has no doubt as to the identity of Jesus as the promised Messiah, the embodiment of God in human flesh, nevertheless she is not yet ready to believe that He has the power over death. This was about to change in dramatic and unforgettable fashion.
The Tomb of Lazarus
Jesus, in the company of Mary and Martha, and overcome with sadness, wept when He approached the tomb of Lazarus. This raw display of emotion was an expression of the depths of His feelings toward Lazarus and the two sisters and reminds us that Jesus cares. Jesus loves. Jesus knows when we are hurting and feels our pain. It is not His will that we suffer the awfulness of death which is the product of our sin.
When Jesus visited the tomb, he had men roll away the stone covering the entrance to the tomb despite their protestations. After praying to His Father, He simply called, out
“Lazarus, come out!’
Who could resist that call? Lazarus, who had been dead 4 days came out of the tomb alive and well. The call of the Creator God in human flesh could not be withstood. Lazarus came out, alive and well, and was restored to his grateful family and friends.
Jesus shows us that death need not be permanent. There is life beyond the grave, if we would but believe. Without Jesus there is no resurrection or eternal life. In a world of constant sickness and death, this is wonderful news. Death can be defeated. Jesus has shown us that He is more than capable of restoring life to bodies that have succumbed to sickness and ageing. While it may have surprised and shocked Lazarus, his family, and those present that day, it should not surprise us, who have the benefit of the eyewitness accounts. We also have the multiple eyewitness records of Jesus’ personal resurrection from the dead after His death on the cross. As is recorded for us in Revelation 1:18, He holds
“the keys of death and the grave”
Jesus’ power is irresistible. However, should it really be any surprise to us that the Creator of life, the one who brings beings into existence out of nothing, is capable of restoring life?
What is Jesus Promising Us?
What is Jesus promising us today as the one called “the resurrection and the life?” Unless we live in the generation that will experience the 2nd Coming of Christ, we know that death lies ahead of us. Jesus does not promise to save us from physical death. However, Jesus provides the way for us to escape spiritual death, which is permanent separation from God. Jesus also promises to raise us physically from the dead and provide us with an immortal, resurrected body in the future, after we die physically. Numerous passages make this clear, including Daniel 12:13; John 6:39-40; I Corinthians 15:23; and Colossians 3:4.
The key to knowing that you will escape spiritual death and receive a new, resurrected body is belief in Jesus. It is in Him we must place our faith, not in potions, surgeries or any anti-ageing schemes mankind dreams up. It is to Jesus we must look, not any other religion or false god.
Belief Brings Hope
Notice again Jesus’ words to Martha:
“I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?” “Yes, Lord,” she told him. “I have always believed you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who has come into the world from God.” John 11:25-27
While our bodies betray us by slowly ageing and decaying there seems no hope. We cannot resist the inevitability of our demise. We see the grim figure of death approaching us from the distance. At first, in our youth, we pay it no heed, it appears a long way off. Then we watch as first our great grandparents, then our grandparents, parents and our contemporaries fail to hold back the enemy, despite fitness regimes, medications, surgeries, and even life support machines. It is then that we awake to the realization that death is coming for us. There is no escape.
In Jesus then, we find a seemingly ridiculous hope. Hope that death is but a gateway to new life. The hope that we can finally escape death’s evil clutches even after we die. Jesus’ words are true. He has proved that He can bring life from death. We can experience and enjoy a resurrected life in an immortal glorified body. These words that He spoke to Martha are intended for us as mush as they were intended for those present.
If we are trusting in this Jesus, the Messiah of mankind, we can expect to walk into glory and hear Jesus say with a smile on His face,
“Didn’t I tell you that you would see God’s glory if you believe?” John 11:40
Overcoming Death
What does it mean for you to know that Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life? We would love to hear from you. Comment below or contact us at HopeStreamRadio.
Ray Marshall
Ray Marshall was born in Scotland but emigrated to Canada in 1977 where he met his wife Kelly. In the 1990’s, Ray and Kelly served as missionaries in both Ireland and Ecuador, and after returning to Canada, they served as church planters in Belleville.
Between 2009 and 2014, Ray and Kelly spent several years teaching ESL in China. Ray currently works primarily for the Navigators of Canada as a community mentor, reaching out to international students; visiting scholars and professors; and immigrants.
He has also been providing Digital Media support for FBHInternational, and HopeStreamRadio since 2011.
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Butterfly – iemlee
Cemetery – Daniel_Nebreda
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