November 3
November 3
Surrounded by death and grief, Jesus proclaims, “I am the resurrection and the life.”
Everyone who is familiar with the Bible knows the story of the raising of Lazarus. John gives this amazing story a lot of ink in his Gospel, but I want to focus on the conversation between Jesus and Martha after Jesus finally arrives on the scene—four days after Lazarus dies. For many Jews, the fourth day was important because it signified that Lazarus was officially dead:
Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.” (John 11:17–27)
Martha’s first words to Jesus are exactly what you would expect from someone who has witnessed the power of Jesus firsthand: “If you had been here, my brother would not have died.” Jesus’s response is both clear and radical: “Your brother will rise again.” There is no hesitation or equivocation in these words. Martha misunderstands what Jesus is saying. He is making a present declaration, but what she hears is a future promise. Jesus is not talking about the final resurrection; he is talking about what he intends to do to Lazarus now. The Son of God knows himself and understands the power that is at his disposal.
What Jesus says next is glorious. He declares his identity, along with a summary of the hope of the gospel. “I am the resurrection and the life.” Resurrection power and the giving of eternal life are inextricably connected to Jesus—and to no one else. So it is right for him to say, “I am the resurrection” and “I am the life.” But Jesus is not done. He then says, “Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live.”
Here is the gospel of grace. We are all born dead in sin, a condition we cannot escape. By grace, Jesus breathes life into all who believe. And even though believers still physically die, we will rise again and live with him forever. Standing before Lazarus’s tomb, Jesus preaches to us his resurrection power.