I Am the Resurrection and the Life

 “Jesus told her, I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying.” John 11:25 (NLT)

Jesus hadn’t come, and now their brother was dead. They didn’t understand. They thought Jesus loved him, yet when they had sent word that Lazarus was sick, Jesus hadn’t shown up. Now, days later, Martha had just received word that Jesus was coming. She had quickly left the house to meet Him. When she saw Him, she rushed to greet Him. He smiled at her before wrapping her in His arms. Martha felt tears trickle down her cheek. She looked at Jesus and said, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask.” 

Jesus replied to her by saying, “Your brother will rise again.”

“Yes”, Martha said, “he will rise when everyone else rises, at the last day.”

Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying.” (John 11: 21-25, NLT)

Death feels so final. It feels like the end. Yes, it is the end of a chapter. It is the end of life on earth. But it is also the beginning of a greater reality. It is the beginning of a new life that will be for eternity. I can’t imagine how Mary and Martha must have felt when Jesus didn’t show up in the way they expected. They had sent word to Jesus that Lazarus was sick and Jesus didn’t come. They didn’t get healing when they wanted it. But Jesus had a greater plan. He had plans to raise Lazarus back to life. He was foreshadowing what was to come. 

So often, God doesn’t show up in the way we want Him to. He lingers in silence longer than we would like. Death comes instead of healing. Relationships fall apart. Jobs are lost, and dreams shatter. What do we do in these moments? We have to trust, and we have to pray. We have to trust in the character of Christ. We have to trust in the truth of who He is. Where we see heartache and pain, He sees a greater story at work. We also have to pray that He will give us eyes to see the situation from His perspective. Our perspective is limited. His is not. The irony is that as I write this, my own heart stings with heartache, and with loss. I’m writing the very thing that I need to hear and be reminded of at this very moment. So, I’m not writing this as one who has never sat in the wondering, and in the heartache. 

After Jesus said to Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life”, He asked Martha a question. He said, “Do you believe this, Martha?” (John 25:26) Do you believe that I am who I say I am? This is a question we must ask ourselves. What we believe about Jesus is the most important thing about us, and it will dictate how we live our life. In the end it wouldn’t matter if Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, if Martha didn’t believe that Jesus was the Messiah, and the way to eternal life. Eventually, Lazarus would die, and so would Martha. Their belief in Him is what would give them eternal life. So, do you believe this?

 

As you prepare to celebrate Easter and the resurrection of Jesus, I hope you will spend some time thinking about what/who it is you believe in? It is often easy to gloss over this by saying yes, I believe in Jesus. Yet, our lives look anything but like one who follows Him. In Matthew 16:15, Jesus asks Peter, “Who do you say I am?”. If I respond like Peter and say, “You are the Messiah” then the way I live my life should look different. I shouldn’t live as the world does. I shouldn’t follow the path forged by the standards of society. My life should look drastically different. I should forgive when I have been hurt and don’t want to. I should love those who are hard to love. I should humble myself, and serve others, even those who betray me. My life should be poured out as an offering to Him. I pray that as we ponder the empty tomb, it will change the way we live. I pray that we will live knowing that He is the Great I AM.

Scripture Reading: John 11:1-44