I am the resurrection and the life

John 11:1-44

Key verses 11:25-26

    [25] Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies; [26] and whoever lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?" 

Last Sunday we learned that Jesus and the Father are one. In today’s passage we see the power of death.  Death is a part of our lives. Recently Steve Jobs died and many people miss him. Yet, when he died he is gone. He cannot come back to life again. But in today’s passage Jesus said, “He who believes in me will live even though he dies.” Jesus has power over death. He teaches us that He is the resurrection and the life for all men.  In Jesus we have a living hope; a hope to overcome the power of death in our practical lives. So in today’s passage we want to learn what it means that Jesus is the resurrection and the life, and how we can experience the resurrection and the life in Jesus in our lives.  

Part I. Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. (v.1-16)

Look at verses 1-3. “Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. [2] This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.” [3] So the sisters sent word to Jesus, "Lord, the one you love is sick." 

Verse 5 reads, “Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.” Not only did Jesus love Martha; her sister, Mary and Lazarus; but also, they knew that Jesus loved them. They had mutual understanding. So the sisters said, “Lord, the one you love is sick.” They even did not bother to say “Please come quickly.” They were certain that Jesus would drop everything and rush immediately to them.

But when he heard this Jesus responded differently. Let’s look at verses 4-6. 

John 11:4-6 

    “When he heard this, Jesus said, "This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it." Jesus planned to use the death of Lazarus to reveal God’s glory and his glory. [5] Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. [6] Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days.” His action seems to be the opposite of his love. Yet, he did so because he wanted Martha and Mary to learn how to live a victorious life over death. 

After two days he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea." Then they said, “Why?” "Rabbi, a short while ago the Jews tried to stone you, and yet you are going back there?" They were asking, “Don’t you remember what happened a short while ago? Don’t you remember their burning anger and hostility against you when they tried to stone you? It was ONLY a short while ago. You cannot have forgotten already? And NOW you want to go back? Why?” 

Jesus answered in verses 9 and 10. 

 “[9] Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours of daylight? A man who walks by day will not stumble, for he sees by this world's light. [10] It is when he walks by night that he stumbles, for he has no light." 

Jesus wanted to teach his disciples that he would be safe in going to Judea. As we see here, what causes stumbling is not walking but a LACK OF light. As long as you have light you will not stumble. If you do not have light you will certainly stumble. 

Then he added, “"Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up." [12] His disciples replied, "Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better." It is true when we are sick and have good sound sleep we usually get better. Right?  When Jesus realized that they could not understand that he meant Lazarus’ death he told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead, [15] and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe.” So Jesus had a purpose in his delay. It was for his disciples to believe. When Jesus said, “But let us go to him” Thomas spoke up. Usually it was Simon Peter who spoke up. But this time it was Thomas. [16] Then Thomas (called Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with him."

Part II. I am the resurrection and the life. (v.17-44)

Look at verse 17. 

“[17] On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days.” 

Four days is very significant, because the Jewish people believed that people can come back to life within three days. But in four days it is done. No one can come back to life after four days. 

“[20] When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.” When Martha met Jesus she said, “"Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” She knew that Lazarus would not die if Jesus had been there. It was true. But now she thought it was too late. What she said was the expression of her fatalism and the power of death over her life. But she did not say, “Why did you come so late? Don’t you love us? I know you were not far from us.” She gathered all of her strength and said, “[22] But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask." She desperately clung to Jesus with a vague hope and desire.  She really loved her brother so much.

Jesus accepted her words of faith and said, “Your brother will rise again." But Martha said, "I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." (v.24) The Jewish people believed in the resurrection at the last day which is the day of God’s judgment. Yet, her faith did not save her from sorrow and pain. Then Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; [26] and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" 

From these verses we can learn two things. First, what it means by Jesus is the resurrection and the life. Second, how we can experience the resurrection and the life in Jesus in our practical lives. 

First, what does it mean when Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life”? It means Jesus is the resurrection and the life itself. Jesus is more than the source of all resurrection and the life. He is more than the one who is able to give life, maintain life, and restore life. Jesus is the resurrection and the life itself means nothing can change the truth that Jesus is the resurrection and the life. Since everything came from Jesus he can define what is the resurrection and the life. At the same time he is the resurrection and the life. It is like you cannot remove the author of a book when the book exists. When there is a book there should be the author. When there is the resurrection and the life there should be the author, and the author is Jesus. So Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life.”

Death came when Adam disobeyed God and his relationship with God was broken. Death began to reign over all men from the time of Adam. When a man is born his body is already dead because of sin and his soul is already dead because of sin. When we were born our body was already dead, and our soul was also dead. Do you understand what I just said? When we were born both our body and soul were dead because of sin. Our body is like a flower cut from a bush. The flower looks like alive for a few days and our body for 70 or 80 years. Both the flow cut from a bush and our body cut from God are dead. But God has mercy on us. He raises us up from the dead. First he raises our soul from the dead. Secondly he raises our body from the dead. The resurrection of our soul comes when we believe in Jesus. We receive eternal life through him. So Jesus said, “Whoever lives and believes in me will never die.” The resurrection of our body will come at the last day. So Jesus said, “He who believes in me will live even though he dies.”

But the resurrection and the life in Jesus is always present beyond time and space because Jesus is God whose name is “I AM”. 

John 8:58 

    "I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!" What does it mean “before Abraham was born, I am!”? Jesus is God whose name is “I AM”.

Therefore apostle Paul says that our resurrection has already happened when Jesus was raised from the dead.    

    

Look at Ephesians 2:6. Ephesians 2:6 “And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus” 

Can you believe that God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in heavenly realms 2,000 years ago? It was when we were not even born, but we were already raised up by God. What does it mean? It means our resurrection life is completely secure. Who can take us down to the grave when we were already seated with Jesus in the heavenly realms by the power of God 2,000 years ago? If someone wants to do it he has to get Jesus’ permission first because we are seated with him and we are in him.

That is why Jesus said in John 10:28

John 10:28 

“I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.” 

Now Jesus claims that he is the resurrection and the life. It means without him there is no resurrection and the life. We cannot find the resurrection and the life in any other man or place.

The first emperor of China wanted to find the special herb that guaranteed his eternal life. So he sent out many of his subjects to find it. Yet, none of them could return successfully. Why? The resurrection and the life is not in some special herbs but only in Jesus. 

 The resurrection life in Jesus is also perfect life. It is completely free from any hint of death because it is the life after death.

If you read the old testament especially Leviticus you will find a very interesting teaching. Whenever you touch dead bodies like dead animals you are ceremonially unclean. So butchers are always unclean (Lev 11:39-40) When you go to a funeral house you are ceremonially unclean. So a priest was not allowed to attend funeral ceremony of other people except immediate family members. (Lev 21:1-2) When you are ceremonially unclean you cannot come to God in the temple. What do you have to do? You have to be separated for a while and you have to bring offerings or wash your clothes or take a bath. Then you can be ceremonially clean, and you can come to God. What does it show? It all shows that there is no death in God. Death cannot exist and does not exist in the presence of God. Anything or any hint of death cannot exist in the sight of God. In the same way there is no death in Jesus because Jesus is the resurrection and the life. Death flees in front of Jesus.

Secondly, how can we experience the resurrection and the life in Jesus in our practical lives? In order to find the answer for this question we need to find out how the power of death is reigning and ruling over our practical lives. 

In today’s passage when Jesus saw Mary’s weeping and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. (v.33) Jesus even wept. (v.35) When Jesus came to the tomb he was deeply moved once more. (v.38) Why was Jesus so troubled and why was he so disturbed emotionally? It was because it was too painful for him to see the suffering of His people living under the power of death. It was too much for him to see his people’s agony because of their unbelief.

So when we talk about ‘death’ we do not only mean physical death itself. Death influences our lives fully. We suffer under its rule in our every day lives.

Death means separation from God. Separation from God brings broken relationship with our neighbors. My neighbors are my loved ones. I am referring to husbands and wives, children and parents, and brothers and sisters in the Lord. 

I want to love them as much as I love myself. But I don’t. I am very sensitive to the weaknesses of them and I judge them. I do not remember millions of their good deeds for me but I remember their one mistake and have grudges against them. I interpret what they say and do negatively and become angry, resentful, un-forgiving, and complaining. I don’t want to make mistakes in my words and deeds, but I do. What is more agonizing is when I see my loved ones are harmed because of my weaknesses and sins. Then I cannot bear the pain and guilt anymore. Sometimes I feel that they would be better off if I do not exist. We want to do what is good but we do not have strength to carry it out. So we all cry out like apostle Paul in Romans.

“I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.” (Romans 7:15)

“I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. [19] For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do--this I keep on doing.” (Romans 7:18b-19) 

 

“What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:24)

 

I know there are so many people that their lives are so miserable that they even want to commit suicide. This is the power of death that rules over men.

In America alone there are 30,000 people who commit suicide every year, which is 82 people per day in average, and that rate is increasing. Worldwide every year 1,000,000 people take their lives. Even brave soldiers take their lives. They are professionally trained to overcome fear of death and they have a clear purpose which is to defend their countries. Yet, still they take their lives by their own hands, and sometimes the number of soldiers who committed suicide is greater than the number of soldiers who died in combat.

Why? What does this all show about? It shows death has really powerful influence upon all of us.

So what is the solution? How can we live victorious life over death? The answer is to believe in Jesus who is the Resurrection and the life.

Where Jesus is, the resurrection power is present and active. In fact believing in Christ reverses the very meaning of death. We all die. But the essence of death - the ultimate separation from God and its role as punishment for sin - has ended for the one who totally trusts in Christ.

The power of death to separate us from God is reduced to nothing by the power of God in Jesus. This is a present reality. 

So Apostle Paul sang a victory song. 

1 Corinthians 15:55 "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?"

1 Corinthians 15:57 “But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 

Jesus worked hard to plant faith in his people in today’s passage because only through faith in him can they overcome death and the power of death in their practical lives. Jesus asked Martha, “Do you believe this?” he was not asking her intellectual agreement or head knowledge. He was asking her to believe from the bottom of her heart. So in verse 15, Jesus said to his disciples, “for your sake I am glad I was not there so that you may believe.” (v.15)  Later when Martha refused to move the tombstone Jesus said in verse 40, “Did I tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” (v. 40) When Jesus prayed for the resurrection of Lazarus he said in verses 41-42, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me. But I say this for benefit of the people standing here that they may believe that you sent me.” (v.41-42)

We still carry our old life which is full of weaknesses and sin. But we do not lose heart because we have received new life in Jesus. We still have troubles. But we do not lose heart because they are light and momentary compared to the eternal glory that will be revealed in us. 

Therefore my dear brothers and sisters, let us forgive one another. Let us understand that our wrongdoing toward each other comes from our old life. But we have received new life from Jesus, and the new life never perishes or fade away. This is our hope, and we do have hope. 

Now the rest of the story is a demonstration of Jesus’ resurrection power. When Jesus said to Martha, “do you believe this?’ she said, “Yes, Lord!” But she said, “I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.” (v.27) Theoretically her answer was perfect but she did not believe.

When Jesus went to the tomb and said “take away the stone” Martha said, "But, Lord, by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days." (v.39) Then Jesus said, “"Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?" (v.40) What is the glory of God? It is the resurrection. Who can give life back to the dead except God alone?  So the glory of God is the resurrection.

After they removed the stone Jesus prayed. After he prayed, Jesus called in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" The dead man came out. 

The creation power of Jesus reversed the process of corruption and brought the corpse into life. The raising of Lazarus was a supreme demonstration of Jesus’ divine authority and power of eternal life that triumphed over death, corruption, and hopelessness.  It revealed clearly that Jesus IS the resurrection and the life.

In conclusion, we suffer a lot because of the power of death in our practical lives. We suffer from broken relationship with our neighbors and powerlessness. But Jesus is the resurrection and the life. When we believe in him we receive new life from him, and we can live a life no longer ruled by death, but have life and life to the full.

One word: I am the resurrection and the life

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