Journeying with Jesus: I Am the Resurrection and the Life

“Lord, by now he stinks!” 

This was Martha’s reaction to Jesus’ instructions, “Take away the stone”—a stone which covered the tomb holding the body of her dead brother, Lazarus. Martha reminded Jesus, “It has already been four days!”

Imagine the drama, the suspense, the anticipation. What was going to happen? Would anything other than a horrible stench come out of the tomb?  

Jesus then ordered Lazarus to come out of the tomb. And to the amazement of all who were there, he did. “The man who had been dead came out with his hands and feet bound in strips of linen, and his face wrapped in a cloth” (John 11:44).

Later in the gospel of John, we read how this same Lazarus is reclining at a table, enjoying a family meal with friends. The man once dead is now very much alive! 

Many consider this to be the greatest miracle in the ministry of Jesus, and it has profound implications for us.

Before raising Lazarus from the dead, Jesus had declared to Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life” (11:25). The miracle he performed demonstrated the truth of this declaration. 

Jesus has power over death. He demonstrated this by raising Lazarus; he would demonstrate it in an even greater way through his own resurrection. 

But what does this statement of Jesus – “I am the resurrection and the life” --- mean for us?  For you, particularly? 

It means that Jesus really has defeated death. Because he has conquered death, we don’t have to live in fear of it. (Hebrews 2:15) The disease or event which takes our earthly life from us does not have the final say. Jesus who raises the dead to life has the last word! We live in hope beyond the grave, “that whoever believes in Jesus shall not perish but have everlasting life” (3:16).

There’s something more. Jesus’ victory over death, is also a victory over sin. Sin is the spiritual disease which causes death. If Jesus has defeated death (the result of sin), he has also overcome sin (the cause of death). This means Jesus can and does defeat our sin if we believe in him. We can make progress in overcoming the sin in our lives by Jesus’ presence and resurrection power working in our life (see Ephesians 3:19). We really can become more and more like Jesus as he works in us. We live in hope this side of the grave.

There is an interesting and, I think, important sidebar to this story. The sisters, Martha and Mary, sent word to Jesus informing him of their brother’s illness before he died. Strangely, instead of rushing to heal Lazarus, Jesus waited until after he died. 

For obvious reasons, when Jesus finally did arrive, the sisters were hurt and confused. Martha told Jesus, “If you had been here, my brother would not have died.”  

We can relate to the sisters, can’t we? We ask Jesus for something, and he doesn’t seem to respond. When he finally shows up, it seems to be too late! Then we learn a greater truth. Jesus has let something come to pass so he can show us in an even greater way his power to bring about new life. 

He did that with the Lazarus family. He does that in our situations.

Do you need a resurrection in your life? 

o   Your marriage?

o   A relationship? 

o   An addiction?

o   General discouragement and hopelessness?

Jesus stands before you today declaring the life-changing, hope-bringing truth, “I am the resurrection and the life.”  

At the Renewing Life Center, we have watched Jesus bring new life to hundreds of people over the years. He wants to do this in your situation. Reach out to him in surrendered faith. And let us know if we can help!