I Am the Resurrection and the Life
If you knew a loved one was nearing the end of their life, how quickly would you reach them to spend as much time as possible in their company? In John 11:1-44, we read about Lazarus of Bethany whom Jesus loved, who became ill. His sisters, Mary and Martha, sent for Jesus to heal him. Jesus was a half-day’s walk away, but He tarried intentionally until Lazarus died. It seems astounding that Jesus would do such a thing. So, why did He let Lazarus die?
Jesus loved Lazarus, Mary and Martha. Because Jesus is the author of life, He wants to teach His sheep this truth: that He is the resurrection and the life.
To understand the weight of His words, we must understand 1st-century Jewish beliefs about the resurrection from the dead. The ancient Jews — drawing from the Old Testament — believed that when God returns to Israel on the last day to establish His Kingdom, He will raise every soul and body who ever lived, from Adam and Eve to the end. God will judge everyone as either righteous or not to inherit His Kingdom. The resurrection of the dead was a far-out future point at the end of history’s timeline.
However, Jesus says that He is the resurrection. This distant point is personified in Him and is fully under His authority and sovereignty. In other words, we are not just talking about the resurrection as a magic trick. God is personified in Christ with His authority over life and death. And He loves us!
Where in your life right now do you experience some shadow of death? Maybe it’s the death of a loved one, a relationship, a career, a desire, or a hope. Yet, for all who entrust themselves to Jesus, His Resurrection power saturates all our life circumstances. And I hope that amid your shadows, you see the shimmering and ever-widening bright ray of the Lord’s resurrection power.
