Disclaimer: I never delivered this sermon. The service in which I was going to deliver this sermon was cancelled due to COVID-19. Regardless, I would like to share this truncated mini-sermon with you. This is Part 2 of John 11. If you missed the first part, you can read it here.
The Gospel according to John is written for a unified purpose that is nicely summarised in the closing words of the book. John 20:30-31 “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” In this Gospel, it is written and structured nicely to include the 7 miracles of Christ and the 7 ‘I Am’ statements of Christ.
“I am the Resurrection and the Life” is the fifth of the seven ‘I Am’ statements of Jesus. Jesus made this claim about himself when he was in Bethany, the village where his good friend had just been buried. This came after Jesus had heard that his good friend was sick. Upon receiving this news, Jesus stayed where he was instead of making the immediate journey to Bethany. After waiting two more days, Jesus then made the journey to Bethany. We pick up the story where Martha, Lazarus’ sister, went out to meet Jesus.
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John 11:21-27 I Am the Resurrection and the Life
21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.22 But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”
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I remember a few years back, during one of the Youth camps, I was coming in, just to visit. I asked those in camp if they wanted me to bring anything from outside. Over the phone, they asked for me to buy Pei Pa Kuo. I got it, wasn’t too difficult a task, I went to get 2 packs. But to everyone’s surprise, when I showed up at the campsite, they were puzzled because I bought the candy, instead of the syrup packed in sachets. All my life, I either got my Pei Pa Kuo from the huge bottle or in candy form. I did not know that the syrup sachets existed. What I know differed from what those at the campsite intended.
When we read the passages of the New Testament, we need to remember that many of the things that Jesus, later his followers, claim were profound. Even to many of us today, on hindsight, we find it difficult to understand. Jesus’ interaction with Martha in Bethany was an example of one of such moments, where what Martha knows differs from what God intends. We are going to look at this passage closely, and see what Jesus meant when he claims ‘I am the Resurrection and the Life’. We tackle this by stating what was the misconception, after knowing what the misconception was, then we unpack the truth.
The Misconception of the Resurrection
v.24 Martha, in her exchange with Christ was referring to the resurrection on the last day. To understand the misconception, we first need to understand the teaching of the time. Martha understood the resurrection according to what was written in the Old Testament. In the OT, Daniel 12:2 writes of a future bodily resurrection, “And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” Isaiah also proclaimed “Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise. You who dwell in the dust, awake and sing for joy! For your dew is a dew of light, and the earth will give birth to the dead.” (Isaiah 26:19).
Both OT giants spoke and wrote about the resurrection of the last days. Was the OT then wrong and “outdated”? No! In fact, Jesus and Paul affirms the teachings of the OT in the New Testament (see John 5:29; Acts 24:15). Jesus, after feeding the 5000, even proclaimed, “For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” (John 6:40). Martha’s understanding of the resurrection is consistent with what was written in the OT and definitely consistent with what Jesus taught.
So where was the misconception? Similar to Martha, we all have a misconception that the resurrection is an event, an event that will take place on the last days. A single event that will happen in accordance with the scriptures. However, in v.25a, Jesus claims that He is The Resurrection. The ‘resurrection’ that Jesus is referring to was not an event but a person – himself. Martha, and our, knowledge of the resurrection is an abstract idea that will eventually take place. But Jesus is proclaiming that the Resurrection is already here and is here to have a personal relationship with us.
Principle 1: Christ, the Resurrection, calls us to a relationship with Him so that we can have victory over death today.
Our victory over death is not achieved on the last days, we can claim absolute victory over death, and be assured of eternal life today! Martha was right, come the end of the age, there will be a great and glorious day when all believers will be raised. Jesus’ first coming signifies the assurance of that day – that day is today, He is the Resurrection. We can have complete victory today if we enter into a relationship with Jesus Christ.
While we think of eternal life as the ‘final victory’ that is completed on the last days, Jesus is correcting Martha and us, showing that through Him, victory over death is a present reality. Resurrection is not just for the last day, Jesus is about to unfold a piece of resurrection right now before their very eyes. Jesus is breaking into their world and bringing with him the assurance that resurrection is for both now and forever.
The Truth about Life
Jesus did not reveal that he is the Resurrection and the Life without also telling us what it means for us. vv.25b-26 Jesus went on to reveal the truths about himself and how we come into the picture. “Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.” Jesus is giving us two blessed assurances in this single statement. Let’s break it down.
First, Jesus addressed the present situation. Remember that at this point, Lazarus has been in the cave for 4 days. He is indeed dead. Hearing the anguish in the voice of Martha, Jesus had to address that. And he is also addressing all of us who have love ones who have passed on. v.25 ‘Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live.’ Jesus and our Heavenly Father knows that we may worry about our dead love ones. In this verse, Jesus is proclaiming that he will rescue the body and soul, of those who believe in Christ, from the grave. This is in direct reference to the last days, when Christ will raise from the grave and commune, again, with those who believes in him – the first blessed assurance.
Next, Jesus addresses the issue of eternal life with the critical group – those who are still alive. A dead person cannot change his decision to believe, but a living person can. This was more pressing that addressing those that are dead. v.26 To Martha, Jesus said ‘Everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die’. Those who are living and chooses to be in a saving relationship with Jesus Christ will never die. They will never be out of this eternal fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ – the second blessed assurance.
We can claim these two blessed assurances because Jesus is the Life. He does more than give life, He is life. No power of hell, no scheme of men, even death have no ultimate power over Him. We can claim 1 John 5:11-12, ‘God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life.’ Jesus then goes on to prove this by calling Lazarus out of death into life. And in a greater miracle, himself, raising from the dead on that very first Easter. Truly, death could not hold him.
Principle 2: Christ, the Life, calls us to believe in Him so that we can enjoy eternal life in fellowship.
When Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life,” He was claiming to be the source of both. There is no resurrection apart from Christ, and there is no eternal life apart from Christ. There is nothing greater than knowing what is going to happen next. If you are a fan of drama series, you would know that at the end of each episode, a short preview is played to show you what you can expect next. But there is nothing satisfying in simply watching previews. To fully appreciate the next episode, we need to click ‘next’ and be in participation, by watching. Jesus raised Lazarus as a preview of what the great resurrection will look like. This story, and this sermon is window to His glory in the last days.
In classic Jesus manner, he now extends this invitation to Martha in v.26b ‘Do you believe this?’ What is urgent is not those that are already dead, but it is the decision of those that are alive. Martha accepted the invitation to be in eternal fellowship with Jesus Christ. Watching the preview is not satisfying, we need to be there to watch the next episode, the final episode. Jesus is coming back to this earth in power and great glory, will you be there to enjoy the eternal fellowship with the Resurrection and the Life?
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