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The Resurrection And The Life
What Does Jesus Mean When He Says, "I am the
resurrection and the life" in John 11:25?
.
this world isn’t easy to live in, but we can traverse
through it with great joy and peace - the peace of God surpasses all
understanding - it will guard our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus - this
is how we live a resurrection life in a fallen world
Meg Bucher
Writer and Author
“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. The one
who believes in me will live, even though they die;” - John
11:25
Our Savior came to
earth to testify to God's Truth, His Truth. And in doing so as a human He chose
to feel what we feel.
Jesus’ life on
earth, death on the cross, and resurrection, was and is the way God chooses to
shower mercy on us.
God, who is love,
sacrificed His Son in the greatest act of love the world will ever know.
John,
self-proclaimed, “one who Jesus loved,” was Christ’s earthly
best friend.
John leaned on his
Savior at the Last Supper. His Gospel account is rich with the friendship the
two men shared.
As John retells the
story of Jesus raising His friend Lazarus from the dead, he camps out on a
pivotal Gospel truth.
Jesus is the
Resurrection and the Life. It is in Jesus we find true life and resurrection
from the death our sins warrant.
As believers in
Jesus Christ, the Son of God who died for our sins and was raised from the
dead, we are raised to new life in Christ.
Who Is the Resurrection and the Life in John's Gospel?
Life is a major
theme and concept of John’s Gospel.
The word life
occurs 36 times in his Gospel compared to no more than 17 in any of the other
Gospel accounts.
“Jesus did not
merely have the power to resurrect,” Moody Bible Commentary
explains, “His claim I am the resurrection and the life makes
Him the very source of resurrection and all life.”
John recorded
seven, notably the Biblical number signifying perfection, of Jesus’
profound “I am” statements:
“I am the Bread of
Life.” - (John 6:35)
“I am the Gate.” - (John 10:7)
“I am the Good
Shepherd.” - (John 10:11, 14)
“I am the
Resurrection and the Life.” - (John 11:25)
“I am the Way and
the Truth and the Life.” - (John 14:6)
“I am the True
Vine.” - (John 15:1)
Out of the seven,
three contain the word “life:”
“I am the bread of
life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will
never be thirsty.” - (John 6:35);
“I am the
resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though
they die;” - (John 11:25); and
“I am the way the
truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” - (John
14:6).
Jesus is the
Resurrection and the Life.
“All of God’s
sovereignty is mediated through Christ, and it hinges on his power over death
in his resurrection,” preached John Piper.
One person of our
Triune God, Jesus, came to earth fulfilling over 300 Old Testament prophecies
with His birth alone.
“Everyone who
lives refers to one’s physical life since it is followed
by and believes in Me,” Moody Bible Commentary explains, “Only
in this life does one have the chance to believe in Christ (Hebrews 9:27).”
The New Testament
contains four Gospel accounts, all of which focus mostly on the ministry,
death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
John’s purpose is
clear: “But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the
Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” (John
20:31)
“Life is
Christ’s gift (John 10:28) and he, in fact, is ‘the
life’ (John 14:6),” explains the NIV Study Bible, “Life
in living fellowship with God- both now and forever.”
The Meaning and Context of John
11:25, "I Am the Resurrection and the Life"
Jesus had friends
during His life on earth. Mary, Martha, and Lazarus were among His close
friends. At this point in John’s narrative, Jesus receives word that Lazarus is
sick and dying.
Instead of rushing
to His friend’s side with a miraculous healing, Jesus stays back for two more
days.
When He finally
arrives, Mary and Martha are distraught.
Martha tries to
piece together what she knows about Jesus and His teachings but struggles to
fully understand why Jesus didn’t come before her brother died.
“Jesus comforts
Martha in her grief and gives her an eternal hope all because she stopped to
listen to what He had to say,” wrote Yvonne Morgan for Beloved Women.
Our Savior weeps
with us. He truly knows how we feel. At the sight of His friends’ pain, He felt
sadness.
Though He must have
known it would cause His friends pain, Jesus was always obedient to His Father
in Heaven.
Everything He said
and did glorified God the Father.
He raised Lazarus
from the dead with a command, and suddenly the truth becomes clearer for those
who witnessed him walk out of the tomb.
There are seven
signs in the Gospel of John, one of them being Lazarus’ resurrection from the
dead:
Changing water into
wine (John 2:1-11);
healing an official’s
son (John 4:43-54);
healing a disabled
man at the Bethesda pool (John 5:1-15);
feeding the 5, 000 (John 6:1-14);
walking on water (John 6:16-21);
healing the man
born blind (John 9:1-12); and
raising Lazarus
from the dead (John 11:1-44)
(NIV Study Bible
notes on Jphn 11:25).
Lazarus had been
dead for days. In fact, his sister warned Him of the smell as Jesus approached
the tomb.
“Only as we
confront the reality of death will we appreciate the hope of the resurrection,”
wrote Constantine Campbell for desiringGod, “There is nothing like death
to make us desire resurrection.”
Many had seen His
miracles, including Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. But to raise someone from the
dead was a possibility that escaped them.
At one point, Martha says to Jesus: “... if you had been
here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give
you whatever you ask” (John 11:21-22).
When Jesus tells
her that her brother will rise again (John
11:23), Martha repeats what she knows of Jesus’ teachings but still
fails to connect them to who He is: “I know he will rise again in the
resurrection at the last day.”
And to that, Jesus
replied: “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in
me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will
never die. Do you believe this?” - (John 11:25-26)
Raising the dead is
something only God is capable of.
“Jesus raises
the dead because he is the resurrection,” preached John Piper.
Jesus not only
gives resurrection and life, He is Resurrection and Life.
“Our ultimate
hope,” John Piper explains, “is not simply to be
with Christ in immaterial existence, but to have resurrected bodies.”
He was with God in
the beginning (Genesis 1 and John
1), came to earth to live, died on the cross, and was raised to
life; He now sits at the right hand of the Father. Jesus is eternal, which is
what we become … in Him.
How Does the Verse "I Am the Resurrection and the
Life" Encourage Christians Today?
“You don’t have to
wait for the End. I am, right now, Resurrection and Life. The one who believes
in me, even though he or she dies, will live. And everyone who lives believing
in me does not ultimately die at all. Do you believe this?” - John 11:25-26, The Message
“I can rejoice
in the resurrection,” wrote Elyse Fitzpatrick,“ God is pleased with Jesus. I
am ‘in’ Jesus. God is pleased with me. My meager efforts please him. I am
living in the light of his smile. How do I know? The resurrection.”
“‘For I know the
plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm
you, plans to give you hope and a future” - (Jeremiah 29:11).
King David, the
great king anointed by God, from whose ancestral line the Messiah would come to
earth, put his hope in God’s unfailing love (Psalm 147:11).
“David in the
Psalms speaks with spectacular specificity about the resurrection of the One to
come,” wrote Dr. Micheal A. Milton.
Psalm 16: 9-10 says, “Therefore
my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because
you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your
faithful one see decay.”
What David,
Jeremiah, and so many other heroes of the faith in the Old Testament looked to
has come to fruition through Jesus Christ.
“The
resurrection of Jesus Christ and of those who follow Him is much more than just
a doctrine or a theological concept,” wrote Trevin Wax for thegospelcoalition.org, “Jesus not only
gives life; He is the life!"
Jesus came so that
we could live our lives to the full.
If the greats of
the Old Testament could speak and live with such great hope and outstanding
faith, how much more can we as believers with the Living God dwelling in us
through the Holy Spirit gifted to us by Jesus’ sacrifice.
God’s expression of
love towards His children is hope in the Resurrection and the Life. “The
love of God,” preached John Piper, “is the gift of his
glorious self.”
The Way, the Truth,
and the Life is Jesus Christ.
“To believe that
Jesus is ‘the Christ, the Son of God; means to believe that He is my
resurrection and eternal life” (Moody Bible Commentary).
“The
resurrection ushers in hope,” wrote Dr. Michael A. Milton, “and
assures us that what is hoped for is true and lasting.”
Paul, who had
suffered so much in this life, considered it all joy. He knew the power of
forgiveness. The power of new life.
He had persecuted
Christians before becoming one.
In his letter to
the Romans, he said, “May the God of hope fill you will all joy and peace as
you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy
Spirit.” (Romans 15:13)
A Prayer for Resurrection Hope
Father,
Make still our
souls this moment, to collect the full scope of Your love for us. Continue to
teach us, Father, and let us remember and retain the truths You have revealed
to us here today.
Our grateful hearts
lift praise to You, their Father and Creator. There is something so special
about digging into the text of Your love story with us.
A good Father,
beyond our wildest imaginations. Stretch our minds to expand enough to know
more and more of You every day we breathe until You take us home.
Help us to see
people the way You see people. May we live free, and love others in Your name.
Let all we do bring glory and honor to You.
Thank You for Your
mercy, compassion, and forgiveness through Jesus Christ. Lamb of God, You take
away the sins of the world. You give us new life.
In You, we get a
glimpse of what eternity will be like. Guide us home, day by day. Set our
hearts to beat in sync with the truth of Your Word.
Let our lives speak
of what Jesus came to accomplish. May we never forget the victory is ours, death
is defeated, and Jesus has risen.
In Jesus’ Name we
pray,
Amen.
“And the God of all
grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a
little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and
steadfast.” - 1 Peter 5:10
This world isn’t
easy to live in, but we can traverse through it with great joy and peace.
The peace of God,
Paul assures us in Philippians 4:6-7, surpasses all
understanding.
It will guard our
hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus. This is how we live a resurrection life
in a fallen world.
“but those who hope
in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not grow faint” - (Isaiah 40:31).
Meg writes
about everyday life within the love of Christ as an author, freelance writer,
and blogger at Sunny&80. Her
first book, “Friends
with Everyone,” is available on amazon.com.
She earned a Marketing/PR degree from Ashland University but stepped out of the
business world to stay at home and raise her two daughters. Besides writing,
she leads a Bible Study for Women and serves as a Youth Ministry leader in her
community. She lives in Northern Ohio with her husband, Jim, and two daughters.
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