He Is Life
Much like school, life is a series of stages that are supposed to prepare you for the stage afterwards. You start with infancy, then preschool, then primary school, then high school, then university for most of you, then work, then more work, maybe some travel, then more work, and then finally retirement in preparation for the final years of this life. But in all this preparation, there is one thing lacking: none of these parts of life can prepare you for eternity.
I remember back when I was in year 7, there was an ad campaign, run by the Bible Society, called “Jesus. All About Life.” This campaign had a series of tv ads, as well as billboards, free barbeques, and people coming to schools to talk about who Jesus is. And as a kid who had grown up in a Christian family and was a Christian myself, I didn’t understand what the big fuss was all about. Of course, Jesus was all about life, and life was all about Jesus. It didn’t take me long to figure out that not everyone agreed with me on what I saw to be the obvious truth.
But in John’s biography of Jesus’ earthly life, that is what Jesus claims to be: all about life. More than that actually. He says that he is the resurrection and the life.
John 11:17-27 reads:
On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Now Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother.
Let’s pause here for a sec. We have 4 characters: Lazarus, Mary, Martha, and Jesus. Lazarus is Jesus’ friend and brother of the two women. John, the writer of this biography, notes that Lazarus has been in the tomb for 4 days, so we know that he is well and truly dead. No signs of life. And so Jews from all around the area have come to mourn over the death of Lazarus with the two sisters. And as this scene opens, Jesus arrives.
When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home. “Lord,” Martha said 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.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
Two things I want to point out here:
Firstly, Martha believes that Jesus has the power of healing the sick. That much is very clear. She even says that if Jesus had in fact been faster to arrive, Lazarus would have been healed. But she also believes that Jesus could even raise the dead. He goes on to prove that He can later in the chapter.
But secondly, Martha believes in a resurrection on the final day. In a first century Jewish culture, Martha’s belief in a final day where the dead are raised and judged by God would have been common place. So, it should come as no surprise to us that when Jesus tells her that Lazarus will rise again, she responds in the way that she does. But Jesus’ reply is unexpected.
Jesus said to her, “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?” “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”
“I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE.” Not a resurrection, not a way of life. THE resurrection, THE life. Jesus is saying to Martha is that He is the fulfilment of what she is hoping for. She believes in a future resurrection and Jesus is saying, “Here I am. You are looking at what you are hoping for on the last day. I am the giver of life eternal.”
That’s a big claim, right? That besides Jesus, there is nothing after this life but death. But with Him, by faith in Him, there is eternal life.
Jesus leaves Martha with a question: do you believe this?
Her answer is yes! He is the one predicted by the prophets of the Old Testament. He is the promised King, God’s anointed, Saviour of the World.
And I believe this too. I believe that God created all things including me. I believe that I have sinned, rebelled against my Creator in such a way that I rightly deserve eternal death as a punishment. I believe that God, in His good grace and love, sent Jesus, His Son, to this world as a man. I believe that Jesus, lived a perfect, sinless life in full obedience to the Father. I believe that Jesus willingly took up the cross. I believe that on the Cross of Calvary, Jesus bore the wrath of the Father for my sins. I believe that Jesus was buried in a tomb. I believe that Jesus rose again on the third day in victory over sin and death. I believe that Jesus ascended into Heaven and is now seated at the right hand of the Father. I believe that through the passing on of this good news over thousands of generations, through the Holy Spirit working in people, I heard it. I believe that only by my faith in Jesus, I am saved. I believe that I am counted as holy and right before God because of Jesus. I believe that Jesus will come back to judge the living and the dead, believer or not. And I believe that because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, I will be with him in eternal life.
John Stott, one of the great theologians of the 20th Century once said of Jesus, “What dominated his mind was not the living of his life but the giving of his life.”
Jesus laid down his life so that all who believe in their hearts and confess with their mouths that Jesus is Lord will be set saved into eternal life.
Do you believe this?
Amen.