HILLFAITH STUDIES: Jesus’ Fifth Great ‘I AM’ Claim – The Resurrection and the Life
Whoa! Now Jesus, with His claim to be “the Resurrection and the Life,” is getting down to the basic issue facing every human being who has ever or will ever be born — What happens after your body dies?
Here’s the passage, John 11:25-26:
“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
Note that Jesus does not say “I know” or “I show” the way to the resurrection and the life, He says He is the resurrection and the life.
That’s a claim that is of an either/or nature, it’s either true or it’s false. If it’s false, then Jesus is a quack, or something worse, a liar and a fraud.
If it’s true and He is what He claims here to be, then it would be foolish in the extreme to ignore it. Or to scoff without actually digging into the evidence with an open mind. This is especially important in the context of where Jesus made this claim, and to whom He was speaking when He said it.
Jesus was speaking to Martha, the sister of Mary and of her brother, Lazarus, who Jesus is described as one He especially loved. He and His disciples were about a day’s journey distant from Lazarus and his sisters, who lived in Bethany, when Jesus receives word that His close friend is extremely sick and He is entreated to come quickly.
But Jesus tarries for several days and when He finally does arrive at the scene, Lazarus has died and been buried for four days. Bethany, where Lazarus and his sisters live, is near Jerusalem and when Jesus arrives, John tells us many friends of the family from Jerusalem were there, sharing in the family’s mourning.
Why Did Jesus Wait?
This is a significant fact, too, because when Jesus told the disciples it was time to go to the family, they reminded Him that the religious establishment in Jerusalem wanted to kill Him. But Jesus is not to be dissuaded and when they finally arrive, He is reprimanded by Martha, who tells Him her brother would be alive if He had not delayed.
It is then that Jesus speaks the words of this particular claim, telling Martha in response to her complaint that He is the resurrection and the life. When Jesus asked Martha if she believed Him, she said yes.
When Jesus does finally arrive in Bethany and is told by Mary that Lazarus has been dead four days, it prompts the shortest verse in the Gospels, John 11:35 – “Jesus wept.” But then Jesus commands that the entrance to Lazarus’ tomb be opened and when He shouts “Lazarus, come out,” he does!
“Lazarus, Come Out!”
When Lazarus comes out of the tomb, he is covered with the traditional jewish burial clothes. The fact he is resurrected by Jesus four days after his passing is an indication that Lazarus was, beyond question, dead. The tomb from which Jesus called Lazarus was then empty, prefiguring another, vastly more important burial place left a few days after burial with nothing in it.
And so, the question is: What will you do with this Jesus? Dismiss Him as a quack or a nutcase? Or will you come to grips with this “I AM” claim of an otherwise obscure Jewish carpenter from Nazareth? By the way, check out John 11:45-53 to see how the religious leaders in Jerusalem responded to Jesus.
Troubled by this? Wrestling with questions about Jesus? Then let’s talk, confidentially. Email me at mark.tapscott@hillfaith.org and we’ll set something up. Don’t worry, I don’t preach, I mainly listen and provide answers.
Schedule for Jesus’ Great I AM Claims Posts
July 6: Introduction
July 13: “I am the bread of life.” John 6:35
July 20: “I am the light of the world.” John 8:12 and 9:5
July 27: “I am the gate for the sheep.” John 10:7
August 3: “I am the good shepherd.” John 10:11
August 10: “I am the Resurrection and the Life.” John 11:25-26
August 17: “I am the way, the truth and the life.” John 14:6
August 24: “I am the true vine.” John 15:1
Make a note on your calendar to be sure and check back here each Tuesday, Regardless if you are already a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ working on Capitol HIll, or a congressional aide who is curious about Jesus, skeptical about Him or just plain apathetic about the whole thing, I promise you will gain some valuable new insights and understanding as a result of following this study.
And it might change your life forever.
“I came to bear witness to the Truth.”