Resurrection and Life March 30, 2010

“Martha then said to Jesus, ‘Lord if You had been here, my brother would not have died. Even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Your brother will rise again.’ Martha said to Him, ‘I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.’ Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?’ She said to Him, ‘Yes, Lord;I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God, even He who comes into the world.’” (John 11:21-17).

Have you ever stopped to ponder the audacity of some of Jesus’ claims? We tend to grow accustomed to the words of Christ recorded for us, not necessarily ignoring them, but forgetting their context and power. When He made this statement to Martha, he wasn’t blithely looking toward heaven with a glow on his face uttering platitudes to comfort her at the loss of a family member, He was reassuring her by focusing her attention on His person and power, and in the process, turning her world on its ear.

For 1st century Jews, the “Resurrection of the Dead” was a concept of the last day, when all people would be raised to life by God. Clearly this is what Mary is clinging to in verse 24. Jesus’ response doesn’t invalidate this, but brings it to full expression in Himself. He tells Martha (and, through Scripture, all of us) that He is the hope of eternity and the very breath of life in bodily form! Anyone within earshot would’ve been scandalized to hear such talk–a Nazarene carpenter claiming to hold the destiny of the world and to be the source of life? Small wonder that later in this same chapter we see the chief preists and pharisees conspiring to kill Him. They weren’t particularly fond of His other incredible claims, like “Before Abraham was born, I am” (John 8:58), and “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:19), either.

But Martha wasn’t offended; she was astonished, and she believed. “You are the Christ, the Son of God, even He who comes into the world” (v. 27). For the Jews of that day, the only two logical responses to such a claim were indignation (reinforcement of the tradition belief system) or acceptance (realization that the belief system was being transformed by the presence of its object). Martha’s belief changed everything about her perspective on life, death, and faith–she knew that He could be trusted and would sustain her, and even restore Lazarus to physical life if He so desired. Christ was enough because He was life in full.

As we approach our grandest celebration of our Risen Lord this Sunday, remember that He is the Resurrection and the Life, and remember the power of that statement. It is no less bold today. We say we know that God is the Creator and the One who holds our lives in His hands, but do we understand the magnitute of this truth or its centrality to our spiritual rebirth in Christ? As we reflect on the fact of Jesus’ resurrection and long for our resurrection (or restoration) at His return, stand in awe of the fact that this Jesus whom we worship is life itself.

Posted by Justin Lonas