John 11:25-26
“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.”
What does Jesus mean?
Context of the statement:
When Jesus made this statement, He was comforting a weeping sister (Martha) who had just lost her brother (Lazarus). Martha told Jesus that if He had been with her, Lazarus would have never died. Jesus replied by assuring Martha that her brother would rise again. Martha responded: “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” This is when Jesus makes His 5th “I am” statement.
The RESURRECTION and the LIFE
The statement Martha made before Jesus’s 5th claim implied that she thought that resurrection was an event on its own. However, Jesus did not claim that He can resurrect (although He can). He said that He is resurrection. For without Jesus, there is no life. He alone has the power to grant life after death.
Life – the very essence of it – flows through Jesus. He is the creator of life and all that there is – immortality belongs to Him. There is no eternal life apart from Christ. At this point, Jesus was talking about His divine nature. If He is the creator of life and it belongs to Him, death has no power or triumph over God.
If you’re now thinking: But didn’t Jesus die on the cross? Yes, He did. But that was a deliberate choice He made to save us from eternal damnation. If Jesus had not died for us, we would all be doomed to eternal suffering. Because of His great love for you and me, He wore our shame and took our punishment so that we can be set free.
“Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die”:
Our physical bodies will decay (death) but if we put our faith in Jesus Christ, our spirits will live in triumph with Him. It is our spiritual state that matters to God. If we’re young and healthy and yet we’re spiritually void, it is as good as being dead. However, if we are on our death beds, yet our spirit is intertwined with God’s, we will live on for eternity. Then one day, when Jesus comes again, our bodies will be resurrected and we’ll have imperishable bodies for all of eternity.
Following this statement, Jesus asked Martha “Do you believe this?”. Ultimately, it is our faith and belief in Jesus Christ that activates God’s great power in our lives. Without belief, it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). Martha’s beautiful answer to Jesus’ question let her witness a life-changing miracle right before her eyes – “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God who was to come into the world”. And with that, Jesus raised her brother to life after 4 days of death.
