“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?”
– John 11:25-26
Being around Jesus constantly, would you have noticed how he began to weave “I am” statements into his teaching? You first heard it when Jesus was speaking to the crowd near the Sea of Galilee, claiming, “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35). Then in Jerusalem, during the Feast of Booths, Jesus proclaimed, “I am the light of the world, who gives the light of life” (John 8:12). Just recently he caught flack from the Jews after saying, “I am the good shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep” (John 10:11). It seems to be an emerging pattern. He is not just teaching bits of truth; he is revealing something personal. You wonder when he will make the next “I am” claim, what it will be, and how it might further illuminate the reality of who your rabbi really is.
Jesus has shared his intention to go to a small town in Judea near Jerusalem. His good friend Lazarus has been sick, but Jesus has assured you all that Lazarus would be okay. Now the news comes that Lazarus has died. You aren’t keen on going back to Judea, as Jesus has literally just escaped a death threat there. With both grief and fear, you and your fellow disciples travel with Jesus to Bethany. When you reach the edge of town, one of the first people to greet you is Martha, the sister of Lazarus. As she approaches, you notice not only grief in her face, but anger. Quickly it is clear that you have observed correctly.
“If you would have been here, my brother would not have died.” She doesn’t pull any punches with Jesus. She knows of the miracles Jesus has performed. That is why they sent for Jesus days ago, when Lazarus still had a chance. Her frustration is justified. In her mind, her brother’s death should have been avoided. When Jesus replies to her, you aren’t sure if his words are the most comforting ones he could offer. “Your brother will rise again.” This is on par with you or me saying to someone who just lost a dear loved one, “Don’t be sad, they’re in a better place.” While that may be true, depending on their relationship with Christ, it is hardly comforting. Jesus has appealed to a common belief; most (not all) Jews embraced the teaching of a general resurrection, a day when God would raise all people for final judgment. Martha may have embraced that teaching, but it provided little consolation. She replies (rather curtly, I expect), “Yes, I know that my brother, like everyone else, will rise in the resurrection on the last day.”
This sets up the moment when Jesus makes another declaration about himself. In response to Martha, Jesus says, “I AM the resurrection and the life.” Not “I have,” or “I can show you,” but “I AM.” It is a claim about his personhood, one that must have been seriously difficult to grasp at the time. But just so the crowd doesn’t miss the point, Jesus goes with them to the tomb, instructs the rock seal to be removed, and says something that surely made the crowd gasp: “Lazarus, come out!” When the words left his mouth, many of the people probably thought Jesus had lost his mind. If so, they quickly thought otherwise as Lazarus, four days dead, comes stumbling out of the tomb.
I have tried to imagine what it would have been like standing with the crowd at the tomb and seeing Lazarus appear alive. With all my imaginative power, my mind cannot comprehend it. If Bethany had a daily newspaper, there would have been a special evening edition that day. Nothing else would have been newsworthy; the only thing worth reporting would have been about Lazarus. The front page headline would read, “DEAD MAN LIVES!” Bystanders would have been interviewed. Mary and Martha would have given key testimony. Lazarus, needing some space after being in a tomb for four days, would have been scheduled for a highly-anticipated exclusive interview later in the week. A spirit of amazement would have permeated the whole community.
But let’s go back for a moment. Before they went to the tomb, there was a conversation that happened. Before the command for Lazarus to rise, there was a claim made by Jesus. “I AM the resurrection and the life.” Lazarus may have been the center of attention, but the essential truth revealed was about Jesus. The authority and power that gave Lazarus life resides in him. Note that after Jesus made the claim to Martha, he followed it with a question. “Do you believe this?” With her brother still lying dead in a tomb, Martha gave the best affirmative answer she could. “I have believed you are the Christ, the Son of God, the One who comes into the world.” It was faith even without seeing. How blessed she was for her faith so quickly to become sight.
“Do you believe this?” The question wasn’t just for Martha. Do you believe that the power of life resides in Jesus? Can you embrace the claims he makes about himself? I suspect there were not many skeptics left in Bethany after that day so long ago. If he brought Lazarus out of a cold tomb by calling his name, imagine what Jesus is ready to do when he calls your name.
See you along the Winding Path.
The Winding Path 