Day 23: I Am the Resurrection (John 11:1–27)
“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.”
John 11:25–26 (NASB)
The death of Lazarus occupies the entirety of John 11 and is the seventh and final sign — the sign that will directly precipitate the cross. Jesus receives the news that His beloved friend is sick but delays two days before leaving. The delay is not indifference; it is purposeful: 'This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.' But it will feel like abandonment to everyone involved.
Thomas's response when Jesus proposes the journey — 'Let us also go, that we may die with him' — is more faith than despair. It is a grim faith, misunderstanding what is about to happen, but still a faith that prefers to die with Jesus than to live without Him. This is the same Thomas who will later demand to see the wounds. His faith is never comfortable or easy, but it is real.
Martha meets Jesus on the road and says what is perhaps the most honest thing anyone says to Him in the Gospels: 'Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.' It is an accusation dressed as a statement. Jesus responds with a question that will define the rest of the chapter: '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?' Martha's confession — 'Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world' — is one of the great confessions of the Gospel, matching Peter's in all but context.
For Reflection
- Jesus delayed when His friend was dying — and the delay was purposeful. Has God ever seemed absent or late in a crisis in your life?
- What did that teach you?
- Thomas said 'let us go that we may die with him.' When have you had to choose between the safe path and staying close to Jesus?
- 'Do you believe this?' — Jesus asks Martha personally. What would your honest answer to that question be right now?
