The most explicit affirmation of Jesus is at the very centre of this book. It comes from the mouth, not of his apostle, but of his dear friend, a heartbroken, doubtful and disappointed woman with great faith in Jesus. If you were to take off the first ten chapters and the last ten chapters, you would be staring at chapter 11. And even if you were to overlook the first and last 20 verses, you would come to this.
John 11:21-27.
What happened before this? Jesus received news from these women that their brother, his friend Lazarus, was terminally ill (11:1-3). At first, Jesus seemed nonchalant about it (11:4-5) until he knows by divine supernatural knowledge that Lazarus has died (11:6-16). Then he travelled with his disciples to Bethany and arrived four days after the burial in the middle of the public mourning period when large crowds had gathered to comfort the sisters in their grief (11:17-20). In the middle of his waiting, John makes it clear that Jesus was not indifferent to their anguish. READ 11:5.
Can you hear Martha’s disappointment in Jesus (11:21)? If you had been here. If you had come when we asked you to, you could have done something. Can you hear her great faith? Even now… Even now… You have still come. You could still help us.
Can you hear her confusion over his promise (11:24)? Of course, he will rise again like all of us. Someday. Someday when all the griefs are over. Someday when all the wrongs are made right. Someday when all the dead are raised to life to face judgment and receive our just rewards. Someday.
Then Jesus said what we all long to hear. He declared a solution for every grieving, doubtful and disappointed soul. For every human being who has ever laid their loved one to rest in the dust where we came from. For every heartsick believer who wonders why Jesus didn’t answer when they called out to him. For every person living under the dread of looming death.
The resurrection is here (11:25-26). Jesus is standing there. The Word who made all things and the Life who gives light to all people everywhere. The Word made flesh to dwell among us.
The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world that lands us all in the grave (1:21). The Son sent so that whoever believes will not perish but have eternal life (3:14-16 The Shepherd who lays down his life and has the authority to take it up again (10:17-18).
The resurrection is here. Look at his promises in this mighty statement. Whoever believes in him, will live. Even in death, they will live. He did not promise that no believer would physically die. He did not claim that physical death was a thing of the past. He promised that even in death, we will live.
But then beyond that, he promised that those who believe in him begin living, really living, spiritually alive where they had been spiritually dead before. And this life is eternal. It will carry on from the day they believe into eternity without interruption, even from physical death. They will never die!
Remember, Adam and Eve died and then they died. The spirit and then the body. Faith in Jesus makes us alive and then it makes us alive. The spirit and then the body.
He is life. He is resurrection. He was standing there in front of Martha making those claims. And he gently, firmly asked her (11:26), “Do you believe this?”
Jesus is the resurrection and the life whether or not anyone believes it. Our faith does not make it true and our doubt does not make it false. He is life and He is resurrection either way. But to be included in the eternal, uninterrupted life that has no fear of death, we must believe.
Notice her beautiful, heartbroken, disappointed, inspiring, faith-filled response (John 11:27). At the heart of this Gospel is the heart of John’s message. He wrote it so that every reader, every genuine seeker of God, would arrive at this conclusion. Jesus is the God-promised, God-anointed answer to our hearts’ great longing. He is the one who came to reconcile us to God, to deal with our sin, to conquer its consequence. He is God’s own Son sent to save us from sin and death. He is our resurrection and life.
The story moves on from this great affirmation. Sister Mary meets Jesus with the same complaint. If only you had been here. If you had come when we asked you to, you could have done something (11:28-32). As they went to the tomb, Jesus saw their grief, he identified with their loss, he felt the weight of a world drowning in death, and he wept (11:33-35). Even this expression of Jesus own sorrow was noticed and disputed. Some saw love. Some saw neglect and expressed their own disappointment. If he had been here. If he had come when they asked him to, he could have done something (11:36-37).
Then Jesus did what Martha’s faith suggested. Even now… Even now… You could still help us. Did she believe it? I don’t know. She certainly didn’t expect what came next. John 11:38-45.
For many of the witnesses, Jesus promises of eternal life were only words until this moment. Anyone can claim they can raise the dead. Anyone can claim that they have that authority. They could have believed him before, but now they had indisputable proof.
Jesus was not toying with them, speaking metaphorically or offering clever rhetorical flourishes about nebulous spirituality. When Lazarus left the tomb, the onlookers knew that Jesus could do what he claimed he could. Some of them believed that he was who he claimed he was. This story was included in the heart of John’s gospel so that you would believe, too. Like Nathanael. Like Thomas. Like Martha. Like millions of believers who have already been raised to spiritual life by Jesus the resurrection and the life.
Do you believe this?