I AM the resurrection and the life
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Intro.
Intro.
Math problem of increasing difficulty
Ask people how they might feel if they saw this problem.
Unhappy, unpleasant, universal, mysterious, baffling, puzzling, even helpless.
These are words that 7th graders used to describe math problems.
Of course, the quintessential issue for math problems is “can you correctly answer the question?”
To help students on the SAT, this is the advice the SAT Prep website offers:
the SAT is a marathon and the better prepared you are for it, the better you’ll feel on test day. Knowing how to handle the hardest questions the test can throw at you will make taking the real SAT seem a lot less daunting.
We see in today’s text the was to handle the hardest question in human existence - is there hope death?
Jesus confronts a problem unlike any other
Jesus confronts a problem unlike any other
Background:
Lazarus was sick and the sisters send a message to Jesus:
So the sisters sent a message to Him: “Lord, the one You love is sick.”
Mary and Martha seemingly expected Jesus to come and heal Lazarus.
But He didn’t.
When he finally says it’s time to go, the disciples question Him.
“Rabbi,” the disciples told Him, “just now the Jews tried to stone You, and You’re going there again?”
He gives them a little speech, a pep talk, but it doesn’t seem to sink in. All of the sudden Lazarus becomes a secondary character, and Jesus’ safety becomes the problem in need of solving.
Addressing problems quickly does not always guarantee they will be solved correctly.
Why? Because if we jump to fast to answer the problem, we may miss something. And that’s exactly what happened in verses 11-13.
He said this, and then He told them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I’m on My way to wake him up.”
Then the disciples said to Him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will get well.”
If he’s asleep, then he needs a little nap. That’s all. This is why verses 13-14 explain the reality of the situation.
John 11:13–15 (HCSB)
Jesus, however, was speaking about his death, but they thought He was speaking about natural sleep.
So Jesus then told them plainly, “Lazarus has died.
I’m glad for you that I wasn’t there so that you may believe. But let’s go to him.”
What they were missing, and I’d argue couldn’t see, was the absolute obedience and devotion of Jesus to the Father’s timing.
John 11:17 (HCSB)
When Jesus arrived, He found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days.
Dead for four days. In Jewish tradition, four days was a long time. the soul is gone and the body would be decomposed beyond recognition. Death is a problem unlike any other. And this is the problem that Jesus confronts.
But how long do people live in the tomb for their entire life?
Bethany was near Jerusalem (about two miles away).
John 11:19 (HCSB)
Many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them about their brother.
The sisters were mourning and it was customary for the Jews to come together and mourn in community.
For them, there was little or no hope. Their brother was dead. The people who gathered offered all they could. They were, as far as we can tell, powerless.
The Message of John b. The Meetings with Martha and Mary and Jesus’ Grief (11:17–37)
Jesus deliberately withholds his succour until the enemy he is confronting has assumed a fullness of authority and destructiveness.
The perfect time for God to do His best work is when our backs are against the wall.
John 11:20 (HCSB)
As soon as Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet Him. But Mary remained seated in the house.
Who told her? Was He part of the group in verse 19? Who cares! This story provides a great context for the Mary/Martha contrast in Luke 10.
But imagine Martha’s gaul. She jets out the door, leaving everyone else, including her sister, behind. Why? Because she knew that
Jesus is like no other.
Jesus is like no other.
John 11:21–22 (HCSB)
Then Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother wouldn’t have died.
Yet even now I know that whatever You ask from God, God will give You.”
Her greeting isn’t an accusation, it’s a confession of faith.
What confidence. Jesus hasn’t even said the I AM yet and she believes that He is who He is. Now, later in John 11:39, her confidence wains a bit, after Jesus says to remove the stone from Lazarus’ tomb.
John 11:23 (HCSB)
“Your brother will rise again,” Jesus told her.
Potential misunderstanding is opened here.
The word ‘again’ is not in the Greek. Jesus’ words are commonly believed to say - will rise in the future.
While Martha’s immediacy in moving to see Jesus is direct, her understanding of His immediate power on earth isn’t. Who’s would be?
Martha said, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
So she misunderstood.
She couldn’t fully comprehend who was standing in front of her. Again, again has no Greek. It would have been implied in her speech.
John 11:25a (HCSB)
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life.
There are three specific notes about this interaction.
First, as a person like no other, Jesus had a purpose that was specific like no other.
In verse 25, He will reveal Himself as the One with the power to bring the dead back to life. Nobody else who has ever lived has a had a such a specific purpose for their life. It’s not about finding peace or pleasure or increased salary. His purpose isn’t to add years to your life but life to your years. Yes, He brings blessings, but His greatest blessing is delivering you from something you got into and have no way out of.
Second, His power is dynamic like no other. So, Martha is looking to the future. And she is focused on Lazarus. But, think of how dynamic the power is when we discover that Jesus HIMSELF rose from the grave, making it possible for the whosoever that put their faith in Him to experience the same thing. Static power would be able to do it once, not ongoing.
Third, His words point to a sacrifice like no other.
Christ is the only one powerful enough to impart new life.
Jesus offers a promise like no other.
Jesus offers a promise like no other.
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in Me, even if he dies, will live.
Everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die—ever. Do you believe this?”
Everything about Jesus’ statement is transformational.
Consider the breadth of His promise. Everyone who lives and believes. In TSA, we anchor our belief in this promise that opens the gates of Christ’s sacrificial atoning death to the whosoever. This is why I said that Christ’s words point to a sacrifice like no other.
We often think of promises as future events. Here, His promise begins immediately! Eternal life starts now.
In Christ, the present and the future are intertwined.
Consider the basis of the promise. Works won’t do it. New Year’s resolutions and Bible reading plans won’t do it. Religious tradition and rituals won’t do it. The only proper basis for a promise of eternal life MUST come from the One who is Himself eternal and strong enough to uphold the promise. notice that He says everyone who “lives and believes in Me.” This phrase is like saying everyone who draws strength in me will never die because I will never run out of strength.
Finally, consider the blessing of this promise. Eternal life, what a gift. If you read the rest of this story, you’ll discover that Jesus resuscitates Lazarus. Eventually, he dies again.
His question to Martha though - Do you believe this? He hadn’t even done anything yet!!
The Lord’s promise here is not for our happiness through the promise, but to make us holy through the promise.
Are you living confidently in response to the promise of eternal life?
Are you living confidently in response to the promise of eternal life?
It begins now - do you share it with others?
have you sought happiness or confidence somewhere else?
Do you hear Jesus ask you that question? If you’ve never responded, I’m asking you that question today - do you believe this?