I Am the Resurrection and the Life
(John 11:1-45, esp. 11:25-27)
We have all been shocked by the shooting at an elementary school in Texas. We cannot imagine how anyone could be so evil. At the same time, never has the promise of eternal life and resurrection been so dear to those who lost little ones. This promise does not fill the void or sense of desperation these parents feel, but it gives them hope.
It may be coincidental or it may not be that today’s “I Am” statement is Jesus statement that, “I Am the Resurrection and the Life.”
1.Seven Key Conversations: Jesus and Nathaniel (John 1:43-51), Jesus and Nicodemus (3:1-21), Jesus and the Samaritan Woman at the Well (4:3-30), Jesus and His brothers (7:1-5), Jesus, Mary and Martha (John 11:17-27), Jesus and Pilate (John 18:33-38), and Jesus and Peter (John 21:15-23).
2. Seven Key Sign Miracles: 1: Changing Water Into Wine (John 2:1-11); 2: Healing the Royal Official's Son (John 4:46-54); 3: Healing the paralytic at the pool (John 5:1-18); 4: Feeding over 5,000 with fish and loaves (John 6:1-14); 5: Walking on the water (John 6:15-25); 6: Healing a man born blind (John 9:1-41); 7: Raising Lazarus from the dead (John 11:1-46).
3. The Seven I Am Statements (our current series): 1) I Am the Bread of Life · 2) I Am the Light of the World · 3) I Am the Door or Gate & 4) I Am the Good Shepherd · 5) I Am the Resurrection, and the Life · 6) I Am the way, the truth, and the life ·7) I Am the true vine.
4. Today’s text is unique, because all three categories converge. We are going to focus on the I Am statement itself; if we gave adequate attention to all the surround texts, it would take two to three sermons. This is not a series on John’s Gospel, but, rather, on the 7 I Am statements of John’s Gospel. It take discipline to leave fascinating material alone.
Main Idea: If you personally know Jesus Christ, you have eternal life now and bodily resurrection promised in the future.
I. Sample of the Old Testament BACKGROUND for the Messiah and the Bodily Resurrection.
A. JOB, the book that goes back the furthest in time, recognizes the bodily resurrection.
Job 19:25-27a, “For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another.
B. DANIEL prophesied of the bodily resurrection.
Daniel 12:2-3, “And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.”
C. Of the ancient religions, only JUDAISM believed in the bodily resurrection.
Richard Swenson explains: “We are continually being recreated from dust and returning to dust,” explains David M. Baughan, M.D. “We are not objects or machines that endure, we are patterns that have the capacity to perpetuate ourselves. We are not things; instead, we are processes…
… 90 percent of our atoms are replaced annually. Every five years, 100 percent of our atoms turn over and become new atoms…
….The fundamental particles that comprise us have been floating around since the beginning. They roost with us for a while, and then move down the road to inhabit our neighbors. Some of the atoms that resided within our childhood frames are now probably doing their similar work within a body in Mongolia…” (from Richard Swenson, More Than Meets the Eye, pp. 17-18).
II. The Details Preceding Lazarus’ (Eleazar’s) RESURRECTION (John 11:1-18).
A. Mary, Marth, and Lazarus were like an adopted FAMILY to Jesus.
1. Jesus receives a request to come at once (11:1-3).
2. This is probably a tale of two Bethany; Bethany beyond the Jordan, and Bethany (a suburb of Jerusalem); about a day’s walk.
3. Jesus delayed for two days. Why?
• This would be a God-glorifying event.
• God’s delays are usually unwelcome, same true then.
• Jewish superstition, reason one.
• To help acclimate the disciples to the risk, reason two.
B.. The disciples misunderstand Jesus’ FIGURATIVE use of “sleep.” Jesus corrects (11-15).
1. Their concern was to avoid Jerusalem, for the corrupt Jewish leaders were getting more aggressive, having tried to stone Jesus already.
2. Doubting Thomas was a pessimist, but he was dedicated (16)
III. Jesus ARRIVES and Joins Martha and Mary (17-37).
A. They are in great grief and feel let down at Jesus’ ABSENCE (17-22).
1. Martha acknowledged what bothered all the believers: Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.
2. Since Lazarus had been dead four days, his resurrection would certainly be a miracle.
3. But Martha had enough faith to consider the possibility that Jesus could restore him.
B. What did Jesus mean when he said Lazarus would RISE again? (23-24)
1. Martha acknowledges the Jewish belief in the bodily resurrection in the end time.
2. Jesus’ response, however, was perhaps a surprise.
C. Jesus claimed to be the resurrection and the LIFE (25-26).
1. Which is easier, to resurrect a dead body, or to create life out of nothing by speaking a Word?
2. He is claiming here to be both the gatekeeper of resurrection and the originator and source of physical and spiritual life. Connected to the Job passage.
3. There is a sense in which the believer never dies, and there is a sense in which he does.
D. Martha’s confession: Jesus is MESSIAH (the Christ), the Son of God (27).
E. Mary arrives and Jesus SHARES in everyone’s grief (28-37).
1. She also expresses her regret at Jesus’ absence.
2. Seeing Mary, Martha, and all their friends weeping got to Jesus; He wept too.
3. Jesus was never ashamed to show emotion; it is part of being compassionate.
IV. The Highpoint: Jesus CALLS Lazarus to Life (38-45).
A. Jesus Instructs the Crowd to REMOVE the Stone (38-40)
1. Typically lay a wrapped body on a ledge, let decay for a year, and then bury the bones in a box called an ossuary.
2. The stench after four day would be overwhelming.
3. Seeing God’s glory does not mean a rose garden.
B. Jesus CALLS forth for Lazarus (41-44).
1. Jesus does not enter the tomb.
2. Palm Sunday is near, and He doesn’t want to be ritually unclean.
“Whoever touches the dead body of any person shall be unclean seven days.” Leviticus 19:11
3. Lazarus comes back to life from the dead!
4. This miracle gained Jesus a great following from Bethany, so the Palm Sunday crowd would be the joining of a great number from Galilee with many from Bethany.
C. As Christians, we live in the here and now with a view toward our PHYSICAL resurrection.
The old gospel song puts it this way, “This world is not my home. I'm just a-passing through. My treasures are laid up Somewhere beyond the blue. The angels beckon me
From heaven's open door And I can't feel at home In this world anymore.”
