“I am the resurrection and the life.
He who believes in me will live,
even though he dies;
and whoever lives and believes in me
will never die. Do you believe this?”
(John 11:25-26)
Reflection:
Jesus said these startling words to Martha soon before He raised her brother Lazarus from the dead.
He does not say that He will be the resurrection and the life, or that He will bring them about, but that He is the Resurrection and the Life. It is one of the great “I AM” statements of Jesus in which His divinity is clearly claimed. This means that for those who have entered into a relationship with Jesus as Lord and Saviour the new life to which the resurrection leads is already an imperishable reality.
In saying that whoever believes in Him will never die He is not talking conceptually but of a spiritual reality. Whilst our physical body will die and disintegrate our true and spiritual selves will neither die now sleep – but are already a part of the new life in Jesus Christ and enlivened by the Holy Spirit of God.
Paul affirms this understanding, both in his longing to depart and ‘be with the Lord’ and in his letters – for example
- “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.” (Colossians 3:1)
- “We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8)
Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life. As we become a part of His life they become a reality in our own lives.
Response:
“Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:55)
Prayer:
Lord Jesus in You I am alive with an eternal life. Please help me to believe it, receive it and live in it in peace and trust. Amen.
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The Soaring Eagle 