The Resurrection And The Life

Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask.” Jesus told her, “Your brother will rise again.” “Yes,” Martha said, “he will rise when everyone else rises, at the last day.” Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?” John 11:21-26

MARTHA BELIEVED there would be a grand resurrection on a day far in the future. But she couldn’t seem to find any comfort in it —at least not enough to balance out the pain she felt in the present. Her response exposed her belief that resurrection was a completely future event, offering no comfort in the here and now of deep grief. Martha simply couldn’t find solace in the future tense.

But when Jesus says he is the Resurrection and the Life, he is speaking not only about something he will do in the future. He is telling us not just who he will be, but who he is now and forever. He is life after death and life right now. Jesus is life to our bodies and our souls. He is the source from which all life springs: “In him we live and move and exist” (Acts 17:28). Once we are made alive in Christ, our lives can never be extinguished. Jesus is not just the giver of victory over death in an obscure future. He provides victory over death in the actual present.

Resurrection can seem so religious, so unreal, so far removed when we stand by a grave with our family. It’s possible to have a theological understanding of resurrection life but to find no joy or comfort in it, to have no ability to rest in it, or simply to not believe it. And Jesus knows our belief in him as the Resurrection and the Life is pivotal —foundational —to how we face grief and sorrow. So he asks us along with Martha, “Do you believe this?”

Lord, we do believe. Help our unbelief. Help us respond to death in our family in a way that reflects a genuine belief in resurrection life. Give us the grace we need to grieve with hope and not as those who have no hope.