(It’s always heart-breaking to lose someone you love. On February 11th, I preached for the funeral of a dear member of our church named Kathleen. May Jesus’ promise of eternal life through faith in him comfort all who mourn. Jesus is the resurrection and the life!)
On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Now Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.
“Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.” (John 11:17-27 NIV)
There are some people in the Bible who can relate to exactly what you’re going through today. In fact, they were at a funeral too. In the Bible, Jesus had some very close friends: Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. Have you heard of them? They were siblings, and Jesus spent a lot of time with them. He loved them! But one day, Lazarus got sick. Really sick. So Mary and Martha did exactly what I know you did when Kathleen got sick: They prayed. They sent for Jesus. They said, “Lord, the one you love is sick” (John 11:3). Sound familiar? But Jesus didn’t come. At least, not right away. They wanted Jesus to come right away and heal Lazarus. But Jesus didn’t come. I bet that sounds familiar too. Jesus doesn’t always answer our prayers the way that we expect.
So when Jesus finally came, it seemed like it was too late. Way too late! By the time Jesus got to Bethany, where Mary and Martha lived, Lazarus had already been dead for four days. What could Jesus do now? It was too late! Martha still ran out to meet him. She said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” Has that thought crossed your mind too? “God, if you had done something, Kathleen would not have died.” Jesus told her, “Your brother will rise again.” And Martha said, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
But then Jesus said one of the most amazing things in the Bible: “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die.” What a promise! Jesus promises that whoever believes in him will live, even though they die, because they keep on living forever in heaven. What comfort! That’s the Bible’s message: “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). That’s what Kathleen believed! She believed in Jesus and his promise of eternal life. That was her hope. That was her peace. “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die.” Amen!
But that doesn’t make death easy. You need to hear the rest of the story. After Jesus talked with Martha, her sister Mary came out to talk with Jesus too. She was crying. Everybody was crying. They believed in Jesus, but death was still sad. It was awful. It made them cry. Actually, it even made Jesus cry. When Jesus saw Lazarus’ tomb, even “Jesus wept” (John 11:35). Don’t ever feel bad for your tears. Jesus cried at funerals too! Death is always sad. Death is always bad.
Because people weren’t supposed to die. Did you know that? When God created human beings, he didn’t create us to die. When God made Adam and Eve and put them in the Garden of Eden, his plan was for them to live forever. So what happened? They sinned. Sin wrecks everything. Sin brings death. After Adam sinned, God said to him, “Dust you are and to dust you will return” (Genesis 3:19). People die because of sin. And everybody sins. Even you. And me. And Kathleen. “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). Those who sin, die. 100% of the time. Every death is a powerful reminder of the sin and brokenness in us and in our world.
And we’re getting a lot of those sad reminders lately, aren’t we? It sure seems like God is giving us and our world a wake-up call, doesn’t it? COVID… Cancer… Violence… Accidents… Every death is a call to repentance. A reminder of our sin. A reminder of our mortality. We sure like to think we can handle life on our own, right? We sure like to talk as if we are in control, right? We sure boast like we know what’s best, right? Do we? No way. Death brings us to tears. Death brings us to our knees. Death leads us to confess our sins. Death sends us running to Jesus.
Good! Because Jesus is our Savior. I hope you know this story about Lazarus didn’t end in tears. It includes a lot of tears—just like our lives here on earth—but it didn’t end in tears. Do you know how it ended? Jesus went to Lazarus’ tomb and said, “Lazarus, come out!” And do you know what happened? Lazarus came out! Isn’t that amazing? Just three little words. That’s all it took. Remember Jesus’ promise? “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die…” Jesus proved it! He has power over death. When Jesus says he’s the resurrection and the life, he means it! For Lazarus. For you! What an amazing miracle!
But not the most amazing miracle. Jesus did something even more amazing. Do you know what he did? Jesus raised himself from the dead. Who does that? Do you know anybody who’s raised themselves from the dead? Jesus did! Jesus died on the cross for us and for our sins. Whatever you’ve done, whatever guilt weighs on your heart, whatever regrets you feel, Jesus died to forgive them. You’re forgiven! Jesus knows exactly what it is like to face death. But Jesus didn’t stay dead. Jesus rose from the dead on Easter to give us eternal life. Jesus faced death and won. For you. For me. For Kathleen. He has every right to say, “I am the resurrection and the life!”
But Jesus isn’t done yet. He didn’t just raise Lazarus. He didn’t just raise himself. He promises to raise us too. To raise up every person who dies with faith in Jesus. The Bible promises that the soul of a believer goes right to heaven at death. Kathleen is with Jesus right now in heaven! But the Bible adds that on Judgment Day, Jesus is going to raise up our bodies too, and we’ll live—body and soul—with Jesus in heaven. It didn’t seem like Jesus had answered Mary and Martha’s prayer. Lazarus died. Little did they know that Jesus was doing something better than they could have possibly imagined! He was planning life—life for Lazarus and life for you and me. “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die!”
A couple years, a 14-year-old boy named Ethan died from cancer. At 14. Before he died, he made a profound statement. He wrote a message to his family: “My biggest fear isn’t dying. My biggest fear is that others will blame God for my death and not believe in Jesus. I don’t want people angry at God or even blaming him. I mean, there is so much more than just this life. Just because He didn’t heal me on earth doesn’t mean He won’t heal me in Heaven.” Wow!
I can promise you something: God healed Kathleen. Maybe not the way you had hoped. Maybe not here on earth. But God healed Kathleen. In fact, he healed her more perfectly and completely than any medicine possibly could. God has wiped every tear away from her eyes. God has taken her to the place where there is “no more death or mourning or crying or pain” (Revelation 21:4). Just because God didn’t heal her on earth doesn’t mean he didn’t heal her in heaven. He did!
So here’s my encouragement to you: Remember Jesus’ promise. Actually, memorize it. Hold on to it. Every time you see this urn, remember: “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die.” When you watch the deaths keep rising on the news: “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die.” When other loved ones face death too: “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die.” When your own death one day looms: “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die.” There is life even in the face of death through Jesus. He is the resurrection and the life!
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