Jesus said it: I am the resurrection and the life.

Guess what?

I am getting old. I now have a receding hairline. This is lame. Recently, my wife looked down at the top of my head and said:

Wife: "Wow babes, this is getting really bad."

Me: "Babes, it's just the stress of serving you day and night my honey love. Day and night.”

Here's the truth: Aging and death is coming to us all. This is true today and will remain true for all eternity. No one is escaping death, unless your name is Lazarus.

In John 11, we meet the final sign of Jesus before he heads to Calvary where he faces a brutalizing torture and death on the cross. In this story, we meet a family: Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. While this is a story about death, it is also a story about life. If you remember the story, there is a drama all throughout that includes conversations with both Martha and Mary, the crowd and their opinion of Jesus, and the disciples with their concern for Jesus' imminent death. There are lots of big ideas throughout this story. I want to focus on just a few.

Jesus tells Martha in John 11:25: “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”

Jesus said it. I am the resurrection and the life. In Jesus we find our true identity and place in this world. In Jesus, we find life here and now, but also in eternity. Let's discuss the here and now first.

Since Jesus is the resurrection and life, we can have life now and to the fullest. This means I can wake up each day with a profound sense of joy, peace, and everlasting purpose knowing that Jesus is my life and I am his. Therefore, life is not a lonely drum that we beat or a depressed sense of living. We can live with intentionality. We can live with hope. We can live with awe, wonder, and calling. Why? Because Jesus gives us life. He gives us faith. He gives us purpose and passion. He gives us breath in our lungs and cups of coffee in the morning. Thus, I can run and not grow weary. I can take risks. I can try new things. The wind of the Spirit is at my back and I am moving toward his direction in my life. In addition, Christ is the resurrected life for all of eternity. This means I do not have to fear death or worry about my receding hairline. Death is not the finality of my life. It will only be the beginning. The beginning of a new adventure where I get to live with God forever. That is Christian hope. That is the power of Easter. That is resurrection life.

One more thing: did you notice Martha's response to Jesus? “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.” Wow! What faith! She believed in Jesus as the resurrection and the life before seeing the miracle of her brother rise from the dead. Do I have that kind of faith? Do I believe without first seeing? Do I believe in Jesus? Do you? Do I believe in his death, burial, and resurrection? Do I believe he is still resurrecting others to him today?

Do you believe this? That is what this week is all about. Good Friday, Dark Saturday, Easter Sunday.

Jesus said it. I am the resurrection and the life.

Do you believe this?