The resurrection and the life

Read John 11:17-27

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In John 1-12 John selects seven of Jesus’s miracles as particular signs pointing to who Jesus is and to the life that he gives to those who believe in him (Jn.20:30-31). The raising of Lazarus from the dead is the seventh of these signs and the greatest demonstration of Jesus as the life-giver. The meaning of the sign is explained before it happens by the saying, “I am the resurrection and the life” (11:25-26).

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The resurrection of Jesus is the core foundation of Christian faith (1 Cor.15:3-4,14-20), not only as a primary belief but as the basis of the life we have in him. Believing in Jesus means that we share in his own resurrection, not just at the last day but also in the here and now. In him is life because he is the life. So the one who believes in him has already passed from death to life (Jn.1:4; 5:21,24-26; 10:10; 14:19).

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So this sign and the “I am” saying which explains it are the climax of all that gone before. They point us to Jesus’s own resurrection and to our participation in it (Rom.6:4-5; Col.2:10; 3:3-4). “God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life” (1 Jn.5:11:12).