“I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live.” (ESV)

“I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die.” (NIV)

“I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying.” (NLT)

Dive Deeper:

I was just twelve years old when I first experienced the death of someone close to me. One of the neighbor kids was hit by a car while crossing the street to come to our house. It was terrible. 

Death is always terrible. 

Regardless of whether it's expected or unexpected, if the person is old or young, or if the death is traumatic or “ordinary.” Death is always terrible. Not only that, but death is an intruder—it’s not the way things are meant to be. When God created the world, he declared that it was “very good.” This kind of perfect reality is hard to imagine in a world saturated by the reality of death. 

It’s easy to forget that some of the most hopeful words ever spoken by Jesus were spoken at a funeral—the funeral of Lazarus. That’s the context in which we find this week’s verse: Jesus is standing at the tomb of his friend Lazarus. 

Confronted by the reality of death (Lazarus’ sister) Martha comes to Jesus and says, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.”

Martha brings her pain, confusion, and brokenness to Jesus. I’ve heard it said, “Sometimes it is death that makes Jesus unignorable.” For Marth, this was the case. Jesus’ response, however, was not what she expected. He said to her, ”I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he dies, yet shall he live.” Then Jesus raised Laz from the dead to unmistakably show that he has the power over death. And then a few weeks later, Jesus too would ultimately rise from the dead, conquering death once and for all. 

The reality is that the resurrection of Jesus makes our resurrection possible. Because Jesus beat death, you and I can be fully, freely, and forever forgiven. 

But here’s the key: this resurrection life is received by faith. That’s why Jesus said, “Whoever believes in me.” Resurrection life is available for everyone but automatic for no one. Instead, it is received as a gift by faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). In other words, life is short, death is certain, and what you do with Jesus matters. Because for those who place their faith in Jesus, the power of death has “lost its sting” (1 Corinthians 15:55).

Written by Nick Harsh