Who Is Jesus?ਨਮੂਨਾ

“I AM the Resurrection and the Life.”

My dad died in October 2011.

He had asbestos-related cancer, and it got the best of him. I was only thirty-five at the time, and he was only sixty-two.

It felt way too soon for him to die.

I remember leaning on the railing with him at his house, talking about the brevity of life. I prayed and prayed that he would be healed. He was a great man, and the world needed more of him. I didn’t want him to die, and when he did, my heart was filled with sadness.

But not only sadness.

A couple of thousand years ago, when Jesus walked the earth, He had a good buddy named Lazarus. Lazarus got sick and died, and his two sisters, Martha and Mary, were heartbroken. They had sent word to Jesus, hoping He could come and heal Lazarus. I mean, He had healed lots of other people—surely, He’d come and heal one of His friends.

Well, Jesus came late to the party. When He arrived, Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days.

Martha confronted Jesus with these words: “If you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask” (John 11:21-22).

Jesus wanted to offer her the most comforting words He could, so He told her that her brother would rise again. The only reason he would rise again was because Jesus would make it possible. When Jesus died on the Cross and rose again, He conquered the power of death.

That was why He could say, “I am the resurrection and the life.”

Now, Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, which was an incredible miracle. But Lazarus died again sometime later, so that miracle had a shelf-life.

What didn’t have a shelf-life, however, was Jesus’ ability to raise Lazarus from the dead for eternity.

This is why I didn’t have only sadness when my dad died.

I knew he had surrendered his life to the One who made eternal life possible. I knew that I was going to see my dad again because of the immense price that Jesus paid on the Cross.

I knew that Jesus is the “resurrection and the life,” and because of that, my dad and I will live with Him forever.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You that You are the resurrection and the life. I don’t need to fear death. I don’t need to be overwhelmed with sorrow when a loved one who knows You dies. Lord, help me introduce as many people as possible to You. We are all going to die, but only You can raise someone up to eternal life. Amen.

Reflection: Have you surrendered your life to Jesus? Are you experiencing loss today because someone you love passed away? Are you ready to face your own death? How does Jesus’ identifying Himself as “the resurrection and the life” bring hope?