I AM THE RESURRECTION

When exploring the “I AM” statements of Jesus, a clear theme emerges.

• Jesus is so much more than a wise teacher or thoughtful rabbi.

• Jesus is God. He is a supernatural miracle worker who saves us.

  • This truth is especially evident in the next “I AM” statement we will study together.

ILLUSTRATION

Share a story about dealing with death.

• Here is my example: I remember picking up a phone call from my mother on a cold February afternoon. Shallow breathing and short sobs proved that she was in the middle of an emotional breakdown. “You have to get on the road now,” she stuttered. “Your father is not going to make it.”

• My dad had been moved to a hospice home over 600 miles from where I was standing. My brother and I loaded up our car and began the journey from New York to North Carolina. We usually passed the time by telling stories, listening to podcasts, and playing the occasional game of “count the cows.” We did none of that during this trip. With snow flying past our windshield, we drove 677 miles in complete silence. Ten hours with zero talking. Our situation left us speechless. We were only twenty years old. Nothing had prepared us for the loss of our father.

• We pulled into the hospice home, and the sight of my dad made my stomach churn. Defenseless, he lay in a hospital bed attached to beeping machines and IVs pumping him full of painkillers. We each hugged my dad, kissed his forehead, and sat in silence while the infection moved through his bloodstream. Around 11:30 PM, he began convulsing and shivering. Within moments, my dad took his last breath while my family held onto his shaking hands. Right before midnight, my earthly father met my Heavenly Father.

• My dad’s funeral was a strange mix of awkward and heart-wrenching. I recall standing in the receiving line, wearing an uncomfortable black suit that couldn’t button, and praying that I could teleport out of this situation. You could visibly see my discomfort. Anxiously, I would switch my weight from foot to foot, making my body rock back and forth. I did not want to talk to all these people; I just wanted to be left alone to process the loss of my father. We were speechless and directionless.

TENSION

• This was the same situation that two of Jesus’s closest friends faced.

  • Their brother had tragically died, and Jesus visited to comfort them after the funeral.

    • What on earth was Jesus going to say to the speechless family?

    • At first, the words of Christ came across as an empty platitude.

      • That is until Jesus put supernatural action behind his expression. What did He say?

        • Take a look at John 11, where we see a fascinating exchange between Jesus, Mary, Martha, and a dead man named Lazarus.

CONTEXTUALIZING THIS PASSAGE

• These three individuals were beloved by Jesus.

  • Jesus loved Lazarus.

  • Jesus loved Mary.

  • Jesus loved Martha.

    • These people were not just His followers; they were friends.

      • There was just one problem.

        • One-third of his friend group was dead.

        • After a devastating battle with illness, Lazarus passed away before Jesus could visit their village or attend the funeral.

• Jesus traveled from the Jordan River to Bethany to comfort Mary and Martha.

  • When they spotted Jesus, they ran to Him and embraced Him.

    • I imagine Mary and Martha began sobbing into His chest.

    • Their pain was palpable. They wailed and cried over the tragic loss of their brother. Jesus comforted them by saying, “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25).

• This “I AM” statement packs a two-part punch.

Jesus Is the Resurrection

• I imagine the passing of Lazarus shook the entire community. He was a dear friend of the miracle worker from Galilee, after all.

  • The passage teaches that “Jesus wept” while standing before a grave marked “Lazarus.”

    • We can assume that Jesus imagined all their memories together. He looked at his mourning sisters and saw a future where Lazarus would join them for dinner again.

      • Jesus cleared his throat and shouted, “Lazarus, come out!” toward the tomb.

        • Onlookers may have assumed that Jesus was in denial, but He was actually performing a miracle.

          • Picture this with me. After the voice of Jesus, the sound of rocks moving and joints popping echoed from inside the tomb.

            • After an unsettling silence, Lazarus stepped out with bandages over his face.

            • Jesus had just brought a man back from the dead!

• Rumors likely spread that Lazarus had just been sleeping or unconscious.

  • However, with a little historical context, we can infer that wasn’t the case.

    • There is no way Lazarus was merely napping because he had been dead for four long, soul-crushing days.

    • The Bible explains that he was still bound in tachrichin, burial bandages used to prepare the dead.

    • There is a reason John includes this detail in his account.

      • Lazarus was buried in Bethany, a city with deep Egyptian roots.

        • Their embalming practices would be nearly identical to those used on ancient mummies.

          • Meticulously, morticians preserved Lazarus’s body in salt and wrapped his corpse in tachrichin linens.

          • What can we derive from this? Lazarus was walking from that tomb looking like a mummy from a movie.

• This shows that no one is too far gone to experience a miracle from Jesus. Not even after being mummified!

  • The supernatural work of Jesus topples our notions of what’s possible.

    • What Jesus did for Lazarus, He can do for you too.

      • Without Jesus, every human is dead and decaying.

      • Apart from Christ, our homes are mere tombs, temporarily housing the dead and directionless.

        • At one point, every person is like Lazarus—spiritually dead and in need of intervention.

          • We don’t need someone to fix us up. We need someone to raise us up.

          • Here is the good news: Jesus doesn’t want you to decay in a metaphorical tomb because He is “the resurrection and the life.”

    • When you became a Christian, Jesus stood before your grave and shouted, “Come on out!”

      • We are the dead, and He is the defeater of death.

      • We are the hurting, and He is the healer.

      • We are helpless, and He is our helper.

      • We are desperate, and He is the Savior.

Jesus is the Life

• I cannot prove this, but I imagine Jesus bear-hugged Lazarus.

  • I love this passage because it reveals Christ’s empathy and humanity.

    • He was happy to see His friend breathing again, so he swept him up in jubilation.

      • Jesus did have one request after the resurrection though. Grinning ear to ear, He said, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go” (John 11:44).

• When Jesus demanded Lazarus “take off his grave clothes,” He was saying that Lazarus needed to stop living and looking like the dead.

  • After all, he was now alive! The guy had birthday parties to attend, meals to share with friends, and a full life ahead of him.

• We should do the same thing. Jesus didn’t just come to give you a better afterlife.

  • He wants to give you a better life.

    • Right now, in the present, take off the grave wraps and refuse to “live” like the dead.

    • In the previous chapter, Jesus preached, “I have come that they may have life and have it to the fullest” (John 10:10).

        - A full life comes from Jesus and Him alone. 

• We must live out our own resurrection stories.

  • Don’t look like the dead by surrounding yourself with sin, negativity, and despair.

    • You have endless possibilities, positivity, and purpose pumping through your veins.

      • Live a life that proves you’re truly alive!

        • Put on love, take off animosity.

        • Put on hope, take off hopelessness.

        • Put on joy, take off despair.

        • Jesus has already done the work to give you a full life, so live like it.

Landing: Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life,” so that means He is your resurrection and your life.

• The same miracle he performed for Lazarus, He performs for all of His followers.

  • According to Jesus in His own words, you have been raised so that you can have a life.

TALK IT OUT 

Go through these questions with your circle. Be honest. Be open. Talk through the tough stuff.

Ice Breaker: Go around your circle and share this week’s highs and lows. What was the best part of your week and what was the lowest part of your week?

Q1: What stuck out to you from today’s message?

Q2: What’s one thing you learned about Jesus from today’s message?

Q3: Read the story of Jesus raising Lazarus (John 11:17-44). What words or phrases interest you from this passage?

Q4: What do Christians have in common with Lazarus?

Q5: What are some ways we still “keep on grave clothes”?

Application: Thank Jesus for being the resurrection and the life in your own experience. Ask Him to expand your mind to understand the astounding truth within this statement.

READ THESE PASSAGES IN ORDER EVERY DAY

Matthew 3:1-12

Matthew 4:1-11

John 2:1–11

John 4:1–26

Luke 4:14–30

Luke 5:1–11

Mark 7:24-30

Do the following with each passage:

ASK– God to connect with you here. In prayer, start by slowing down and inviting God to be present. Begin with focus and openness to see what God has for you today.

READ– the selected section of Scripture slowly. Take note of the words and phrases that intrigue you, reading them a second time if necessary.

REFLECT– on what grabs you. How does this passage personally relate to your own life and experiences?

RESPOND– to the Scripture. Speak directly to God about what’s on your mind and heart. Look for ways to live out what you’ve uncovered.