John 11:25-26
Jesus said to her, “I am the Resurrection and the Life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.”
To give a context for the scripture, Lazarus, brother of Martha and a friend of Jesus had died from his sickness. When Jesus arrived at the funeral, Maratha’s words to Jesus were, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” She had witnessed the great miracles Jesus had performed, and she believed if Jesus were here, He would definitely do something. She continues to say something amazing next: “But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” She had lost her brother, and she knows the ending of the story as well as we do, yet she showed hope. She is clearly saying God I don’t know what can be done now, but I have hope that you will do something.
Jesus comforts her by saying, “Your brother will rise again.” Maratha viewed this as a future resurrection and completely missed the message that the true source of life and resurrection was standing in front of her. That is when Jesus says, “I am the resurrection and the life.” He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.”
Jesus affirms two things here: He is the resurrection and the life. There is no resurrection, and there is no eternal life apart from Christ. He is the one who gives us life; therefore, death has no power over Him.
Secondly, “And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.” Paul tells us that when we believe and baptize, we share what God has for us. His future is our future. His glory will be our glory. His resurrection is our resurrection. We have nothing to be concerned about, but we must always remember that we are still under his divine protection after we leave this world. Jesus is the beginning and the end; He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
