Life in Death

“‘I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?’”

John 11:25-26

Death is never easy to accept, especially when it is untimely or could have been prevented. How sad it must be to believe that nothing exists beyond death. Could all there is to life be the decades we spend on earth? Could something so real, so good – our families, our friends, our experiences, the memories we create – really boil down to bones and flesh and ashes at the end? I am not convinced. There must be something more.

When Jesus heard that His good friend, Lazarus, was on the brink of death, He stayed where He was for a few more days. This makes Jesus seem heartless. Jesus healed others and could perform miracles, why wouldn’t He rush to Lazarus’s side and heal him? This brings us back to last Sunday. God permits bad things because He will bring great good out of it. (Reminder: God permits bad things, He does not cause them). When Jesus finally gets to the home of Lazarus, Lazarus had already been in the tomb for a few days. His sisters Martha and Mary have been grieving and mourning. Jesus asks Martha if she believes that her brother will rise again. She said “I know he will rise, in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus responds with “I am the resurrection and the life.” Perhaps Martha did not fully understand what that meant, but when Jesus asked if she believes it, she said yes. Little did she know that Jesus was about to call Lazarus out of the tomb. In Christ, the dead will rise again.

The world tries to convince us that all there is to life is this earthly life we have so we must live it to the full, doing whatever pleases us. But for Christians, we know that is not the truth. The world does not offer life. Jesus says He is the resurrection and the life. If we choose to follow Him and believe in Him, even if we die, we will live. Just as Jesus died and rose from the dead, we who are baptized will also rise.

Death is never the end. A mother who tragically dies in labor preserves the life of her child. A father dies shielding his son when a car crashes into them. With death comes life. Those who die also live. They share in the eternal life God has prepared for them and that which Jesus came to give. The question He asked Martha, He asks us today, “Do you believe this?”

Jesus, You are the resurrection and the life. In you there is no death. Teach me to live for life in You and with You.