The Ressurection and the Life and the Way, the Truth and the Life
This is my fourth post in the "I Am" series. In each post, I have been talking about all the "I Am" statements that Jesus made while here on earth. First, I began with His declaration that He is the Bread of Life. Next, I wrote about His message that He is the Light of the World. My third post covered the Gate and the Good Shepherd. The book, Finding I Am, by Lysa Terkeurst was a major inspiration to my posts. She does a wonderful job of leading you through these declarations of Jesus in her bible study. I highly recommend you go through her study to dig deeper into these concepts and apply them to your life. More importantly, I recommend reading all of the book of John to gain a greater understanding of all of these statements and Jesus' life and purpose.
The Ressurection and Life
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die;
John 11:25
Jesus, our Lord and Savior, chose Martha to make His resurrection and life statement to. Martha's brother Lazarus had just died. Martha hears that Jesus is on His way to them so she heads out to meet Him.
When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.
“Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”
Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
“Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God,who is to come into the world.”
John 11:20-27
This is the same Martha that was so busy preparing her home that she was missing out on spending time with Jesus.
As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”
“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
Luke 10:38-42
Martha got a bad rep for working while Jesus was talking. But let's be honest, wouldn't many of us find ourselves concerned that our homes were not ready for important company? That we didn't have food ready to serve? Even though she wasn't listening at first, she apparently got the message. She knows that God will give whatever Jesus asks for. She believed Jesus was the Christ their Savior. When Mary comes, Mary is upset that Jesus wasn't there to save their brother Lazarus.
Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.) So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.”
When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days,
John 11:1-6
As we see, Jesus could have come sooner, but chose to wait. Why did He wait? First, it was a tradition at that time to consider the spirit of the person who had died to still be hanging around for 3 days. So, Jesus wanted to make sure when He arrived that Lazarus was considered dead dead. Without his spirit.
Secondly, He says Lazarus's death will be used to show God's glory. If Jesus had headed back right away, the resurrection would not have been the amazing and spectacular thing it was. Jesus was a strategic planner. He knew the right time and place for all of His words and actions. And even though He knew He planned to raise Lazarus back from the dead, when those around Him wept, he did as well. He is moved by our pain. He sees our suffering and knows how we feel.
Jesus demonstrates the power of His words when He resurrects Lazarus. He doesn't go into the tomb and touch him. He only calls to him.
When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.
Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”
John 11:43-44
Jesus brough Lazarus back to life just by speaking. God spoke all of life into existence in Genesis.
And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
Genesis 1:3
Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
Genesis 1:26
God has that kind of power and so does Jesus.
The Way the Truth and the Life.
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
John 14:6
Jesus is the only way to God. He made the way by dying on the cross for our sins. He is our sacrificial Lamb. Throughout history, God has used the lamb for the sacrifices required for His people to remain close to Him.
Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?”
“Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.
“The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”
Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.
Genesis 22:7-8
As a penalty for the sin they have committed, they must bring to the Lord a female lamb or goat from the flock as a sin offering[a]; and the priest shall make atonement for them for their sin.
Leviticus 5:6
They must rededicate themselves to the Lord for the same period of dedication and must bring a year-old male lamb as a guilt offering. The previous days do not count, because they became defiled during their period of dedication.
Numbers 6:12
Then Samuel took a suckling lamb and sacrificed it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. He cried out to the Lord on Israel’s behalf, and the Lord answered him.
1 Samuel 7:9
He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
Isaiah 53:7
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
John 1:29
Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.
1 Corinthians 5:7
Our sin separates us from God. God requires a sacrifice to cleanse our sins so that we may continue in fellowship with Him. Jesus is the lamb used for the payment of all our sins. By dying on the cross, Jesus paid the penalty for all our sins. This is how Jesus is the Way. He made the way and is the one and only way to God.
Jesus is the truth as well.
To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
John 8:31-32
By knowing Jesus we know the Truth. The Word of God is the ultimate authority on if something is right or wrong and how we apply those truths. Freedom comes from knowing the difference between right and wrong and choosing the right way. It's the same in our children or animals. When they have clearly defined boundaries or fences, they know how far they can go without getting into trouble or danger. When we read our bibles and learn what God's boundaries are, we are then free to room within them. We no longer have to fret or worry about whether we are going too far. Many of us before we accept Christ as our Savior and even after, wander far away from God and into the darkness. Jesus can lead us back onto the right path. Satan loves to use things that are almost the truth to get us off the path of God's will. We need to keep ourselves as close to Jesus as we can so we can know the truth and lies when we see or hear them.
Discerning the difference between lies and truth comes from comparing things to what God and Jesus have said about them in the Bible. We cannot know right from wrong based on our own life experiences, conscience, and feelings. Our history colors our view and makes us biased based on our experiences. We cannot make decisions based on those experiences and feelings. They can help, but if the feelings and experiences were not already based on God's Word to begin with then we cannot know if they are the truth.
Do not have two differing weights in your bag—one heavy, one light. Do not have two differing measures in your house—one large, one small. You must have accurate and honest weights and measures, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
Deuteronomy 25:13-15
The Lord detests dishonest scales,
but accurate weights find favor with him.
Proverbs 11:1
Honest scales and balances belong to the Lord;
all the weights in the bag are of his making.
Proverbs 16:11
God tells us many times about using dishonest weights and how He detests them. The Bible is the true weight. All other ideas must withstand the weighing against God's Words. If they cannot, then they are false. Even if they feel good or right or are very close. A weight that is off by even a little tiny bit can still add up to a lot of difference over time.
Jesus is our only way to an eternal life with God. He is our lifeline and provider of all truth and a joyful life.
If you haven't read my other posts you can find them below.
the Gate and the Good Shepherd
I hope you have enjoyed these so far and have learned a thing or two. Or even just felt like spending more time with God. I'd love to hear your thoughts. Feel free to comment below with questions or thoughts. Blessings,
Wendy