I Am the Resurrection and the Life | John 11:1-27 (07.12.2026)

John turns chapter 11 toward the passion narrative, and the danger around Jesus is getting thick. Jesus has already said that he and the Father are one, and the Jewish leaders have already decided that they want him dead. John bookends the first part of the Gospel with John the Baptist, then brings the reader to the seventh sign, the greatest sign before Jesus’ own resurrection.

John introduces Lazarus, Mary, and Martha as people Jesus genuinely loves. Jesus is not distant from this family. He has been in their home, received their care, and called Lazarus “our friend.” The illness of Lazarus is not random, and Jesus says so from the beginning: “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

Jesus’ delay is the hard part. John keeps saying Jesus loves them, and then John says Jesus stayed two days longer. That is the tension. Jesus does not hurry to Bethany, not because he is calloused, but because his timing is for their good and for his glory. Had Jesus been there, Lazarus would not have died. But if Lazarus had not died, Lazarus would not walk out of the grave, and many would not see that Jesus really is the Christ, the Son of God.

Jesus’ return to Judea also shows that no one takes his life from him. The daylight image means it is still daytime in his ministry, even if night is coming soon. The Jewish leaders may want to kill him, but Jesus will give himself up at the appointed time.

Jesus meets Martha in her grief, and Martha’s words are not faithless. “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died” is painful, but it is also true. Even in bereavement, Martha still trusts that whatever Jesus asks from God, God will give him. Jesus then gives her more than an answer about timing. He gives her himself: “I am the resurrection and the life.”

Jesus is the resurrection, so the body that dies in Christ will be raised by the power of his word. Jesus is the life, so the soul that belongs to him does not finally die. The question Jesus asks Martha becomes the question at the center of the whole scene: “Do you believe this?”

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Jesus’ delay is not indifference Jesus’ waiting does not mean Jesus has stopped loving his people. John makes that impossible by repeating that Jesus loves Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. The delay is motivated by love, because Jesus intends a deeper good than immediate relief and a greater glory than a quick healing. [20:10]
• 2. Future hope must weigh heavily The promise of resurrection is not a small comfort meant to sit in the background. Present grief can become so loud that future glory feels thin, but the text calls that future hope real weight. The believer’s sorrow is not denied, but sorrow is not allowed to become the final interpreter of reality. [27:26]
• 3. Resurrection is a person Jesus does not merely promise resurrection as an event on a calendar. Jesus says, “I am the resurrection and the life,” giving Martha himself in the middle of her dark night of the soul. The Christian hope rests not first on an outcome, but on the person whose word makes dead people live. [27:59]
• 4. Death cannot keep Christ’s people The body may go into the ground because sin has made death real and just. Yet Jesus is the resurrection, and his word will raise those who are in him with a glorious body. The grave is not the end of the story for the one who belongs to Christ. [29:59]
• 5. Belief becomes personal trust Jesus presses Martha beyond general doctrine into personal trust: “Do you believe this?” Martha confesses not only that Jesus is the Christ, but that he is trustworthy in front of her brother’s tomb. Faith becomes most visible when circumstances threaten the very trust Jesus is asking for.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [01:44] - John’s Purpose: That You May Believe
• [02:29] - Jesus Turns Toward Danger
• [04:08] - The Seventh Sign in John
• [05:39] - Lazarus, Mary, Martha, and Jesus’ Love
• [07:05] - This Illness Is for God’s Glory
• [08:26] - Jesus Calls His Disciples Back to Judea
• [11:31] - Jesus Meets Martha in Bethany
• [16:42] - The Lord’s Timing Is for Good and Glory
• [24:19] - Jesus Is the Resurrection and the Life
• [31:44] - Do You Believe This?

1. In John 11:4, Jesus says Lazarus’ illness is “for the glory of God.” What specific outcome does Jesus say will result from this event?
2. When Martha says, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died” (John 11:21), how does Jesus respond, and what does He reveal about Himself?
3. The sermon emphasizes that Jesus’ delay was motivated by love. What repeated phrases in John 11:1-6 highlight His relationship with Lazarus, Mary, and Martha? [20:10]
4. According to John 11:25-26, what two promises does Jesus link to belief in Him?

1. Why might Jesus have used the metaphor of “sleep” to describe Lazarus’ death (John 11:11-14), and how does this connect to His identity as “the resurrection and the life”?
2. Martha confesses, “I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God” (John 11:27). How does her statement go beyond general belief to personal trust, even in grief?
3. Romans 8:28 and James 1:2-4 are referenced in the sermon. How do these passages reframe the purpose of suffering in a believer’s life?
4. Jesus says, “I am glad that I was not there [to heal Lazarus], so that you may believe” (John 11:15). What does this reveal about His priorities compared to human expectations?

1. When have you experienced a situation where God’s timing felt delayed or confusing? How might His love and purpose for your good/His glory have been at work in that delay?
2. Jesus asks Martha, “Do you believe this?” (John 11:26). What circumstances in your life right now make it hardest to trust Jesus as “the resurrection and the life”? What practical step could help you lean into His promises?
3. The sermon says future hope “must weigh heavily” even in present grief. How can you intentionally remind yourself of eternal truths when sorrow feels overwhelming? [27:26]
4. Martha’s grief did not erase her confession of faith. How can you cultivate a habit of turning to Jesus’ character (rather than outcomes) in moments of pain or uncertainty?
5. The sermon notes that “resurrection is a person, not just an event.” How does this truth change the way you view death, suffering, or everyday struggles?
6. Share an example of a trial where God’s glory became more visible through the process than it would have through immediate relief. [23:50]