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“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life.
Whoever believes in me, though he die,
yet shall he live,'”
John 11:25, ESV

John 11 records the narrative of Lazarus’s death anchored by Jesus’s words, I am the resurrection and the life. 

Verses 1-16 record the narrative of the disciples and their reaction to Lazarus’s death.

But before we’re aware that Jesus is with his disciples, Jesus makes this bold assertion to Mary and Martha, “Lazarus’s sickness will not end in death. No, it happened for the glory of God” John 11:4. As the story plays out, we see that not only did Mary and Martha experience the glory of God, so did the disciples.

I get Mary and Martha’s desire. They know Jesus can cure the illness. I often look at the hard swirling around, and I want Jesus to change it. I know he can. And Jesus’s plans are far better than my desire for short-sighted change because of his love. (More on that next week.)

The narrative switches to Jesus and his disciples. Jesus’s ways don’t make sense! He makes the decision to stay where he was with the disciples for two more days. I’m thinking Mary and Martha don’t understand. Where in the world is Jesus? Lazarus is his dear friend and is very ill. John 11:3. The disciples don’t understand. Jesus deciding to wait doesn’t make sense.

“Finally (after two days), he said to his disciples, ‘Let’s go back to Judea.'” John 11:7, (parentheses mine). This course of action definitely doesn’t make sense to the disciples. They reminded Jesus that only a few days ago the Jews there were trying to stone him! Why return to Judea? Why are we not heading to Bethany where Lazarus is lying in bed sick? I imagine questions such as these flying through their minds. The disciples were possibly not only concerned for Jesus, but also for themselves.

Jesus was concerned about the faith of his disciples. “and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you (disciples) may believe.” John 11:15.

I’ve spent many hours pondering Jesus’s claim.
Many days I’ve prayed, God, help me to live with the expectancy of resurrection power. Help me believe.

It was time to soak in the narrative recorded in John 11 and make it my own.

Jesus’s heart included more than his three good friends and the disciples. “... I said it out loud on account of the people standing around, that they may believe…” v.42.

As I read this narrative, I’m one of those standing around. I’ve heard the words of Jesus; I’ve seen the ways of Jesus, and I don’t get it.

But Jesus is more interested in my faith than in my understanding.

Jesus was willing to be misunderstood, to grow faith. Jesus orchestrated the details to lead to God’s glory. Jesus was living his identity.

It was the late ’90s. I was frustrated … well perhaps more than frustrated. Like the disciples, I didn’t understand God’s ways. I had a big desire to minister to women. And in my limited perspective I didn’t see that happening. So I gave up. Although not literal death, I decided to die to that dream. My wait was not two days. My wait was three years. Three years of wearing a mask and pretending, I was okay with life.

But God. God had planted that desire in my heart. I was misunderstanding his ways. After three years, I experienced the resurrection of that desire. For your sake, Sue, for your faith, I waited all the while working in the background to bring resurrection to your reality. 

“Faith shows the reality of what we hope for:
it is the evidence of things we cannot see.”
Hebrews 11:1, NLT

The question became personal, Sue, have you experienced resurrection? Sue, is your faith limited to your experience? Sue, do you believe?

If my faith is limited to experience, I do not have faith. I do not know resurrection.

I identify with the disciples who walked with Jesus 2000 years ago. As a follower (a disciple) of Jesus now, I still struggle. And in the midst of the struggles, I’m learning to pray, God, what does it look like to trust your resurrection power today?

“Jesus told her, (Martha)
‘I am the resurrection and the life.'”
John 11:25, NLT (parentheses mine)

Copyright: Sue Tell, April 2025