Jesus Is the Resurrection and the Life
Even the tomb cannot silence His call—life walks out when Jesus speaks.
John 11 draws us into one of the most emotionally rich and theologically revealing moments of Jesus’ earthly ministry. The chapter begins with a quiet, desperate plea from Mary and Martha. They know Jesus loves Lazarus, and they trust that if He comes, He can heal him. Yet Jesus delays. Not from indifference, but with divine intention—to glorify the Father through a resurrection more awe-inspiring than a healing.
Jesus’ delay creates a space where faith is tested and ultimately deepened. Both Martha and Mary express faith mingled with grief and disappointment. Jesus, in response, does not scold or defend. He weeps. He enters into their sorrow, not as a distant deity, but as One who carries the burden of death’s sting even as He prepares to conquer it.
Then, with divine authority, Jesus reveals Himself as the Resurrection and the Life—not merely the giver of life, but its very embodiment. Lazarus’s resurrection becomes the final sign in John’s Gospel, setting the stage for the cross. Yet even here, the responses are mixed: belief in some, rejection and plotting in others.
Caiaphas, high priest, ironically prophesies truth he cannot see: one man will die for the people. Yet the irony carries weight. Jesus will die—not only for the Jewish nation but to gather into one the children of God scattered abroad. Every word, every moment, points to the cross—and beyond it, the empty tomb.
Personalized Journal Entry – In the Holy Spirit’s Voice Through Scripture
I have shown you My glory in the face of sorrow. I delayed so your trust would deepen, not with answers, but with Me. I do not hurry when love is at work. My timing is not dictated by human urgency but by divine purpose. My glory is revealed not just in healing, but in calling life out of death.
You wonder why I waited. I waited so you would see Me—not only as the one who prevents death but as the One who overcomes it. I am the resurrection. I am the life. He who believes in Me, though he die, yet shall he live. Do not look for resurrection as an event to come; look to Me as the life you now possess.
When you say, “If only You had been here,” I am already there—with you in your grief, your confusion, your longing. I do not distance Myself from your pain. I weep with you, even when I am about to act. My tears are not a sign of defeat—they are the overflow of My love and solidarity with your humanity.
Roll away the stone. Even now, when all seems too far gone, I call forth life. Death does not get the final word when I am present. Believe, and you will see My glory—not just in miracles, but in the quiet, trembling awe of life reborn where there was only decay.
I have not come only for the few. I will gather into one the children of God scattered abroad. My death will not be the end, but the beginning of a gathering, a reunion of hearts once dead but now alive in Me. I lay My life down of My own accord. No plot, no priest, no empire takes Me unaware.
I am still calling your name as I did Lazarus. Come out of the tomb. I am waiting outside with arms wide open.
Scripture references woven: John 11:4, 15, 25–26, 33, 35, 40–44, 52; John 10:18
Prayer of Trust
Lord Jesus, I rest in the certainty that You are not late. Not once. What seems like delay to me is always a deeper invitation into Your heart. You are the Resurrection and the Life—not just for the end of days, but for my everyday. I thank You that even in what appears lifeless, You are still working, still waiting, still whispering, “Come forth.” I walk with confidence because You walk with me—never rushing, never abandoning, always raising up what the world says is gone. I live because You live in me.
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Devotional Credit: Grace and Truth Study Bible