“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
John 11:25-26
This verse is from arguably the most emotional story in the New Testament. Lazarus has just died, and his sisters Martha and Mary each approach Jesus, declaring that Lazarus would still be alive if Jesus arrived earlier. In response to Mary’s pain, we get the iconic verse, “Jesus wept.” It is a powerful reminder of Jesus’ real emotional connection with His friends. It was also a powerful testimony to those who were mourning with the family.
Earlier in the story, Jesus tells Martha that Lazarus will rise again. Martha assumes that Jesus is claiming that Lazarus will rise again at some future point. She then declares her faith in Jesus as the Messiah and her faith in the resurrection of believers on the “last day.” Jesus then responds with the verses above.
The raising of Lazarus, both in terms of Jesus’ emotional connection and in terms of the magnitude of the miracle, is so profound that we often pay too little attention to this exchange between Jesus and Martha. The truth of what Martha affirmed is the real point of the story.
God did not create ephemeral human spirits. He created embodied souls that inhabit a physical universe. Jesus was sent to Earth, taking on human, corporeal form. Our bodies are not just suits of skin; they are an integral part of who we are.
We will not spend eternity floating, disembodied in heaven. We will inhabit the Eschaton, the New Heaven and New Earth, with physical form. The hope of Easter is not just a spiritual hope; it is a physical hope. Life eternal is a physical life. Those who believe will live and never die.
When Jesus says “live,” He is not referring to an ephemeral existence disconnected from form and unimaginable to us. He is describing life as it was first meant to be. Life that is physical, as it was in the Garden, connected to God and the natural world. A beautiful life filled with Shalom.
A Quote to Consider
“Being a Christian is less about cautiously avoiding sin than about courageously and actively doing God’s will.”
-Eric Metaxas
This quote from Eric Metaxas, who has become a controversial figure in recent years, is a restatement of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s philosophy.
Despite the controversial source, this quote is one of the clearest articulations of this important truth that I have encountered.
I have literally heard thousands of sermons in my life. If we include Sunday School lessons, Bible studies, devotionals, and other forms of spiritual instruction, the numbers get staggering. Far more often than not, those lessons focus on avoiding sin. Often, when teachers describe what doing God’s will looks like, they describe it more in terms of sins to avoid.
That might be why, when Christians seek to engage in public life, they focus on the sins they believe they need to battle. We need to take this quote a little further. God’s will is not just avoiding sin.
As a young adult, I remember being taught, in a professional context, that we become what we think about most of the time. The biblical image of sin is missing the mark, as in missing the target in archery. If it were a metaphor from my life, it would be missing the shot, missing the basket in basketball.
Whether one is an archer or a basketball player, the point is the same. To hit the target, or make the basket, requires intense focus on the goal rather than being distracted by things that are not the goal. If we are always thinking about sin, we are far more likely to commit it.
So many Christians spend their life asking, “Is this sin?” or “Is that sin?” I certainly spent many years thinking that way. I always found that yoke to be heavy. More recently, my focus is on whether I am emulating the character of Christ and pursuing His priorities. Do I love what Christ loves?
This yoke is much lighter. The more my loves are conformed to Christ’s loves, the easier it is to do and be what He wants me to be.
If I were to rework the quote above, it would be: The life of a Christian is not about diligently avoiding sin. Rather, the Way of Christ is to have our passions transformed to mirror Christ’s so that we love what He loves.
Prayer
Lord Jesus,
You are the resurrection and the life. Transform our passions so that we love what You love and courageously pursue Your will. Help us live today in the hope of the beautiful, embodied life You have promised.
In Your name,
Amen.
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