— Part 3

Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life

Memory verse :25 {<[Jesus said] to her /Martha/, [(“I am the Resurrection and the Life.)]> He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies; and Do you believe this?”} (NIV) Portion for each class as marked: (PS), [PM], , {SR}

Introduction In our previous lessons we studied the claims which the Lord Jesus made regarding who He is. Through His statements beginning with the words “I am,” we learned that the Lord Jesus is to be our Bread of life and our Light so that we may live. He is the Door whereby we may enter in and be saved and come into an intimate relation with Him as our . From the parable about the lost sheep, we know that He came to seek and save us who were lost. He paid with His life to rescue us back to be His sheep. Today we want to continue to learn more about who the Lord Jesus is by studying the next “I Am’s.” May the Holy Spirit help us to understand and know the Lord Jesus as the Resurrection and the Life.

Lesson and application for the SR and MD classes

(1) Welcome in but rejection in . (John 10:22-40) In a small village called Bethany, about 2 miles away from Jerusalem, lived a family of 2 sisters, named and Mary, and their brother, Lazarus (LAZ-ah-rus). This family always welcomed the Lord Jesus to their home. You may remember that Martha was the one who busily prepared food for their special Guest, while Mary sat at His feet listening to His words. So the Lord Jesus often stayed at this home when He visited Jerusalem. The people in Jerusalem had become more and more hostile (unfriendly) toward the Lord Jesus. The Jews did not want to believe that Jesus was the Messiah, the One sent from God, but they found it increasingly difficult to deny that fact. This was because of the many miracles that Jesus performed, like His giving sight to the man born blind. Through His statements “I am this” and “I am that,” it became more apparent to the Jewish leaders that Jesus was claiming to be one, or equal, with God. You remember the Lord Jesus said, “I am the good Shepherd.” Sometime later He was in the Temple in Jerusalem. A group of Jews came to Him and asked Him, “Are you the Messiah?” Jesus replied, “I told you already, but you do not believe because you are not My sheep. My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me. My Father has given these sheep to Me. No one can snatch them out of My hand nor My Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” When the Jews heard that, they became very angry. They took up stones to hurl at Him to kill Him. The Lord Jesus had said that He was the good Shepherd who laid down His life willingly for His sheep. When the Jews tried to stone Him, He walked away because He knew that

1 I Am — Part 3 it was not yet time for Him to die. He left Jerusalem, crossed the to where had baptized in earlier days, and stayed there. This area was called (Pe-REE-ah) or Transjordan. :11 tells us that the Lord Jesus came to those who were His own people, but His own did not receive Him. Because they refused to believe Him, they became blind and deaf to the Lord Jesus. They saw and heard Him, but they could not see or understand who He really was. We know in the end they crucified Him. What happened to these Jews should be a warning to us. If we refuse to listen when we have the opportunity, as we do in Sunday school, we may become hardened like those Jews. Instead of being God’s good children, we may even become those who hinder (get in the way) what He wants to do and cause Him much problem.

(2) Lazarus became ill. (John 11:1-16) A short while after Jesus went to Perea, Lazarus became ill. So his sisters sent someone to tell the Lord Jesus, “Lord, the one You love (Your good friend) is sick.” They did not specifically ask Him to come because it might not have been safe. If He came to that part of the country, the Jewish leaders might try to kill Him again. But they trusted the Lord. They knew that He loved them and would do the best for their brother. Do you do that when you or someone you know becomes sick? Do you pray and tell the Lord about it, as Martha and Mary did? It took about one day to walk from Bethany to where the Lord Jesus was. By the time the messenger arrived, Jesus knew that Lazarus had already died. He told the disciples, “This sickness will not end in death.” Why did He say that? It was because He knew what He would do. Death was not the final outcome of Lazarus’ sickness. The purpose was for God to receive glory and for the Son of God to reveal (show) who He was. After He heard the news, the Lord Jesus stayed two more days. Wouldn’t you expect the Lord Jesus to hurry over to Bethany? Yes. Was it because Jesus was afraid of the Jews? Certainly not. Was it because Jesus did not care? No. John tells us in his that the Lord Jesus loved Martha, Mary and Lazarus. Because He loved them, He stayed so that they could experience something even greater. This is an important lesson that the Lord Jesus wants to teach us also. We should learn that when God does not seem to answer our prayers, it is because He has something better in mind. After two days, the Lord Jesus said to His disciples, “Let us go back to ” (where Jerusalem and Bethany were). One of the disciples said, “Rabbi, only a few days ago the Jewish leaders in Judea wanted to kill you. Are you going there again?” Jesus replied, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.” The disciples did not understand. They thought Lazarus must have gotten better if he could sleep. So Jesus had to explain to them, “Lazarus is dead. I am glad for your sake that I wasn’t there, for this will give you another opportunity to believe in Me. Come, let us go to him.”

2 I Am — Part 3

(3) “I am the Resurrection and the Life.” (John 11:17-27) When Jesus and His disciples arrived at Bethany, they were told that Lazarus had been dead and in the tomb for 4 days. (In those days, the Jews buried their dead people right away.) While they were still outside the village, Martha came out to meet the Lord Jesus. She said to Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give You whatever You ask.” By what she said, Martha seemed to think that if Jesus would pray to God, Lazarus could come back to life again. Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise (come back to life) again.” “Yes,” Martha replied, “I know that he will rise and live again, when everyone else does, on Resurrection Day that comes at the end.” Jesus said to her, “I am the Resurrection and the Life. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in Me, will never die.” Jesus was telling Martha, “Your brother is not dead. I am the Resurrection; I have the power to bring him back to life.” Even though resurrection is a wonderful miracle, the Lord Jesus did not perform many such miracles. (Do you remember one we have already studied?) He is Life. He came not merely to bring people back to life after they die but to give people His life. The Life which the Lord Jesus gives is different from the life we now have (our physical life). The Life He gives cannot be touched or killed by death. That is why we call it eternal life. When we receive the Lord Jesus, we have this eternal life. The Lord Jesus said, “He who believes in Me will live (or remain alive), even though he appears to have died, like Lazarus. Whoever is alive (like you) and believes in Me will never die.” Do you know why there is death? The says, “The wages of sin is death.” So death came because of sin. All human beings will have to die, unless the Lord Jesus comes back before that happens. The Lord Jesus tells those who believe in Him that even though their bodies may die, they will not end in death, but live on forever. Satan threatens people with death to keep them as his slaves. People are afraid of death. To them death is something horrible; it is the end. But we who have believed in the Lord Jesus do need not to fear death. The Lord Jesus died on the Cross, He went into death and gained the victory over death. We read in 1 Corinthians 15:54, 55, and 57, “Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” So for a Christian, death is no longer a horror; it is just a sleep, as the Lord Jesus said about Lazarus. At death, our bodies go to sleep, but our spirits go to be with the Lord Jesus forever. So we should not fear death but remember that the Lord Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life, and whoever believes in Him may “sleep” but will never die.

(4) Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. (John 11:28-45) When the Lord Jesus spoke with Martha, He must have asked her how Mary was. So Martha went home and said to Mary, “The Teacher is asking about you.” Mary hurried and came to where Jesus was. She knelt down at His feet and said, “Lord, if

3 I Am — Part 3

You had been here, my brother would not have died.” In the last 4 days, Martha and Mary must have said these same words to each other often. “If the Lord had been here with us, things would have been different.” The sisters were very sure that Lazarus would have lived. But he was dead. Mary felt very sad and wept loudly. So did the Jews who came along with her to see Jesus. When Jesus saw their sorrow, He was disturbed in His spirit. He saw the tragic consequences of sin. As Paul tells us in Romans 5:8, “Sin entered the world through one man (Adam), and death through sin. In this way death came to all men, because all sinned.” Now death came to Lazarus and brought such sadness to his family and friends. The Lord Jesus asked, “Where did you bury Lazarus?” They said, “Come and see.” John wrote in 11:35, “.” This is the shortest verse in the Bible but a very precious one. It shows us how sympathetic Jesus was to the sadness Martha and Mary felt. It is wonderful to know that the Lord Jesus sympathizes with our weakness, and He understands how we feel, as :15-16 tells us. Even though in a very short while Jesus was going to raise Lazarus from the dead, in the meantime, He wept with Martha and Mary. Lazarus’ tomb was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. The Lord Jesus told the people, “Roll away the stone.” “But, Lord,” Martha said, “by now the smell will be terrible, for he has been dead four days.” Martha was saying that her brother was hopelessly dead. There was no use! But the Lord Jesus asked her, “Didn’t I tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God, a wonderful miracle from God?” So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me and always hear Me. I said this so that the people standing here may believe that You sent Me.” Then He called with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” Lazarus came out, his hands and feet still wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. (That was how they buried a dead person in those days.) Lazarus did not come out of the tomb by his own power but by the power of the Word of the Lord Jesus. Even though he came back to life, he was still bound. So the Lord Jesus had to say to the people, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.” Then Lazarus was free at last. Martha and Mary must have been very happy to have their brother brought back to life. Many of the Jews who had come to offer their sympathy to Martha and Mary believed on the Lord Jesus, after having seen what He did. In the last week of the Lord Jesus’ life on earth, He came to Bethany again. A banquet was prepared in His honor, at the house of . Martha served and Lazarus sat with Jesus at the table. Many people came not only to see the Lord Jesus, but also Lazarus because they heard about Jesus raising him back to life. From this wonderful story of Lazarus, we know that the Lord Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life. If we believe in Him, as He promised, we shall live and never die. Do you really believe that?

4 I Am — Part 3

Lesson and application for the PM and PS classes

(1) Jesus was welcomed in Bethany, but rejected in Jerusalem. There is a small town called Bethany near Jerusalem. In Bethany, lived a family of 2 sisters, named Martha and Mary, and their brother, Lazarus (LAZ-ah-rus). This family always welcomed the Lord Jesus to their home. So the Lord Jesus often stayed with them when He visited Jerusalem. In Jerusalem, people had become very unfriendly to the Lord Jesus. The Jewish leaders did not like the miracles Jesus performed. The Jewish leaders were angry that Jesus claimed to be the Son of God. They did not want to believe that Jesus was the Messiah, the Savior sent from God. The Bible tells us that the Lord Jesus came to His own people, but they did not receive Him. Because they refused to believe Him, their hearts became hard. They saw and heard Him, but they could not understand who He really was. In the end, they crucified Him. We should not be like those Jews. We should listen when we have the chance, as we do in Sunday school, so our hearts do not become hard.

(2) Lazarus became ill. One day Lazarus became very sick. Martha and Mary sent someone to tell Jesus, “Lord, Your good friend is sick.” They trusted the Lord. They knew that He loved them and would take care of their brother. Do you do that when you or someone you know becomes sick? Do you pray and tell the Lord about it? It took one day to walk from Bethany to where the Lord Jesus was. By the time the messenger arrived, Jesus knew that Lazarus was dead. Still, the Lord Jesus stayed away two more days. Why didn’t He hurry to Bethany? Was it because Jesus did not care for Lazarus? No. The Bible tells us that the Lord Jesus loved Martha, Mary and Lazarus. Because He loved them, He stayed so that they could experience something even greater than His healing. From this story, we learn that when God does not answer our prayers right away, it is because He has something better for us. After 2 days, the Lord Jesus said to His disciples, “Let us go back to Bethany. Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.” The disciples did not understand. They thought Lazarus must have gotten better if he could sleep. So Jesus had to explain, “Lazarus is dead. I am glad that I wasn’t there, because this will give you another chance to believe in Me.”

(3) Jesus said, “I am the Resurrection and the Life.” When Jesus and His disciples arrived at Bethany, Martha went to meet the Lord Jesus. She said to Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give You whatever You ask.” Martha seemed to think that if Jesus would pray to God, Lazarus could come back to life. Jesus said to her, “Your brother will come back to life again. I am the Resurrection and the Life. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in Me, will never die.” Jesus explained to Martha, “I am

5 I Am — Part 3 the Resurrection; I have the power to bring him back to life.” The Lord Jesus is also Life. He did not come just to bring people back to life after they die but to give them His life. The Life that the Lord Jesus gives is different from the life we have now (our physical life). The Life He gives cannot die. That is why we call it eternal (lasting forever) life. When we believe in the Lord Jesus, we receive this eternal life. Because of sin, everyone will have to die, unless the Lord Jesus comes back before that happens. The Lord Jesus tells those who believe in Him that even though their bodies may die, they will live on forever. If we believe in Him, we do not need to be afraid of death. When the Lord Jesus died on the Cross, He went into death and won the victory over death. When a Christian dies, his body goes to sleep, but his spirit goes to be with the Lord Jesus forever.

(4) Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. The Lord Jesus must have asked Martha how Mary was. Martha went home and said to Mary, “The Teacher is asking about you.” Mary hurried to Jesus. She knelt down at His feet and said, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” The sisters were very sure that Lazarus would have lived if Jesus had been there, but now he was dead. Mary felt very sad and cried loudly. The Jews who came with her to see Jesus cried too. The Lord Jesus asked, “Where did you bury Lazarus?” They said, “Come and see.” When Jesus came to the tomb, He wept. This shows us that Jesus understood the sadness Martha and Mary felt. He understands our feelings too. Lazarus’ tomb was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. The Lord Jesus said, “Roll away the stone.” “But, Lord,” Martha said, “by now the smell will be terrible, because he has been dead four days.” Martha thought that there was no use; Lazarus was already dead. But the Lord Jesus said, “Didn’t I tell you that if you believed, you would see a wonderful miracle from God?” So they took away the stone. Jesus prayed. Then He called with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” Lazarus came out. His hands and feet were still wrapped with strips of linen, and there was a cloth around his face. (That was how they buried a dead person in those days.) Lazarus did not come out of the tomb by his own power but by the power of the Word of the Lord Jesus. Even though he came back to life, he was still wrapped up. So the Lord Jesus had to tell the people, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.” Then Lazarus was free at last. Martha and Mary must have been very happy to have their brother back to life. Many of the Jews who were there believed in the Lord Jesus. From this wonderful story, we know that the Lord Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life. If we believe in Him, we shall live and never die. Do you believe that?

6