John 11:17-27
17Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. 18Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, 19and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. 20So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. 21Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” 23Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 25Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” 27She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”
Before this morning’s passage, this is what occurred:
Jesus was very close to the three siblings — Mary, Martha and Lazarus of Bethany. John repeatedly states that Jesus loves them. The sisters send a message to Jesus that Lazarus is ill.
Jesus seems to know right away that this was happening so that the power of God would be seen by the people and that God would be glorified. This is what He means in v. 4, when He says, “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.”
So, instead of heading immediately for Bethany, Jesus stays where He was for two days longer, making certain that Lazarus would die before Jesus arrived.
When Jesus arrives, He assures Martha that Lazarus will rise again. Martha is thinking that Jesus is talking about the resurrection that will happen at the end of this age. Jesus declares another “I am” statement – “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.”
Then Jesus asks Martha whether she believes what He told her, and she answers, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”
Jesus then goes to the cave that was Lazarus’ tomb and asks that the stone that was covering the opening be removed. Over the objection that it had been four days since Lazarus died, and that there would be an odor, Jesus enters and commands Lazarus to come out, and Lazarus comes back to life.
This is different than the resurrection that we will experience at the end of this age. Lazarus was resuscitated, but he will die again. When we are resurrected, our existence will continue for eternity. The final destiny will depend on whether or not we have been saved by accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Those who have believed will spend eternity with the Lord and other believers, while the rest will spend eternity away from God.
Lazarus was allowed to die so that Jesus can reveal that He can overcome even death.
The Bible does not tell us what happens between the time we die and the time we are resurrected. Some believe that we will have a purely spiritual existence, while others believe that after we die, the next time we are conscious is when we are resurrected.
Regardless, 1 Corinthians 15 tells us that the believers will be resurrected at the end of this age, after the final trumpet sounds. At that time, we will receive an imperishable body. What kind of body will it be? It will be recognizable as a human body, even though it will be a spiritual body instead of a natural body.
We will have been transformed but still recognizable. Jesus’ resurrected body is the clearest model. He could be touched, ate food, and bore the marks of crucifixion – Yet He also appeared and disappeared at will. This suggests a body that is physical but glorified, not bound by ordinary limitations.
The rest of the details, we will not know until we are resurrected. But it will be a wonderful eternity with no more pain nor tears. We will be in a perfect state in the presence of the Lord, on a new earth. All because Jesus is the resurrection and the life. And by accepting Jesus Christ as the Son of God and the savior of the world, we are assured of our resurrection and eternal life. Death is still sad and might be painful, but we have this great hope – Not the type of hope that you wish would happen, but the type of hope that is assured by the promise of God. So, there is no need to fear death.
But we are reminded that there are those around us who have not accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior, and so do not have such hope. And it is our responsibility to do all we can to tell them about this great hope, so that they too can receive the resurrection and life from Christ.
(the above is a summary of the message shared by Pastor Shun Takano during our worship on September 28, 2025.)
Japanese Congregational Church 