I Am The Resurrection and the Life
Entering Conversation
Looking back over this whole Lenten season, from Ash Wednesday through Lent and Good Friday, culminating in our celebration of Easter Sunday – are there any moments that stand out for you? Moments you found especially lovely or meaningful or helpful? Let as many answer as would like.
Read this Sermon Recap
I Am The Resurrection and the Life: John 11:25-26
"If you trust Jesus, it will ruin your life."
Many of us believe this in some way, even if we don’t admit it out loud. It’s easy to imagine the cliched image of a “true” Christian, from a particular kind of cultural hipness to specific political loyalties to following a call to be an overseas missionary. And in comparison, we much rather prefer the life we have, don’t we? Even if the life we have isn’t exactly what we’d like.
But what if having your life ruined by Jesus – out of love, not cruelty – is the way to find the life you so deeply desire? Jesus said those who try to save their lives will lose them, but those who lose [destroy, put an end to, ruin] their lives because of Him will find them (Matthew 16:25).
In the story of the raising of Lazarus (John 11), we see how Jesus “ruins” redemptively. When Jesus heads to Bethany – knowing full well some there wanted to kill him – he ruins the disciples’ expectations of playing it safe, walking right into the danger.
Martha greets Jesus with an accusation birthed in her grief: “If you had been here, my brother would not have died.” (John 11:21). Jesus assures her that Lazarus will rise again, but Martha’s (right) theology only sees that as a “some final day” comfort. Jesus’ answer, “I am the resurrection and the life” ruins her theology – replacing the categories of “someday” with “Someone”, “future event” with “personal encounter.”
Mary comes to Jesus with the same complaint, and Jesus meets her in her weeping. Suddenly the idea of a God who stays emotionally detached is ruined. In Jesus, we meet a God who can be both sovereign and sad. And at the tomb of Lazarus, death is ruined at the command of Jesus the Ruiner: “Lazarus, come out!” And Jesus himself would again show His power to ruin death, by willingly going to the cross, defeating death and proving his power in the resurrection.
The question we need to ask is not, “Is it true?” but “do you want your life to be ruined in the way Jesus wants to ruin it?” Or maybe, it is easier to begin by imagining the world ruined by Jesus love and re-made in His image: weapons of war turned into tools of farming, political and economic tyrants brought low as refugees, exploited teens, the poor are lifted up. Or better still, calloused tyrants being themselves transformed and participating in the lifting up of others. All the cycles of revenge, poverty, abuse broken by the power of forgiveness, justice, honesty, peace, and love.
Because Jesus loves the world, He wants to ruin the world as we know it, saying to every dead heart and body, “Come out!” Do you want it?
If so, we begin by responding to the call of Jesus and letting him ruin our own lives first. We need to realize that what we might be afraid to lose isn’t worth keeping. So, in the image of baptism, “let your whole body go under the water”, every part of it given into the hands of Jesus to be ruined and remade.
This Evenings Practice
(Leaders: Before going into the questions, you may want to give your group a minute or so of silence, reflecting on and listening to the Spirit around the question, “What is Jesus inviting you to notice tonight?”)
Tonight, we are going to use this set of questions to guide our discussion. You may want to pull up the guide on your phone to help you process and reflect.
1. Can you think of a time where you had an image of a Christian (or of God Himself) that you would never want for yourself? What was your picture? How did that image get “ruined”? Give room for 2-3 people to answer, if possible.
2. When we hear the kind of world Jesus wants to bring, are there aspects of it that you find yourself particularly longing for?
3. [It might be helpful to let this question be answered quietly, perhaps by writing the answer on a paper or note app.]
As we are invited to let Jesus ruin our lives, are you aware of some part of your life that you are “holding above the water”, to use the image of Constantine’s soldiers. Give a minute or two for people to sit with the question, acknowledging they may not be able to answer it in the moment, but might need to take the question with them and let the Spirit help them answer later.
4. Close your time in prayer together, giving thanks for a Savior we can trust, asking for help in trusting Him with our whole lives.
Practice for the Week
Practice for the week: We experience water all the time – from bathing to drinking to brushing our teeth. Let touching water be a prompt to you, to express your trust in Jesus and/or invite the Spirit to help you trust Him more fully.