Week 4: Resurrection & Life (John 11:25)
Week Four: I Am the Resurrection and the Life
1. Opening Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you for the beautiful example of Martha who trusted you in the most grievous of life’s circumstances. Thank you that you are, indeed, the Resurrection and the life for all who trust in you. Help us to develop such a confident trust in your Word that we are enabled to remain firmly settled in the faith, even when we are surrounded by life’s greatest problems and pain. Help us to live our lives by faith and not by sight. This we ask in Jesus’ name, AMEN.
Read: All of John 11 to understand the context
25 Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. 26 Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?” NLT
Context & Teaching Notes
This passage takes place after the death of Lazarus, a close friend of Jesus. By the time Jesus arrives in Bethany, Lazarus has already been in the tomb four days. Martha greets Jesus with both grief and faith: “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
It is in this moment of sorrow that Jesus makes one of His most profound declarations:
“I am the resurrection and the life.”
In the Gospel of Gospel of John, the “I AM” statements reveal the identity of Jesus. These words echo the divine name revealed by God in Exodus 3:14. Jesus is not merely pointing to resurrection as an event in the future; He is declaring that resurrection life is found in Him.
This story also shows us the mystery of Christ’s nature. Jesus knows He will raise Lazarus, yet the text tells us that He is deeply moved and even weeps. The One who commands life from the grave also shares fully in human grief. In this moment we see both the humanity and divinity of Christ intertwined.
Lent invites us to hold this mystery together. The one who walks toward the cross is not only a suffering man but God incarnate, bringing life into a world marked by death.
3. Discussion Questions
Observing the Text
What stands out to you most in this story?
How do Martha and Mary respond differently to Jesus?
Understanding Jesus’ Identity
What do you think Jesus means when He says, “I am the resurrection and the life”?
In this passage, where do you see Jesus’ humanity? Where do you see His divine authority?
Personal Reflection
Martha believes in a future resurrection. How does Jesus shift her understanding?
Where in your life do you need to trust Jesus as the source of life today?
Outward Implication
If Jesus truly is the resurrection and the life, how should that shape the way Christians face suffering, grief, and death?
How might God use us to bring hope to people who feel surrounded by “death” in their lives—whether spiritual, emotional, or relational?
4. Formation Practice (See the Website for the Examen Practice)
A Practice of Hope
Each day this week, take a moment to pray for someone who feels overwhelmed by loss, discouragement, or despair.
Ask Jesus, the resurrection and the life, to bring His life into that situation.
Look for one opportunity this week to share encouragement, offer prayer, or come alongside someone who needs hope.
Lent reminds us that the life Jesus brings is not only for us but for the world.
5. Closing Prayer
Lord Jesus,
You are the resurrection and the life. You stand before every tomb and call life out of death.
Strengthen our faith when we struggle to trust You. Comfort us in our grief.
Fill us with resurrection hope so that our lives may point others to You. Send us into the world as witnesses of Your life and Your victory over death. Amen.