John 11:25 - I Am The Resurrection And The Life

I am the resurrection and the life.
He who believes in me will live,
even though he dies;
John 11:25 (NIV)

Whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die - is better translated,
" . . . shall not die forever." . . . .Christ did not promise the prevention
of death; He promised the life that guarantees resurrection and eternal
life. [Jamieson, Fausset, And Brown Commentary]

Jesus' additional revelation (His fifth "I am" statement) concerns His
identity as the One who raises the dead, who guarantees that those who
believe in Him may die physically, but it will not last forever (John
11:26). Physical death will be openly and finally defeated at the future
resurrection. The raising of Lazarus is a foreshadowing of that great event
(cf. 1 Cor. 15). [Believer's SB]

"If You had been here, my brother would not have died" John 11:17-27. The
words express faith, and perhaps reproach. Jesus should have been there for
His friend Lazarus. But He wasn't. And Lazarus died.
If we look back over our lives, we can all identify times when God could
have intervened for us, but did not. He could have changed things. Yet for
some reason we can't understand, He did not. At such times it's likely that
we too mix a measure of faith with a measure of reproach.
Let's remember the rest of this story. Then let faith grow and reproach go.
The Jews buried a corpse on the day of death, wrapping the body in strips of
cloth or in a sheet. They did, however, return to the grave, to make sure
the person was really dead and not in a coma. Lazarus had been in his tomb
four days (v. 17) when Jesus arrived. When Lazarus responded to Jesus' call
and came out from the grave, there was not the shadow of doubt that Christ
had recalled a dead man to life. [The 365-Day Devotional Commentary]

        One thing is clear--Jesus was not thinking in terms of physical
life; for, speaking physically, it is not true that the man who
believes in him will never die. The Christian experiences physical
death as any other man does. We must look for a more than physical
meaning.
        Jesus was thinking of the death of sin. He was saying: "Even if a
man is dead in sin, even if, through his sins, he has lost all that
makes life worth calling life, I can make him alive again." A man
can become so selfish that he is dead to the needs of others. A man
can become so insensitive that he is dead to the feelings of others.
A man can become so involved in the petty dishonesties and the petty
disloyalties of life, that he is dead to honour. A man can become so
hopeless that he is filled with an inertia, which is spiritual
death. Jesus Christ can resurrect these men.  The witness of history
is that he has resurrected millions and millions of people like them
and his touch has not lost its ancient power.
        Jesus was also thinking of the life to come. He brought into life
the certainty that death is not the end. . . . We call this world
the land of the living; but it would in fact be more correct to call
it the land of the dying. Through Jesus Christ we know that we are
journeying, not to the sunset, but to the sunrise; we know, as
Mary Webb put it, that death is a gate on the sky-line. In the most
real sense we are not on our way to death, but on our way to life.
[Barclay Commentary]

AT THE LAST DAY (JOHN 11:17-44)
The words Martha blurted out put her in a category shared by many modern
Christians.
Jesus had just said, "Your brother will rise again" (v. 23). And Martha
said, "I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day" (v.
24).
But Jesus kept on probing. "I am the resurrection and the life," He said.
"Do you believe this?" (vv. 25-26)
You can almost see Martha nod in puzzlement. "'Yes, LORD,' she told Him, 'I
believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God.'"
It was after this that Jesus went on down to the tomb where Lazarus had laid
for four days, and gave the dead man back his life. And it is only in this
event that we can understand the implications of Jesus' conversation with
Martha.
You see, Martha did believe. She was convinced that Jesus was the Son of
God. She was convinced that He could raise her brother-in the resurrection
of the last day. But Martha never stopped to think that Jesus could also
raise her brother then!
Like Martha, many modern Christians have a deep and abiding faith in Jesus.
They are sure He has won eternal life for them, and believe in a
resurrection which they will share. But, like Martha, many modern Christians
limit the power of Jesus to the future. They fail to realize that Jesus
brings life to the dead now.
He can take our dead hopes, and revive them. He can take our dormant
relationships, and revitalize them. He can transform the spiritually
indifferent, redirect the life of the sinner, and bring a vibrant newness to
every dead area within our lives.
Martha limited Jesus by expecting Him to act only in the future. Jesus in
raising Lazarus demonstrated that He is ready, willing, and able to act in
our now. [The 365-Day Devotional Commentary]

The story of the raising of Lazarus is so encouraging. It reminds us that
God loves us and has a good purpose even when He permits us to suffer. It
reminds us that Jesus is not limited in His ability to act in our today. And
it assures us that we are forever safe in the One who triumphs over death.
[Victor Bible Background Commentary]