📖 “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me will live, even though they die.’ ” John 11:25
There are few moments in the Gospels as tender, as raw, and as theologically rich as Jesus standing outside the tomb of His friend Lazarus.
Grief hangs in the air.
Martha’s voice trembles with disappointment: “Lord, if You had been here…”
Mary weeps.
The mourners wail.
Death seems final.
Into that scene of heartbreak and apparent hopelessness, Jesus speaks words that echo across history:
“I am the resurrection and the life.”
He does not say He gives resurrection as one of many blessings.
He says He is resurrection.
He is life.
This is why I love Jesus.
❤️ He gives me life beyond death, and that changes everything.
1️⃣ I love Jesus because He confronts death with authority.
Death is the great equalizer.
It comes to every family, every nation, every generation.
It is humanity’s ancient enemy: undefeated, unavoidable, unrelenting.
But when Jesus arrives at Lazarus’ tomb, He does not stand helpless.
He does not negotiate with death.
He does not fear death.
He commands death.
“Lazarus, come out!” (John 11:43)
Only God can speak like that.
Only God can order the dead to rise.
Only God can stand on death’s doorstep and speak with absolute authority.
In my years of ministry and leadership, I have felt the pain of losing family members, stood with grieving households, spoke at funerals, and walked alongside those overwhelmed by sorrow. These moments always remind me that our only real hope is in Jesus, the One who conquered death not for Himself alone but for all who trust in Him.
In Walking with God Through Pain and Suffering, Keller explains that the resurrection does not merely comfort us emotionally; it changes the nature of reality itself. The risen Christ reshapes our understanding of death, the future, and the meaning of every sorrow we face:
“Because Jesus rose from the dead, everything is different. Death no longer has the final word, and suffering is never the end of the story. The resurrection means not just that someday God will put all things right, but that he has already begun to renew the world. It assures us that evil and darkness cannot win. The worst things are never the last things.”
I love Jesus because He is not intimidated by the grave; He has defeated it.
2️⃣ I love Jesus because His tears assure me of His compassion.
Before Jesus raised Lazarus, Scripture records something beautifully simple.
“Jesus wept.” (John 11:35)
He knew He would raise Lazarus in minutes.
He knew the story would end in joy.
Yet He wept.
He stood beside a tomb and let His tears fall, tears that tell me death is not part of God’s good design, tears that show His compassion for human pain, tears that reveal His heart.
I have known the sting of losing friends, mentors, and loved ones.
And in those moments, I have felt the nearness of a Savior who is not aloof.
He is “touched with the feeling of our infirmities” (Heb. 4:15).
He is moved by our sorrow.
He is present in our grief.
I love Jesus because He meets me in my tears even as He offers me hope beyond them.
3️⃣ I love Jesus because He promises eternal life, not wishful optimism.
The resurrection is not a metaphor.
It is not poetic comfort.
It is not symbolic language.
It is a promise, sealed by Christ’s own resurrection.
Jesus says,
“Whoever believes in Me will live, even though they die.”
Not “might live.”
Not “I will try to help them live.”
But will live.
Throughout my life, especially in times of transition, hardship, and human frailty, I have anchored myself in this truth:
Eternal life is not something I am hoping to achieve; it is something Christ has already secured.
John Stott, in The Cross of Christ, reminds us that the resurrection is not an appendix to the gospel but its confirmation. He writes, “The resurrection was the divine vindication of the Christ who died for our sins.” For Stott, this means that God stamped His approval on Christ’s finished work, showing that the sacrifice of the cross was accepted and the victory complete.
He is not only the resurrection at the end of my life;
He is life now, life that begins today, life that continues after death, life that cannot be extinguished.
I love Jesus because His promise of eternal life is certain, unshakable, and guaranteed by His own victory.
4️⃣ I love Jesus because His resurrection power transforms my present.
Resurrection is not just a future hope; it is a present power.
Paul says,
“The Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you.” (Rom. 8:11)
This means the resurrection is not only about where I will be one day;
it is about who I can become today.
In moments when I have felt overwhelmed by responsibility, weary in leadership, discouraged by personal failure, or weighed down by anxiety, the resurrection has not been distant doctrine but present reality. It has lifted my spirit, strengthened my resolve, and renewed my hope.
The same power that rolled away the stone rolls away fear, despair, and spiritual deadness in me.
I love Jesus because His resurrection gives me power to live today and confidence to face tomorrow.
🎵 My Worship Response
Today’s hymn is “Because He Lives.”
Few songs express resurrection hope as clearly as its refrain:
“Because He lives, I can face tomorrow;
Because He lives, all fear is gone.”
This is not just poetry, it is my experience.
I can face tomorrow, and the day after, and even death itself with confidence, because Jesus lives.
And when burdens feel heavy, I hear the assurance of “I Am Not Alone.”
When gratitude rises, I echo the worship of “Imela.”
Each of these songs carries the same testimony.
He lives.
He walks with me.
He deserves my praise.
✨Reason # 7 Why I Love Jesus
He gives me life beyond death, hope in sorrow, confidence in eternity, and resurrection power for today.
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