I Am the Resurrection and the Life the raising of Lazarus and the road to the cross
John 11 is the last and greatest of the signs — the raising of Lazarus — and the hinge on which the Gospel turns toward the cross. At a grave Jesus declares himself "the resurrection and the life," weeps real human tears, calls a four-days-dead man out of the tomb, and by that very sign seals the resolve of the authorities to put him to death.
Overview of John 11
11:1–16 sets the scene: Lazarus of Bethany is gravely ill, and his sisters send word — "the one you love is ill." Jesus declares the illness is "for the glory of God," and, precisely because he loves the family, deliberately waits two days before going. 11:17–37 brings him to Bethany four days too late, by every human reckoning: Martha meets him with faith and grief, and to her Jesus speaks the fifth great "I am" — "I am the resurrection and the life." At the tomb, deeply moved and indignant at death's reign, "Jesus wept."
11:38–44 is the sign itself: "Take away the stone"; a prayer for the watching crowd; and the loud command, "Lazarus, come out" — the life-giving voice that the dead obey. 11:45–57 records the response: many believe, but the Sanhedrin, fearing Rome, resolves on Jesus' death — and Caiaphas unwittingly prophesies that "one man should die for the people," and not for the nation only but to gather into one the scattered children of God.
Passage Units
All four passages of John 11 are available.