I am the Resurrection and the Life (John 11:25-26)

Shortly before he restored his friend Lazarus to life, Christ shared another of his great ‘I am’ sayings. Four days after Lazarus had died, Christ arrived in the village of Bethany, where his friend had lived with his two sisters, St Martha and St Mary. Lazarus had already been buried – and there was great mourning for him.

On his way into the village, Christ was met by St Martha. She voiced her confidence in Christ’s power to work miracles. Then Christ said to St Martha: “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.” (John 11:25-26)

Remarking on this saying, Pope St John Paul II said: “We can imagine the surprise that such an announcement caused in his listeners, who a short time later, however, were able to see the truth of Jesus’ words when, at his command, Lazarus, who had already been in the tomb for four days, came forth alive. An even more striking confirmation of this astonishing statement will be given later by Jesus when, by his own Resurrection, he will win the final victory over evil and death.”

He added: “Does this not show the timeliness of the Gospel message? In a society in which signs of death are increasing but in which at the same time a profound need for hope in life is felt, it is the mission of Christians to continue to proclaim Christ, man’s “resurrection and life”. Yes, faced with the signs of a creeping “culture of death”, Jesus’ great revelation must still be heard today: “I am the resurrection and the life.“

Life – and eternal life in particular – is a major theme of St John’s gospel. He begins his book by describing Christ as the source of all life: “Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.” (John 1:3-4)

St John also includes several unique sayings of Christ about his power to restore life: “Indeed, just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whomever he wishes.” (John 5:21); “This is indeed the will of my Father, that all who see the Son and believe in him may have eternal life; and I will raise them up on the last day.’ (John 6:40; cf 17:2)

This contemporary icon of the Risen Christ in glory takes pride of place within the sanctuary of Holy Family, in Langley. It was created by the Catholic artist Stephen Foster in 2005. Following his usual approach to contemporary iconography, Foster created this circular artwork as a wooden relief and then painted it in red, white and gold.

As was his custom, Christ’s face is digitally reproduced from a drawing. The icon also includes lots of symbolic detail, such as vine branches and wheat sheaves to represent the Eucharist, stars and fish (both emblems of Christ), a church and a house, and the letters Alpha and Omega (symbolising Christ as the first and last) either side of the red cross.

See the full image:

Where to find this work of art
Holy Family, Langley

Read the relevant passage
John 11:25-26

On a similar theme

• From the Old Testament: The Martyrs of the Maccabees died proclaiming God’s power to raise them to eternal life.
• From the New Testament: Christ shared this ‘I am’ saying about the resurrection just before he raised his friend Lazarus to life.