It is a short statement and easy for us to overlook or to not even hear.  In the midst of our Gospel passage for this coming Sunday, as Jesus is talking to his disciples preparing them for both his impending death and the arrival of the Holy Spirit, Jesus mentions “Because I live, you also will live” (John 14:19b).  Did you notice the “b” in the notation above?  It means it is the second part of the verse only.  This short sentence doesn’t even constitute a whole verse, and could be considered an insignificant, throw away line. Yet “Because I live, you also will live” gets to the heart of the Easter proclamation and hope.

What a concise, powerful statement!  Because Jesus lives beyond the grave, through faith in him, we also will live.  It is a sure and certain hope – a hope that is for this life as well as the one to come.  So Jesus reminded us when he said he has come that we might have life, and have it to the full (John 10:10).

It is also a deeply personal promise for me. Following the sudden death of my son eleven years ago, we were searching for an appropriate epitaph to put on his grave marker. I happened to be listening to the Bible on audio in the car, and when this short verse was read, in a moment of profound revelation I immediately knew it was for him.  Despite the tragedy and senselessness of that sudden loss, there is for him this simple, short promise from the Lord “Because I live, you also will live.

The same is true for us.  Despite the triumphs and tragedies we encounter in our own lives, we know the Lord lives, and that we find newness of life in him and through him. “Because I live, you also will live” is more than a throwaway line.  It is a short, powerful statement of the resurrection hope, and of the risen life which is ours to experience and participate in with Christ.

See you Sunday!
-Bill