One of the problems has been my son this week. For some reason, he has been very testy with his listening this past week. I usually do not have this problem with my son. I don't know if it is a trait that he picked up at school this year, or what. Maybe since his birthday is today, he has felt that he is old enough to make his own decisions, even if they contradict mine. And it seems that I have had to repeat myself numerous times to get my point across. I have even had to be tough on discipline with him lately. Why has he been so difficult these last few days. Then, last night at bible school, I was hit with a message. You know, there is a difference when a lesson from the bible moves you and when it HITS you. Well, I got hit.
John 11:1-3
"Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.) So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.”
Now, this family was well known by Christ. It is recorded three times in the bible where he went to see them and spend time with them. We also know that there was a special bond with them based on the message that was sent to Christ. "The one you love is sick." So what do you think Christ did? He stayed where He was. WOW! Why though?
John 11:4-16
"When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.” “But Rabbi,” they said, “a short while ago the Jews there tried to stone you, and yet you are going back?” Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Anyone who walks in the daytime will not stumble, for they see by this world’s light. It is when a person walks at night that they stumble, for they have no light.” After he had said this, he went on to tell them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.” His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.” Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep. So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” Then Thomas (also known as Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”"
Jesus said Himself that this would not end in death, but as a way to glorify God. So, He waited. And two days later, He was ready to go. Then the disciples did it again. They questioned Him. And he then rebuked them for their lack of faith. When Christ then told them that he had died, they thought he was just asleep and needed someone to wake him up. How frustrating this must have been to our Lord. So He made it plain and clear. Lazarus was dead. But there was a purpose. There was a plan for the glory of God. And yet, even after they were told that God would be glorified, and that it would not end that way, Thomas had to go and say, "Well we might as well go to so we can die too. But it was not just the disciples. Mary and Martha had their doubts too.
John 11:17-32
"So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days. Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off; and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary, to console them concerning their brother. Martha therefore, when she heard that Jesus was coming, went to meet Him, but Mary stayed at the house. Martha then said to Jesus, “ Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. Even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.” Jesus *said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha *said to Him, “ I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus said to her, “ I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” She *said to Him, “Yes, Lord; I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God, even He who comes into the world.” When she had said this, she went away and called Mary her sister, saying secretly, “ The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” And when she heard it, she *got up quickly and was coming to Him. Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha met Him. Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and consoling her, when they saw that Mary got up quickly and went out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there. Therefore, when Mary came where Jesus was, she saw Him, and fell at His feet, saying to Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.”"
Now, this was not the first time that Mary and Martha had spent time with Christ and learned from Him. They knew exactly who He was and what He taught. They had had a meal with Him one time before, in which Christ rebuked Martha for wanting Him to send Mary to the kitchen to help here work. And yet again, they questioned Christ like the disciples did. They both went to Him and said that if you would have been here, Lazarus would not have died. Jesus Himself had to reiterate who He was and asked her if she really believed.
John 11:33-44
"When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and was troubled, and said, “Where have you laid him?” They *said to Him, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus wept. So the Jews were saying, “See how He loved him!” But some of them said, “Could not this man, who opened the eyes of the blind man, have kept this man also from dying?” So Jesus, again being deeply moved within, *came to the tomb. Now it was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. Jesus *said, “Remove the stone.” Martha, the sister of the deceased, *said to Him, “Lord, by this time there will be a stench, for he has been dead four days.” Jesus *said to her, “ Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” So they removed the stone. Then Jesus raised His eyes, and said, “ Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. I knew that You always hear Me; but because of the people standing around I said it, so that they may believe that You sent Me.” When He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice,“Lazarus, come forth.” The man who had died came forth, bound hand and foot with wrappings, and his face was wrapped around with a cloth. Jesus *said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”"
Here we can see the distress of our Lord. When it says that He wept, was deeply moved, was troubled, if you study those words and how they were used, Christ was not sad because of the death of His friend. Remember He said earlier that this would not end in death. He was upset because of the disbelief of the people. So many people that He had taught, and spent time with, still did not believe in totality in who He was. If they did, they would not be questioning Him. Even Martha again questioned Him when he said to move the stone. His reply was "Did I not just say....?" Just a few verses earlier, he rebuked her for her lack of belief.
How many times do we question God? How many times do we seem to forget His promises to us in our situations? How many times does He have to remind us who He is. We have a problem in which we try to find our own way when we are in times of trouble. We try to fix things ourselves instead of trusting in the promises of God. And just like Martha and the disciples, we need that reminder over and over. It is my prayer that I place my full trust in Him, and that I will stop questioning Him when I am in time of stress and struggles. I hope you will do the same.
Thanks for reading, and God Bless you all this week!
