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.” 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.”John 11:1-7 NIV
“Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. John 11:21 NIV
When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”John 11:32 NIV
Mary and Martha did what all of us do when our love one is sick, seek help from Jesus. Their faith was strong, for they had complete confidence that Jesus could heal him and keep him from dying. It’s also clear from the text, that Mary, Martha and Lazarus each had a strong relationship with Jesus. We are reminded that Mary poured perfume on Jesus feet and wiped them with her hair and that Jesus loved Lazarus. So why did Jesus wait two days? Why did he not go immediately, touch him and heal him? Why did he let him die?
Jesus had a greater plan. He wanted to use the death of Lazarus to show them God’s glory and make their faith even stronger. Mary and Martha were distraught and struggled to understand why God had allowed their brother to die. Eventually they understood and rejoiced but initially they were confused and struggled emotionally. I’m drawn to God’s word because of it’s relevance to our lives. All of us can relate to the pain of losing a loved one and the struggle to understand why God doesn’t always heal in answer to our prayers. The stories in the Bible are there to help us understand God’s nature when we are grasping for answers. God is always in control! He always has a greater plan! When we are struggling emotionally, we need to remember that God’s love for us compels Him to stick to His plans because they are always in our best interest, even when we struggle to understand.
When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. John 11:33 NIV
God is always moved by our pain! When we mourn and cry, our hearts breaking, God is moved in spirit and troubled because He loves us! His plan may not include raising our loved one this side of heaven, but, if they’ve expressed faith in Jesus, they will be raised!
He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. Revelation 21:4 NIV
We can rejoice knowing that Jesus is personally wiping every tear from their eyes! They are no longer suffering pain! They are free from all sickness! And while we mourn, it helps to know that God has a plan for us too. We are not abandoned! He wants to dry our tears too and show us His glory. If we keep our hearts soft toward Him and allow Him to comfort us and restore our peace, our faith will be built and we will get to know Him better.
Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” John 11:40 NIV