By Sandy White
In John 11 we read about the sisters Mary and Martha and how they called for Jesus because their brother Lazarus was deathly ill. It is apparent that this family was very special to Jesus, but when Jesus heard the news that Lazarus was dying, He continued to stay away. Why?
Mary and Martha watched their brother die, along with any hope. Can you imagine what the sisters were thinking? They must have wondered if Jesus had even gotten the message, or if something happened to him.
When Jesus got to the town outside of Bethany, Martha came to meet Him. Disappointed and maybe even bitter, she asked why he never came in time to heal her brother? She believed that he had the power to heal for he was God’s son. What she didn’t know was that Jesus intentionally stayed away until Lazarus died so he could do something greater.
Jesus used this time to show he was the resurrection and the life, so his name would be glorified. Resurrection is not an event but the person of Jesus Christ. He wanted to show how those that believed in Him would experience life, even if he died, and those living who believed in Him would never die.
Martha went to get Mary so she could meet with Jesus herself and confess her belief in the power Jesus had to heal, as He was God’s son. They witnessed this power before but Jesus wanted them to witness more.
Jesus asked them to show him Lazarus’ grave and when he got there he never hesitated in asking the stone to be rolled away. Martha was alarmed and told Jesus how Lazarus was there four days and the smell would be terrible. Can you just imagine the sadness in our Lord’s eye’s when he realized she never truly believed? Does your faith in Jesus make Him glad or sad?
For the first time people witnessed a resurrection when Jesus called to Lazarus and he came out of the grave. Maybe you are presently fighting a battle of some kind and have called on Jesus but He has not answered. Hold on to your faith, remember this story and know that even when He appears late He is still on time. For His ways are not ours, but the end result, for those who trust and believe, is far better then we could ever imagine.