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PRAYER:

God, give me the courage to trust you especially when I don’t understand how you are working. 

READING:

When God Is Late – Part 1

Our next story comes from John, who was an eyewitness to Jesus’ teachings.

Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister, Martha. – John 11:1

Lazarus and his two sisters, Mary and Martha, lived just a few miles from Jerusalem.

(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.) – John 11:2

This explanation helped some people in the first century know which Mary was being talked about.

So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.” – John 11:3

They had seen Jesus healing, and they sent this message seeking the same for Lazarus, the one that Jesus loved.

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.” – John 11:4

Sickness for God’s glory? That was a new idea. Before he tells us what happens next, John says:

Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. – John 11:5

Based on what happens next, people might think Jesus didn’t love them. But he did.

So when he heard 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 11:6–7

When he receives the message, Jesus waits two days to say they are heading back toward Bethany.

“But Rabbi,” they said, “a short while ago the Jews tried to stone you and yet you’re going back?” – John 11:8

The disciples really don’t want to go because of the threat to their own safety. 

Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Those who walk in the daytime will not stumble, for they see by this world’s light. It is when people walk at night that they stumble, for they have no light.” – John 11:9–10

Jesus is talking about opportunity. When the sun is up, there is an opportunity to do things, but when the sun goes down, you lose your opportunity. Jesus was going to leave this earth, so the disciples needed to learn all they could. 

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…” – John 11:11–14

And then Jesus makes an extremely insensitive statement.

“… and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” – John 11:15

Why would he say he was glad he wasn’t there? It was so valuable to Jesus that we believe in him that he would allow someone to die to bring us to full, mature faith in him. 

Then Thomas (also known as Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” – John 11:16

We all know someone who sees everything as negative, everything as bad. Jesus had one of those kinds of people in his group of disciples. Thomas’s outlook was that Lazarus was dead, and the Jews were going to stone Jesus and the disciples. 

Tomorrow we’ll continue the story and see what happened when Jesus and the disciples returned to Bethany.

REFLECTION:

Can you relate to the disciples, hesitant to face a perceived threat where Jesus is calling you? What gives you courage in those situations?