When You Struggle to Feel God's LoveExemplo

Dying To Raise His Friend

What could possibly justify Jesus’s delay that led to Lazarus’s death? Perhaps, like me, you’ve wondered this as you’ve seen loved ones slip into eternity despite your desperate pleas for God to intervene. God’s ways can be so frustratingly mysterious sometimes. But when He says He loves you, when He says you’re His friend, He really means it.

Scripture:

“So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer

in the place where he was. Then after this, he said to the disciples, ‘Let us go to Judea again.’” John 11:6–7 (ESV)

Jesus’ public ministry was nearing its end. His disciples had seen Him show His authority over chaotic nature, spiritual forces of evil, diseases, and every effect of the curse on our corrupted world. But now Lazarus’s sisters, Mary and Martha, sent messengers to Him: “Lord, he whom you love is ill” (John 11:3).

When you receive that call that your loved one is inching toward death’s door, you drop every plan, pack as fast as you can, and rush to pray over them, to hold their hand—and in Jesus’ case, to heal His beloved friend as He had done for so many strangers. But when Jesus heard this news, He purposely stayed put. How could this be love?!

What could possibly justify His delay that led to Lazarus’s death? Perhaps, like me, you’ve wondered this as you’ve seen loved ones slip into eternity despite your desperate pleas for God to intervene. Perhaps, like Martha and Mary, you’ve said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died” (11:21, 32).

Perhaps you’ve prayed: Where were You, God?! How could You?! And if you haven’t prayed like this, why not?

Sit with this: Jesus doesn’t rebuke either sister for their angry, grief-filled lament directed at Him. In fact, when Jesus sees Mary weeping, He’s “deeply moved” (John 11:33)—so angry at how death violated His friends.

Jesus revealed to Martha just before this: “I am the resurrection” (John 11:25)—another “I AM” statement that identified Him as Yahweh (I AM). Yet even though He knows He’s about to display that truth, He’s affected to His core by the way death takes away your breath, your dreams, and how it ends your story. And Lazarus was more than a news report to Jesus. This was His beloved friend! And so, “Jesus wept” (John 11:35).

The life giver, sustainer, and resurrector, with all power in His hands, looked at death . . . and wept.

He’s “deeply moved again” (John 11:38) at His friend’s tomb. But now He’s had enough. For this reason, He came, and for this reason, He delayed in the first place: “Lazarus, come out!” (John 11:43 NIV). And there was His beloved friend, who had been dead for four days (enough to begin to rot), walking out as if he had only suffered a sneeze.

Jesus loved His friends so much that He delayed His coming so they’d see “the glory of God” (John 11:40) like never before. His delay felt like a denial of His love, but it was actually setting up a greater display of it.

God’s ways can be so frustratingly mysterious sometimes. But when He says He loves you, when He says you’re His friend, He really means it.

In fact, Jesus knew the same Jews who wanted Him dead would hear the report of this and want to silence it by killing Him (John 11:45–57). He knew His display of love for His friends would lead to the warrant for His arrest. For Lazarus to be raised from the dead, Jesus knew He would have to die. Jesus wouldn’t just look at death, He’d have to drink it down to the dregs.

Yet, here was Love-in-the-flesh: dying to raise His friend.

Call to Action:

What griefs are you currently suffering? Silently sit with the fact that Jesus is “deeply moved” by your grief.