Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when He heard that he was sick, He then stayed two days longer in the place where He was.
John 11:5-6
Okay, wait a minute. Stop and back the truck up. Did you catch that?
Jesus loved them… SO.
He loved them, so when He heard that He was sick… He STAYED TWO DAYS LONGER where He was???
Ummmm excuse me? What?
I don’t know about you… but shouldn’t that say… He loved them, so when He heard he was sick He left immediately to get to them as. fast. as. He. possibly. could? Doesn’t that make more sense?
To us… yeh.
But, we don’t know what God knows.
Jesus even turns to His disciples who are clueless to what He is trying to tell them as He speaks about His “sleeping” friend and finally has to turn to them and just flat out tell them that Lazarus is dead and then He says,
“and I am glad for your sakes that I was not there…”
John 11:15
What? Say that again? Your friend, who You love, is dead. You could have stopped it. We have seen You do it… and you’re glad? Did You say You are glad for our sake? What about Lazarus’ sake?
Can you imagine the look of dumbfoundedness on the faces of the disciples as they try to process all this information?
It appears that the disciples think that Jesus has stayed away because He was afraid that the Jews would kill Him… the Pharisees did have a hit out on Him and were ready to reward whoever would take Him out or turn Him in to them.
So when Jesus announces that Lazarus is dead… and NOW He is going to him… the disciples begin to think that Jesus has just lost it.
Therefore Thomas, who is called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, so that we may die with Him.”
John 11:16
Hmmmmm, my interpretation of Didymus’ words: Look dudes, the Teacher has gone all kamikaze on us… and well if He is going down, let’s go with Him, because they will be after us next anyway. It’s all for one and for one all… regulators mount up because we all going down in a blaze of glory together!
We can sit back and marvel and even laugh at the cluelessness of the disciples, but how guilty we so often are of the same type of conclusion jumping and backward interpretations of His will and Word.
Or maybe I am just speaking about myself…
When Jesus arrives we see Martha come rushing to “the finally decided to get here” Jesus… the first words out her mouth…
“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.”
John 11:21-22
She comes at him with both accusation and hope
I adore how are Lord takes her accusation in complete understanding and stride and sees her hope and raises it… stating
“Your brother will rise again“
John 11:23
This is the hand you have been dealt Martha… but the One who deals the cards has stacked the deck and He knows exactly how the chips are going to fall and who is going to take the house.
Here in John 11 is the day that Jesus let the ones He loved face death in order to teach them the most glorious truth about Life.
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?”
John 11:25-26
When we fully understand that not even death can defeat us… then we truly can stand before what ever this world, all the powers of hell, our own flesh, or even Satan himself can throw at us. We can stand there in bold confidence and unrelenting faith. We can stand firm with no faulting in our fear. We can stand strong and courageous knowing that He has overcome.
Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”
John 11:40
Not you might see.
But you WILL see.
If you believe… you will see the glory of God.
What is this glory?
I really am not sure… I just know that somehow If. I. Believe… my Jesus will somehow put visually and physically before me this heaviness that weighs in my chest when I think upon my God. This emotion that wells up in the depths of my soul and the deepest regions of my inner being, that I cannot even explain when I lift up my heart in my praise to this One who created me, loved me, came for me, died for me, lives for me and through me, while still and at the same time controlling the rising and setting of the sun and the waves of a sea that I cannot even fathom the depths of and a sky that my eyes cannot see the breadth of… this One who names the stars that I cannot count and knows the number of the hairs of my head that He can… this One who counts my worth more precious than the sparrows and sees my beauty as more than the lilies of the field…
I will get to see Him in all His glory… a glory I cannot come close to imagining or defining.
So in case you are in that place where life is hard… confusing… unrelenting… and you are thinking, God if this loving me, I sure am glad You ain’t mad at me…
Beloved, let it be well with your soul.
For He is indeed the Resurrection and the Life… and He loves you much… and He wants you to see His Glory. Believe Him, beloved. Believe.