JOHN 11:1-6 DELAYED ON PURPOSE

1 Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 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. 3 So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.”
4 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.” 5 Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days.

A death and a resurrection would glorify God’s Son. But the world would have to wait until the proper time. Most likely Lazarus was dead before the message ever got to Jesus in Perea, so even if Jesus had responded immediately he could not have prevented the death. But why the delay? It would be the difference between a miracle worker and God. No one could argue that a body buried in the grave for four days was not dead. If Jesus were to raise Lazarus from the grave it would be no mere resuscitation of a corpse, it would be bringing a very dead man back to life. It would be a feat that, if successful, would be unique in all history. Like giving sight to a man born blind, the giving of life is a divine act.

Sickness is a part of living in a sinful and fallen world. All of us will experience sickness and ultimately physical death. While God does not cause the illness, he is sovereign and can redeem it according to his purpose. The sickness of Lazarus would not end in death; it just passed through it. The last word about his illness was life and the revelation of God’s Son as the giver of life. Jesus’ purpose on earth was to reveal God’s nature and will to human beings and he useS the events and circumstances of our lives as the raw material for that revelation. Therefore, everything that happens in our lives, whether good or bad, can be used to point others to God. It is the life of faith that manifests an attitude of confidence in God under all circumstances and waits with unbridled anticipation to see how God will redeem our lives to his glory.

Dear God, give me the faith to know your redemptive power in the world and the patience to wait upon your perfect time. Fill me with your Spirit so that I may see your hand in every circumstance in my life. Make my life a revelation of your nature to the world. Amen.