“Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” John 11 v 21-23
How do you react when things do not turn out the way that you expected? Do you lift your head up and call upon the Lord or do you find you lose hope, your head drops, and you feel like you are fumbling around trying to find your way? I know personally there are times I struggle to make sense of situations and I get angry or disappointed. I blame other people; I blame myself and I blame God. When I feel overwhelmed by what appears to be an impossible situation, I find that I battle inside to try to work out where it has all gone wrong and if I am not careful, I start to take on the burden of what I need to do to put it right. We were never designed to carry burden or to try and do the Jesus’ work for him.
Look at Martha as she is processing her angst and disappointment. Her brother has died and the one she called out to for help did not make it in time. We, like Martha, allow our minds to be restricted by earthly conventions of time and space. We forget that the Lord operates outside of it all. He is creator of the universe. He created time itself. He is not bound; He is above it all. “If you had been here.” If we are honest, how often do we have those conversations in our heads? If you were not afraid of anything, what would you really want to say to Jesus about what has happened in your life or about what is going on now? “I know you love me Lord and I know what your word says but it all just feels jumbled up right now”.
I love the fact that Jesus sees past her hurt and frustration. He does not go down the path of trying to explain his actions instead he replies with a promise. “Your brother will rise” - No if, buts or maybes. This is a hope filled, future building, life bringing declaration in the middle of a situation that looks dead and lost. We can get ourselves tied up in knots processing, wondering, and questioning what we should do but Jesus replies to us with promise. Martha cannot grasp what Jesus is saying, she understands about “the resurrection on the last day”. It is almost as if she is saying, “I know that when we die and go to heaven it will all be okay”. But there is a vagueness about her reply, a lack of clarity and assurance. It is like, “Yes I’ve heard that, but it is not where I am at right now”. So many of us can believe that the Lord will deliver us one day into an eternal life with him but stop short of believing that he is interested in changing our lives on earth for the better.
Jesus responds once more with a faith declaration to her unsteadiness, “I am the resurrection and the life… Do you believe?” So, He is saying to her and to you right now - Whatever your problem is, no matter how big, impossible, insurmountable, or discouraging… It is no bigger than death itself. This is not about some vague hope for the future BUT right now I am bigger than it, I will conquer it and in doing that if you will believe, you will have life RIGHT NOW!!
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Who Do You Say I Am Series – Exchange Church Belfast 2020