“Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when he heard that 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 5-7
What is your expectation of God whenever you come to Him with your problem? I would say that most of us want it sorted as soon as possible. We want it fixed and we want to get back to going about our lives. I am not saying that is selfish - It is perfectly normal and okay when things are going wrong to want to be delivered from it. That is why when we are sick, we go to the doctor as an example. So, what happens in this story when Jesus hears that his friend Lazarus is ill, despite the disciples’ urging, Jesus does not rush to his side, but waits two days before heading for Bethany, the home of Lazarus and his two sisters, Martha, and Mary. You see although Jesus shows compassion many times to the crowds and towards the people, he does not allow his emotions to dictate his actions. He is moved by the Spirit. He follows the leading of his Father, he is not pressured by the expectations of those around him. This is why he stays put and waits another two days. He does not do things that we would expect and because of this we need to know above all that He is love. That can be the hardest and at the same time the best place for us. When circumstances are outside of our control, we realise that all we can do is rely, in faith, on the grace of God.
The word tells us that, “He loved them.” Everything that Jesus does in our lives begins and ends in His love for us. There is no other paradigm or lens. He is only ever operating from a place of deep, deep love for us. Why do we need to remind ourselves of that? Because our situation and circumstances may not look like that from the outside and during the process of promise. In our human mind we hope for deliverance, but we live in the natural and our minds are surrounded by events that may seem to be going in the wrong direction. In these times what is undermined is our trust in the loving grace of Jesus. Our confidence is tested and if we allow it to be shaken, we start to lose hope. When Jesus finally decides to go to Bethany, the disciples urge caution because it is near Jerusalem, where there is a danger to his life, in vs 8 they say, “are you going there”? This is the start of the great journey that Jesus will take towards His own death. This is the picture of the love that Jesus has for you today, His friend. He went to the place of danger – remember, he was going to be so close to Jerusalem where they wanted to kill him. For Jesus to save the one He loves; He must go and give up His own life. He travels towards that place and not away from it. Here we see how Mary and Martha and the others do not have a clue because they are only looking at it from their standpoint, but Jesus has the bigger view and the bigger plan in mind. He will go to a place where He surrenders His life to save another.
Remember Jesus is responding to your prayers today. You might not see it straight away but trust and believe that He is working behind the scenes of your life. He sees the big picture. He knows what pieces need to fall into place. He will have you at the right place at the right time. Every action towards you is motivated by his everlasting love and commitment to you.
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Who Do You Say I Am Series – Exchange Church Belfast 2020