Lazarus – Part 2



John 11:17-27
17Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. 18Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, 19and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. 20So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. 21Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” 23Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 25Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” 27She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”

Martha is sometimes maligned a bit by students of the Bible because she chooses to get dinner on the table rather than sit at the feet of Jesus like her sister, Mary. (See Luke 10:38ff) But in our reading for today in regards to the tragedy surrounding her brother, Lazarus, Martha is acquitted. Her statement of faith is truly worthy of meditation.

Jesus times these events out perfectly. He has been informed that Lazarus is in critical condition. He will not recover. After hearing this news, Jesus waits until Lazarus has been in the tomb for four days to make His appearance. Martha is a take-charge type of woman. She doesn’t wait for Jesus to come to her, she heads out to meet Him on the road as soon as she hears that He is in the area. I totally get Martha. She’s asked the only person she knows who can help her to come and save her brother. Jesus delays! That delay has resulted in Lazarus' death. If only Jesus had done as she asked in the first place this whole situation could have turned out differently. Her honesty with the Lord is encouraging. Even as Jesus promises that Lazarus will rise again she is a little terse with Him. “Yes, yes. I know he’ll rise on the last day. That isn’t what I’m looking for here. What can you do for me today?” [Translation according to Carolyn.] Then Jesus speaks the words that have been quoted millions of times since He first said them.

“I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.”

Then Martha proclaims her faith in the Son of God with great power. Jesus moves the conversation away from the immediate problem of Lazarus’ death and brings it home to Martha personally. “What do you believe?” Martha’s response is perfect and hopefully rings through our hearts as well.

“Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”

Martha is one of the first people to express this faith so adamantly in the Gospel narrative. This woman knows exactly who Jesus is and she believes in Him as Her Savior. I think Martha is an intelligent woman. She certainly knew her Old Testament history, understood that she was awaiting the promised Messiah, and knew with clarity that she was speaking to Him on that road. Her hope was found in Him alone. But now she needs help with an immediate problem. Because Jesus is her final hope, He can also be trusted with
her immediate problem, she goes back home to await His action. Her faith is more than admirable.

In the midst of our pain are we able to step away from ourselves enough to see God’s action in our lives? It’s tough to do but it’s always a great skill to have at our disposal. It goes right back to placing ourselves in the Hand of God. I think that Martha walked away from that conversation with calm in her heart. She had handed the problem over to Jesus and was just waiting to see what He would do. Even take-charge people can surrender themselves into Jesus control. That’s good news for me today.

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