Yes, Lord, I Believe

John 11:1-27

¹Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. ² It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. ³ So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” ⁴ But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” ⁵ Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. ⁶ So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. ⁷ Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” ⁸ The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?” ⁹ Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. ¹⁰ But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” ¹¹ After saying these things, he said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.” ¹² The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” ¹³ Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep. ¹⁴ Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died, ¹⁵ and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” ¹⁶ So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” ¹⁷ Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. ¹⁸ Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, ¹⁹ and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. ²⁰ So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. ²¹ Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. ²² But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” ²³ Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” ²⁴ Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” ²⁵ Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, ²⁶ and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” ²⁷ She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”

Now we come to one of the most dramatic events in the ministry of Jesus. He has healed people, fed people, controlled the weather, cast out demons, and raised people from the dead. The Pharisees have had enough. They want Him gone. At this point he is remaining in Galilee to stay out of the limelight. Word comes to Jesus and the disciples that Lazarus, a close personal friend, is gravely ill. Of course, his sisters turn to Jesus for help. The problem is that Mary, Martha, and Lazarus live in Bethany which is just two miles from Jerusalem which is enemy territory at that time for Jesus. But, Jesus’ time has almost come and so He agrees to go and help but oddly, He waits for a few days before He answers their call.

And there it is. Jesus waits a few days to answer their call. My mind automatically goes to the numerous times I have cried out for help only to have God wait “a few days” (or months, or years!) to help me out of the problem. I hate to wait. If you know someone who likes to wait I would like to meet them for I clearly have a few things to learn about that. Jesus is working His perfect plan and a part of that plan is that Lazarus should die. He waits just long enough for that death to occur and for Lazarus to be dead and buried for four days. Then the timing is right for Jesus to enter into the drama.

Once again, just as with the man born blind (John 9), Jesus declares that there is a divine purpose for this tragedy to take place.

It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.

When we are following Jesus, our lives are designed to bring glory to God. Lazarus’ death brings an opportunity for Jesus to receive the glory due His name because He alone has power over death, which He will prove again a few weeks later with His own resurrection. Thomas, who has observed the troubles that Jesus is having with the Pharisees, knows what’s in store for the whole group if they return to Jerusalem. The Pharisees aren’t going to give up. So, he voices what the rest of the disciples are probably thinking, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” Thomas doesn’t know how the story will end but he has serious concerns about the future. He still doesn’t understand the glorification of God through the struggles of God’s people. Frankly, sometimes I don’t either. What we do have is trust that God has all things well in hand and even in struggle God’s good and gracious purposes are met.

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 this reading for today in regards to the tragedy surrounding her brother, Lazarus, Martha is acquitted. Her statement of faith is truly worthy of meditation.