ON SUFFERING
Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. (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.) So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.†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.†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.â€â€¦ After he had said this, he went on to tell them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.†His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.†Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep. So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.†John 11:1-7, 11-15
There is so much hope in this passage, related to suffering.
Mary and Martha sent for Jesus when their brother was sick. This is a simple thing, but the very fact that they sent for Jesus shows that they believed He had the power to help their sick brother.
Right away, Jesus declares that the sickness would not end in death. A few verses later it would seem as if Jesus had been wrong, because Lazarus died. But Jesus doesn't just look at right now. Jesus sees the big picture. Just because things may seem like He's not working or His promises aren't true, don't lose hope. He isn't finished. He is concerned with the big picture and He will use all of our sorrows for our GOOD and ultimately for His glory! Jesus says that the reason Lazarus' sickness will not end in death is FOR GOD'S GLORY, SO THAT GOD'S SON MAY BE GLORIFIED. It's about Him. Lazarus' sickness, death, and resurrection glorified Jesus!! God uses our suffering to bring Himself glory.
It says that Jesus loved Mary, Martha, and Lazarus; yet He waited two days to go to Lazarus after He heard about the sickness. He didn't delay out of a lack of concern for Mary, Martha or Lazarus. It says that he LOVED them! Yet, he waited. HE WAITED. His timing is perfect. I bet Mary and Martha were feeling impatient, worried about their brother and why Jesus wasn't coming already. Put yourself in their shoes. "Does Jesus not care? Are we not important to Him? Why isn't He coming? Is it because He can't help? We thought He would come rushing here!" And then Lazarus died. Heartache. Tears. "Jesus failed us. He could have helped, but He didn't come. We must not have been a priority. Maybe our needs weren't as important as the needs of other people." Of course this is all conjecture, but wouldn't you have been thinking things like that? Because we know the outcome of the story, we know that Jesus was looking at the big picture. If He had not waited, if He had gone right away and healed Lazarus before he died, He would not have been glorified to the extent that He was. People could have said, "How do you know Lazarus didn't just get better on his own?"
In verse 7, Jesus says it is time to go to Lazarus and his sisters. It may have seemed like He had forgotten about them, but He didn't. He was waiting for His perfect time. And when that time came, He told the disciples that it was time to go. In verse 11, Jesus tells the disciples that Lazarus has died. Can you imagine? "Jesus, he is dead. Why are we going NOW?? Let's just move on!" Jesus tells them, "For YOUR sake I am glad I was not there, SO THAT you may believe." It's about the Son of God being glorified.
I think that sometimes God waits for things to look completely dead, lost, and broken so that He can display His POWER and GLORY in the "fixing!" Jesus says He waited for the sake of His disciples, so that they would believe. Verse 45, says "Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, put their faith in Him." People believed. They came to faith in Jesus. The Bible says we are saved by grace through faith.
BECAUSE Jesus waited, BECAUSE Lazarus died, BECAUSE Jesus told Lazarus to get up four days later....souls were saved. More people will be in Heaven!
We can have hope that when we are suffering and it seems like Jesus doesn't care or has more important situations to work out...He knows. He cares. He doesn't wait to torture us. He waits with purpose. He is glorified. Call on Jesus, and trust Him to show up in His perfect time.
If I can go through a time of suffering which will ultimately allow God to be glorified and people to be eternally SAVED, I will take it. I know I don't suffer alone. Psalm 34:18 says that God is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. He is my strength. He saves me every day. I have nothing to fear. May He be glorified.
Standing in Nebraska,
Nicole
Rejoice Marriage Ministries, Inc.
Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. (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.) So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.†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.†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.â€â€¦ After he had said this, he went on to tell them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.†His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.†Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep. So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.†John 11:1-7, 11-15
There is so much hope in this passage, related to suffering.
Mary and Martha sent for Jesus when their brother was sick. This is a simple thing, but the very fact that they sent for Jesus shows that they believed He had the power to help their sick brother.
Right away, Jesus declares that the sickness would not end in death. A few verses later it would seem as if Jesus had been wrong, because Lazarus died. But Jesus doesn't just look at right now. Jesus sees the big picture. Just because things may seem like He's not working or His promises aren't true, don't lose hope. He isn't finished. He is concerned with the big picture and He will use all of our sorrows for our GOOD and ultimately for His glory! Jesus says that the reason Lazarus' sickness will not end in death is FOR GOD'S GLORY, SO THAT GOD'S SON MAY BE GLORIFIED. It's about Him. Lazarus' sickness, death, and resurrection glorified Jesus!! God uses our suffering to bring Himself glory.
It says that Jesus loved Mary, Martha, and Lazarus; yet He waited two days to go to Lazarus after He heard about the sickness. He didn't delay out of a lack of concern for Mary, Martha or Lazarus. It says that he LOVED them! Yet, he waited. HE WAITED. His timing is perfect. I bet Mary and Martha were feeling impatient, worried about their brother and why Jesus wasn't coming already. Put yourself in their shoes. "Does Jesus not care? Are we not important to Him? Why isn't He coming? Is it because He can't help? We thought He would come rushing here!" And then Lazarus died. Heartache. Tears. "Jesus failed us. He could have helped, but He didn't come. We must not have been a priority. Maybe our needs weren't as important as the needs of other people." Of course this is all conjecture, but wouldn't you have been thinking things like that? Because we know the outcome of the story, we know that Jesus was looking at the big picture. If He had not waited, if He had gone right away and healed Lazarus before he died, He would not have been glorified to the extent that He was. People could have said, "How do you know Lazarus didn't just get better on his own?"
In verse 7, Jesus says it is time to go to Lazarus and his sisters. It may have seemed like He had forgotten about them, but He didn't. He was waiting for His perfect time. And when that time came, He told the disciples that it was time to go. In verse 11, Jesus tells the disciples that Lazarus has died. Can you imagine? "Jesus, he is dead. Why are we going NOW?? Let's just move on!" Jesus tells them, "For YOUR sake I am glad I was not there, SO THAT you may believe." It's about the Son of God being glorified.
I think that sometimes God waits for things to look completely dead, lost, and broken so that He can display His POWER and GLORY in the "fixing!" Jesus says He waited for the sake of His disciples, so that they would believe. Verse 45, says "Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, put their faith in Him." People believed. They came to faith in Jesus. The Bible says we are saved by grace through faith.
BECAUSE Jesus waited, BECAUSE Lazarus died, BECAUSE Jesus told Lazarus to get up four days later....souls were saved. More people will be in Heaven!
We can have hope that when we are suffering and it seems like Jesus doesn't care or has more important situations to work out...He knows. He cares. He doesn't wait to torture us. He waits with purpose. He is glorified. Call on Jesus, and trust Him to show up in His perfect time.
If I can go through a time of suffering which will ultimately allow God to be glorified and people to be eternally SAVED, I will take it. I know I don't suffer alone. Psalm 34:18 says that God is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. He is my strength. He saves me every day. I have nothing to fear. May He be glorified.
Standing in Nebraska,
Nicole
Rejoice Marriage Ministries, Inc.
