Variety: John11v3-7
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.’
JOHN 11:3–7
Lazarus was sick. His sisters, Mary and Martha, didn’t even ask Jesus to heal him; they told Jesus the situation, and expected that he’d immediately meet their need. After all, by this point, Jesus had healed many instantly. Yet he stayed where he was. Why would Jesus prolong the sorrow of those in mourning?
In these verses, Jesus says that Lazarus’ sickness ‘will not end in death’. Although Lazarus did die, Jesus knew he would not stay dead. He knew the story’s outcome; he was able to speak about things not merely as they were, but as they would come to be.
And what a marvellous ending! After Lazarus spent days dead in a tomb, Jesus completes one of his most wondrous signs, and raises his dear friend to life again. It’s a reminder that when we call out to God, we are not waiting on a god carelessly making it up as they go along.
Jesus’ delay was not a lack of care, but evidence of deep love for this family. In verse 5, Jesus’ distinct love for each person is emphasised; Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus.
When Jesus does eventually arrive at Lazarus’ tomb after Lazarus’ death, ‘Jesus wept’ (John 11:35). In verse 6, John explicitly links the love of Jesus for this family with his delay: ‘So… he stayed where he was’. We can trust God in the wait because he loves us and he knows the ending.
Maybe it’s health, career, a relationship, family. Maybe it’s the thing you’ve agonised and prayed over for years. God’s delays can ache. We can question why our good God would withhold this good thing from us. Perhaps it is these apparent delays that our friends and family say distance them from wanting to know Jesus themselves, and we struggle to know how to respond.
Be assured that God’s delays are not a sign of distance, but tenderness. We can wait with confidence – not because we know what God will do, but because we know who God is. We have a God who sees the ending from the beginning. His delays are not denials. His timings are for his glory. We have a testimony of his goodness through the waiting. He is victorious, even over death!
Be still and wait on the Lord. We can follow his pattern and command to rest; know his restorative rest; work hard for him; and wait on he who loves us dearly.
Dorothy Moorley
Dorothy is an incoming criminal pupil barrister and recent graduate of the CARE Leadership Programme.