Lazarus, Part 4 - Why Weren't You here?

John 11v17-22

11^th November 2022

Jesus and His disciples had been in Perea, east of the Jordan, when a message came from Martha and Mary saying that Jesus's friend Lazarus was seriously ill. Jesus waited for two days before returning to Judea.

John 11v17-19
On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother.

Martha and Mary must have been well-liked, because lots of people from Jerusalem had come to the tomb to comfort the sisters. There would be plenty of witnesses to the impending miracle.

John 11v20
When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.

Mary didn't know that Jesus had arrived, as verse 28 tells us. Martha didn't take time to tell her but immediately went out to meet Jesus. We can understand her urgency. Martha loved and trusted Jesus, and she spoke honestly to Him:

John 11v21-22
"Lord," Martha said to Jesus, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask."

This is one of the passages of Scripture where it would be really interesting to have the soundtrack as well as the written record. I wonder what Martha's tone of voice was. Was she angry? Was she bewildered? Was she at peace with the situation? We don't know, but I can remember times when I felt all of those emotions at once. When things don't go the way we want, the way we think they "should", we can feel disappointed with God, or even unloved by God, and yet we can retain a sense that God is both good and powerful.

I think Martha respected Jesus too much to ask Him the question she really wanted to ask, "Why weren't you here when we needed you?" so she said, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." She was torn between a feeling that Jesus let her down and her genuine faith that Jesus is good.

Do we think we know better than God? Do we think His decisions are worse than the ones we would have made if we were in His position? Who do we think we are to judge God? How do you reconcile – in your mind and in your heart – the fact that your brother has just died, the fact that God could have prevented it but didn't, and the fact that God is both infinitely loving and infinitely powerful?

I've heard some Christians say extraordinary things about God: that God has let them down, that God makes them angry, that they can't trust God any more. I recently heard a church leader say she thought that God is annoying, apparently unaware of how disrespectful that was. I've heard people say that they lost their faith in God when a relative died, or another tragedy occurred. We can feel like God has let us down, but God cannot let us down. God is absolutely perfect.

Most of us will come, sooner or later, to a time when we have to decide whether we truly believe that God's love, God's power and God's wisdom are perfect. Generally, we only come to this conviction when something terrible has happened. Until then, it's just theory. When that time comes, it can be agonising.

Martha only knew what she had seen and heard. She spoke out of her limited understanding. She called Jesus "Lord" and she knew Jesus is loving, compassionate and powerful. She may not have realised that Jesus could heal without being physically present with the sick person, as His healing of the centurion's servant in Matthew 8v5-13 demonstrates. She hadn't heard Jesus promise the disciples "This will not end in death" (verse 4). She didn't have a full revelation of God's plan. She didn't know Jesus would soon restore Lazarus to life.

We all underestimate Jesus, don't we? He is Lord of Heaven and Earth. He can do whatever He wants. He's not constrained by geography or anything else.

In saying, "But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask." Martha wasn't quite asking Jesus to raise Lazarus from the dead, but she was hinting at it. She was right that, if Jesus would pray for Lazarus, then God the Father would answer His prayer.

So often, Christians encounter what seems to us to be total disaster. But God is perfect. Whatever you and I, or our loved ones, endure, it's for a good reason. God has a plan for your future and for your loved ones' future. His plan is intended for your good and for His glory, and His plan will be implemented.

Remember the words of Joseph, when his brothers' plan to harm him had come to light:

Genesis 50v19
You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good.

May God grant us faith to believe:

Romans 8v28
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

When God does something, or chooses not to do something, and we find His choice totally bewildering and very painful, may He grant us grace to continue to believe in His perfection.

None of us really believes God should do what we think is best. Really, we're all glad that God is in charge. Really, we know that God knows best. We find great peace when we choose to submit to Him, accepting what God does, and what God chooses not to do.

Matthew 6v9b-10
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Amen.