Scripture Reflections

Over the last few weeks, the young adult group has been studying the seven miraculous signs of Jesus in the Gospel of John. Since the normal leaders are out of town on a diocesan retreat, I get to teach this evening on John 11, which describes Jesus raising Lazarus. This is the seventh and last sign—the climatic demonstration of Jesus’ power, character, and agenda—and at its heart is Jesus’ declaration, “I am the resurrection and the life.” Not that he offers it, but that he IS it! And what is more, he tells Martha that his life and resurrection become ours in the present when we live and believe in him. If this truth sunk into the deep places of our souls, all earthly situations would look different. But I want to use this space to highlight another theme in the narrative.

The story begins with Jesus in another town and Martha and Mary sending word to Jesus that Lazarus was sick. Their intentions are clear: they want Jesus to come and heal their brother. They have good reason to assume he will, because he is extremely close to this family. But Jesus doesn’t come; instead, he stays where he is for two more days. Verses 5-6 are confusing: “Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.”

We would expect the opposite! He loved them, so why didn’t he go running to their side? This is what Martha and Mary think. Both say to him later, “If you had arrived earlier, you could have done something for Lazarus!” But we don’t have to wonder why he chose to stay away in their moment of crisis or why he didn’t answer their prayer right away. From the beginning of the story (v. 4) to the end (v. 40), Jesus makes it clear that he delayed in order to demonstrate God’s glory. Lazarus being healed wouldn’t demonstrate the aspect of God’s glory that he wanted to demonstrate. Only a resurrection could do that.

At first glance this seems to mean that his love for the family was second in his affections to the glory of God. (This is actually true—prioritizing anything over the glory of God, even the love for a friend, is idolatry.) But the passage doesn’t say this, and it doesn’t allow us to see “love for friends” in competition with (and losing to) “the glory of God.” After all, it says directly that he loved them, so he stayed two days longer. The point is that his desire for the glory of God was intricately tied to his love for the family. He loved them, so he wanted them to see God’s glory, so he delayed.

This is the point when the story should begin to sink into our hearts. We pray, hoping for immediate answers, and oftentimes, God seems silent or distant. We can interpret this as “he didn’t hear,” or “he doesn’t love me,” or “he isn’t able to do this,” or “prayer doesn’t work.” But the answer might be as simple as the one we find in this story. He loves you, and therefore delays, because in the delay he would show you the glory of God in a greater way than simply saying “yes” to your prayer. As you pray, encourage your own heart! God loves his children and wants to show them his glory. If this sometimes means he has to say, “Wait!” to us, do not lose faith!

Steven+