We need food for our body, heart, and even for our mind, and
Jesus Is glad to provide it. He had received word that his beloved Lazarus was
dying and that He should come immediately. However, Jesus didn’t. Instead, He purposely
waited an extra two days for Lazarus to die and then started on the trek to
Bethany:
·
Then Jesus told [His disciples] plainly,
“Lazarus has died, and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that
you may believe. But let us go to him.” (John 11:14–15 ESV; also 11:41-42)
Jesus delayed for an important reason. He wanted to further
fortify their faith by showing them that He could raise the dead Lazarus even
after four days in the grave.
We too need evidential confirmation for our faith – reasons to
believe! Even John the Baptist required reassurance that Jesus was truly God’s
anointed One. John had been thrown into jail. Amid his suffering, he had begun
to doubt Jesus, even after the many divine signs he had been given.
Therefore, John asked his disciples to go to Jesus for proof
that he was truly the long-awaited Messiah. Instead of reprimanding John for
his lack of faith, Jesus sent confirmation through John’s disciples:
·
And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what
you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are
cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good
news preached to them.” (Matthew 11:4–5)
Jesus knows that our faith becomes wobbly when tried.
Therefore, He gives us what we need, but He also requires us to wait, even
though this might be very painful. By waiting until Lazarus had been in the grave
for four days, He had caused the family great distress:
·
Now when Mary [the sister of Lazarus] came to
where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you
had been here, my brother would not have died.” When Jesus saw her weeping, and
the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit
and greatly troubled. (John 11:32–33)
Delay causes sorrow, but it also brings something greater,
something that overshadows the pain. Jesus rose Lazarus from the dead, and many
believed in Him as a result. Miracles and reasons to believe in Jesus fail to
encourage us unless these had been preceded by great suffering, which grabs our
attention. The child who is repeatedly told by the parent, “I love you, I love
you” will become dulled to these words unless they are preceded by a trial of
guilt, fear, or just pain. Then the reassurance of love has a far greater
impact.
The trying of our faith leads to the conformation and
strengthening of our faith and our determination to make sure that Jesus is
first in every aspect of our lives (Matthew 6:33).
A purified faith is worth the price of suffering. Therefore,
we should rejoice even in the midst of suffering. Through the resurrection of
Lazarus and the suffering that had preceded it, Jesus had fortified their faith
with another essential lesson:
·
Jesus said to [Mary], “I am the resurrection and
the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and
everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (John
11:25–26)
Mary needed to believe this. Through His raising of Lazarus
from the dead, Jesus had proved Himself Master even over the grave. We need a
clear portrayal of this fact – If Jesus was able to raise Lazarus, He also has
the power to raise us from death unto eternal life. Without this assurance, our
life in Christ will be anemic at best.
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