He Waited

These past few weeks, I have again felt the weight of brokenness in this world. I have friends who have miscarried babies or are trying to get pregnant midst difficulties, friends who have lost a parent, a friend with an often-debilitating struggle that came out of nowhere, and a family member who is striving to walk after a serious health situation that had them hospitalized for weeks. These are just a few of the situations, and you probably have some of your own that you could add. Situations like these tempt us to question God’s timing, His presence, His sovereignty, His love, and His goodness. We may not voice our doubts or criticisms, but our thinking and behavior reflect our criticism of God.

Usually, I go to the Psalms for truth that comforts, but last week I read John 11:1-44. It’s a familiar account. I’ve read it numerous times and heard sermons preached from this text. You probably have too, but in light of recent sorrows, it challenged and comforted me. I would encourage you to read verses 1-44 to get the entire account. Verses 1-6 are below.

Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. 3 So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” 4 But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.[1]

We won’t cover all aspects of this story. I want to focus on Jesus – His character reflected in this account and what particular thing He does. Before we dig in, we should note the close relationship Jesus had with Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. In their message to Jesus, the sisters described Lazarus simply as “he whom You love…” (vs 3), and Jesus Himself states that He loves these three siblings (vs 5). Because of this close relationship, it would have been natural for Mary and Martha to send word to Jesus that Lazarus was ill. We know the sisters thought Jesus could heal Lazarus given their comments to Jesus when He arrived (vs 21, 32). They also likely knew the danger it posed to Jesus to come to Bethany as Bethany was in close proximity to Jerusalem where Jewish leadership waited to kill Jesus (vs 16). We don’t know if the sisters expected Jesus to come or not or just wanted to share their need with Him.

Now let’s study three key truths from this account. First, God’s glory: When Jesus receives the message regarding Lazarus, he says, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it” (vs 4). There is plenty to discuss in Jesus’ statement regarding death and resurrection, but let’s concentrate on the second part of His statement. All that is to unfold is for the glory of God, that Jesus would be glorified through it. As we face trials, we need to remember that ultimately everything is to be for God’s glory. We were created to glorify God (Psalm 86:9; Romans 11:36; 1 Corinthians 6:20; 10:31). I know this isn’t always my first reaction when facing a trial, but it is a truth we should hold onto. Knowing that God can be glorified in my chronic illnesses and bouts with cancer encourages me to persevere with joy in them. It doesn’t mean it is easy, but it helps me see one of the good things God is doing.

Second truth, God’s love: “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” (vs 5-6). Jesus loved them, so He waited. This goes against how most of us would respond in this situation. Danger of going to Judea aside as this is not what caused Jesus to wait, most of us would immediately be filling up the gas tank or going online to book a flight. One of the difficult aspects of living in Dubai was whether or not we could get home in time if something happened to someone in our family. When we love someone, our natural instinct is to be with them in the suffering. If I thought someone I love was going to die, my first thought wouldn’t be to wait around a few more days if it was possible to go be with them.

But God’s thoughts and ways are not our thoughts and ways. He often does things in a completely different way than we would expect. The greatest example of this is shown in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” The Jews were expecting their covenant God who loved them to send a conquering king to free them and restore the glory of Israel. Instead, God sent His only Son as a baby born to a humble family shadowed with shame. Jesus willingly suffered and died a humiliating death on a cross taking God’s wrath for our sin and rose again. But this is how God showed His great loved towards us, completely contrary to what the human mind would contrive.

In showing His ongoing love to us, God usually has a far superior end in mind than our finite minds can fathom because His goal is His glory and our good, our conformity to the image of Jesus (Romans 8:28-29). He wants us to know Him in deeper more intimate ways that often come through waiting, suffering, and trials. The same was true for the disciples, Mary, Martha, Lazarus, and some of the mourning crowds (vs 45). As we read this account, we see Jesus’ love as well as His power even over death, and that He was truly God (vs 25-26, only God could claim to be the resurrection and life).

Third truth, God is compassionate towards us: In our suffering and trials, we often wonder where God is, does He love us, is He good, and is He sovereign. In verses 33-35, we see the compassion, love, goodness, and sovereignty of Jesus. He sees Mary and the Jews with her weeping, and He was deeply moved. The Greek “literally means “to snort like a horse,” implying anger and indignation.[2] “Christ does not come to the sepulchre as an idle spectator, but like a wrestler preparing for the contest. Therefore, no wonder that He groans again, for the violent tyranny of death which He had to overcome stands before His eyes.” (Calvin)[3]Jesus wept because He saw their grief. He saw their tears. Likewise, God sees your tears, your grief, your suffering. He died on the cross and rose again to conquer sin and death forever, and to provide eternal life for us where there will be no more tears, grief, or suffering.

When we go to God in prayer with our need in trials and suffering, but it seems like God is absent, we need to hold to the truth that God’s waiting has purpose: His glory, to lavish His love on us, to grow our faith and conform us to the image of Jesus, and to show His compassion towards us even when we don’t feel or see evidence of it.

Reflection

1. We know that our purpose is to glorify God in whatever we do, but how often do you think about God’s glory in your day-to-day activities? Do you think of it when faced with a trial or suffering? How does God’s glory in your trial or suffering encourage you or give you hope?

2. When have you witnessed God do abundantly more than you had asked or imagined? How did it grow your faith? How does that encourage you in a current trial or suffering knowing that God’s thoughts and ways are not your thoughts and ways?

3. Do you pray with expectation? Do you believe God is always working good for those who love Him? Do you continue to pray with expectation even when it seems like God is not responding?

4. Have you ever doubted God’s compassion, presence, goodness, love, timing, or sovereignty? Why? What can you do to hide these truths in your heart and mind to better prepare yourself to persevere when the next trial or suffering comes?

[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Jn 11:1–6. [2] David Guzik, John, David Guzik’s Commentaries on the Bible (Santa Barbara, CA: David Guzik, 2013), Jn 11:33–38a. [3] David Guzik, John, David Guzik’s Commentaries on the Bible (Santa Barbara, CA: David Guzik, 2013), Jn 11:33–38a.