Mary and Martha, sisters of Lazarus, were distraught.
They were without hope.
Hope did not come.
They were confused. They did not understand why Jesus had not come.
"He healed the blind man. Couldn't He have saved His friend?"
Their brother Lazarus, who was loved by Jesus, had fallen ill. The sisters sent for Jesus.
They had seen Jesus heal lepers.
He opened the eyes of the blind.
He healed the lame and told them to walk.
He had stopped a woman's bleeding who had suffered 12 years.
These had been strangers.
Surely, Jesus would come to heal a friend.
But, He did not come.
Lazarus died.
It was over.
Hope did not come.
But, Jesus did come. When Jesus heard about Lazarus, He PURPOSELY stayed away for two days. When Jesus knew that Lazarus had died, He tells His disciples that it is now time to go to him. Jesus knows the miracle He will perform.
He chooses His friend to work this last, amazing miracle.
He chooses His friend, to draw many new believers to Him.
"When Jesus arrived, He found out that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Bethany was less than two miles to Jerusalem. Many Jews had come to Mary and Martha to comfort them because their brother was dead. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet Him." John 11:17-20
Listen to the pain in Martha's voice.
"Lord, I know that if You would have been here, my brother would not have died!"
Jesus said to her, " I am the Resurrection and the Life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even if he dies. And those who live and believe in me will never die. Do you believe this?"
Martha affirms that she DOES believe.
AND....
Hope DOES come.
Jesus calls Lazarus from the grave.
He who had been dead four days.
Death that had such a stench that Martha balks when Jesus tells her to command the stone to be rolled away.
A man who had been dead walks free from the grave.
Alive.
Jesus promises us that we, too, will have life instead of death.
We, who were dead in our sin....
have LIFE in the Son.
Jesus can RAISE any dead thing. Nothing is without HOPE.
Is there something dead in your life?
A dream?
A relationship?
Hope?
Jesus can RESURRECT it.
He can bring life back to anything you are sure is dead.
Martha was sure that her brother was lost to the tomb. That she would not see him until the Last Day when all would be resurrected. She didn't think she would talk to him, eat with him, hold him, see him....
But, HOPE, did come.
And, Lazarus walked free from the grave.
Jesus can do the same for you.
Trust Him.
Trust His words.
I am the Resurrection.
Because of Lazarus, and this miracle, many people come to Jerusalem and are there to experience Holy Week. They want to see Lazarus with their own eyes. What they see is even more amazing. Because of Lazarus, many people come to believe in Jesus.
Jesus can take the dead thing in your life, raise it, and use it to bring many more to Him.
