John 11:1-16 (ESV)
1 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. 7 Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” 8 The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?” 9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. 10 But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” 11 After saying these things, he said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.” 12 The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” 13 Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep. 14 Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died, 15 and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” 16 So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”
This passage is part of the larger narrative that encompasses all of chapter 11 (and I encourage you to read it all today just to get the big picture). It’s an incredible story that centers on Jesus and His relationship with Lazarus and his sisters Mary and Martha.
Three times in this chapter we’re told that Jesus loves this family and they have figured prominently in His ministry. Jesus has more than a passing familiarity with this family. He has a very close relationship with them.
So we’re puzzled and wonder why Jesus delays when He receives the news that Lazarus is gravely ill.
Is it because Jesus is keeping His distance from Judea after all that has happened in chapter 10? Remember that Jesus withdrew from Judea and went back across the Jordan after the conflict that took place at the Feast of Dedication (10:22-42).
We’re not told that Jesus sends a message back to Mary and Martha and there is no indication that Jesus makes any kind of preparation to go to Bethany.
It doesn’t even appear that the disciples know about the message from Mary and Martha. The disciples are clearly surprised when, two days after receiving the message, Jesus says, “Let’s go to Judea.” The disciples warn Jesus that it’s not a good idea to go just now as the Jews there were seeking to kill Him.
So why wait for two days? One thing we can be sure of from our reading so far is that Jesus wasn’t just sitting still and doing nothing in those two days. From all that we’ve read in John’s Gospel to this point, we can be sure that Jesus was praying; He was seeking the will of His Heavenly Father.
It wasn’t the right time to go to Bethany just yet, but two days after receiving the message, it was the right time, and Jesus was going to meet Mary and Martha in the depth of their grief and act in a way that was beyond their expectations with the most incredible miraculous sign yet. A sign that would reveal the fullness of Jesus’ ministry and purpose, one which would point to the climax of John’s Gospel.
However, what about that little saying in verses 9-10 regarding people who walk at night will stumble but those who walk in the daytime won’t stumble? What’s that all about? It’s all in response to the disciple’s objection to go back to Judea. Jesus is encouraging the disciples to trust Him and follow Him because He is the light of the world (John 8.12).
Trusting Jesus. That’s really the focus of the passage. There are times when it’s hard for us to trust Jesus. We know that God’s ways are not our ways and that His timing is not our timing. That’s frustrating to us. We want things to be made right, right now. We want it fixed, and taken care of and the solution seems so obvious to us, and yet, it seems, it seems as if the Lord is not answering our prayers and we’re left wondering why nothing is happening.
But we know, don’t we, that the Lord is working and moving, pouring out His goodness and fulfilling His promises to us in His good, and perfect, timing. We might not see the good work of the Lord in our immediate context, however over time, we often are able to discern hints of His work in our lives in our difficult situations if we take some time to look back over our lives with an open heart and mind.
My encouragement to you, and to myself in writing to you now, is to trust Jesus and His good timing as you pray and seek to be in step with Him every day.
N.T. Wright said it best, “If we go with Jesus, even if it’s into the jaws of death, we will be walking in the light, whereas if we press ahead arrogantly with our own plans and ambitions we are bound to trip up (to stumble).”
God bless you and know that you are constantly in my prayers.
Scott