Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” John 11:21-22 (ESV)
A Woman of Faith
Have you ever thought of Jesus having friends? I hardly ever think of him having real friends. Disciples, yes. Friends, not so much.
But he did.
The book of John talks about his friends: Lazarus, Martha, and Mary, a family of siblings who loved Jesus and opened their lives and home to him.
Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. John 11:5 (ESV)
Bad Things Happen to Good People
Lazarus, one of Jesus’ best friends, got sick. Really sick. What did his sisters do? They immediately call for Jesus. They send word to Jesus that this friend whom Jesus loves is ill.
So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” John 11:3 (ESV)
What is my response when I am sick or someone I love is sick? Do I call on Jesus first, or look for other solutions?
Martha’s first instinct is to reach for Jesus.
A Strange Response
Jesus does something a little strange and stays where he is for a couple of days, because he says that the sickness is so that God will get the glory. Cryptic, much?
Meanwhile back at the motel…
In the meantime, Lazarus dies from his illness. How disappointed and despairing the sisters must have been! How frustrated with Jesus, and his apparent lack of response!
When Jesus finally gets to the town where Mary, Martha, and Lazarus lived:
Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” John 11:21-22 (ESV)
Wow! Martha recognizes the power Jesus has. She knows the relationship Jesus has with God the Father.
Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” John 11:23 (ESV)
Even a great woman of faith, Martha doesn’t understand what Jesus is plainly telling her. She thinks he is talking about the distant future.
Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” John 11:24 (ESV)
Even though she doesn’t have a clue what Jesus is saying, Martha is still full of faith. She believes in the last day resurrection.
Jesus said to her, “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?” She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.” John 11:25-27 (ESV)
Yes! Martha is sure of WHO Jesus is – I wish I always responded with such amazing faith!
Faith Runs Into Reality
However, Martha’s great faith can’t quite overcome her practical nature. This woman of faith only sees the reality that her brother has been dead for four days. Before the days of embalming and refrigeration, the dead body in the cave-like tomb would be decaying and stinking. Her brain can’t get past the natural world to see the supernatural possibilities that are on the table because Jesus was involved.
Sure enough, even though she couldn’t even really see what to ask for, Jesus honored her faith.
Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.” When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.” John 11:40-44 (ESV)
Holy Mummies in the Bible! Right there in the book of John. So cool!
Sometimes we don’t even need to know what to ask for, we need to know who Jesus is. When we believe in Him, we can trust Him for the unimaginable, the beyond what we can fathom, supernatural solution.
Action Step:
Imagine that Jesus is standing in front of you. He looks into your eyes and says, “Who am I?”
What’s your answer? Seriously, I’ll pause for a second while you say it out loud or (better still) write it down.
What do you really believe about Him? Are you a woman of faith like Martha?
The Jesus that raised Lazarus from the dead is the same Jesus that we serve. He is capable of calming the storms in our lives, of raising dead dreams from the graveyard of deferred hopes, of replacing the natural possibilities with the supernatural ones.
Prayer:
Dear God, thank you for the power and presence of Jesus in our lives. Help us to believe. To see Who Jesus is and place our trust in Him. Display Your glory in our lives in ways we can’t even imagine. In Jesus’ name, amen.
If you have missed any of the posts from the gospel of John, CLICK HERE.