Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when He heard Lazarus was ill, He stayed two days longer in the place where He was. John 11:5-6 ESV1
Read John 11:1-45
After Jesus averted the attempt of the angered religious leaders of Jerusalem to seize Him (see John10:39) and stone Him (see John 10:31), “He went away again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing at first, and there He remained” (John 10:40). He stayed there with His disciples for a while until He was alerted of a friend in need. Out of love, He left His place of safety, and entered dangerous territory, to help this one whom He loved.
“Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha … whose brother Lazarus was ill. So, the sisters sent to Him, saying, ‘Lord, he whom you love is ill.’ 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’” (John 11:1 & 3-4).
“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. Then after this, He said to the disciples, ‘Let us go to Judea again.’ The disciples said to Him, ‘Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone You, and are You going there again?’… He said to them, ‘Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.’ … The disciples said to Him, ‘Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.’ Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that He meant taking rest in sleep. Then Jesus told them 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.’ So, Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, ‘Let us also go, that we may die with Him”’ (John 11:5-8 & 12-16).
“Now when Jesus came, He found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days … When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met Him … 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.’… When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying in private, ‘The Teacher is here and is calling for you.’ And when she heard it, she rose quickly and went to Him … Now when Mary 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’” (John 11:17, 20a-22, 28-29 & 32).
“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. And He said, ‘Where have you laid him?’ They said to him, ‘Lord, come and see.’ Jesus wept. So, the Jews said, ‘See how He loved him!’ But some of them said, ‘Could not He who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying’” (John 11:33-37)?
“Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. Jesus said, ‘Take away the stone.’ Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to Him, ‘Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.’ 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 11:38-44).
“Many of the Jews, therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what He did, believed in Him, but some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done … So, from that day on they made plans to put Him to death. Jesus therefore no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there to the region near the wilderness, to a town called Ephraim, and there He stayed with the disciples” (John 11:45-46 & 53-54).
In this story, there are many powerful and thought-provoking sentences. Among them are: “’Lazarus, come out’” (John11:43b), “‘Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?’” (John 11:40), and “‘I knew that You always hear Me’” (John 11:42a). But the one sentence which usually causes me to pause most is: “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” (John 11:5-6).
What? Because Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, He ignored their plea for help and went on about His own business! What kind of love is that? When I or a loved one is in some great difficulty, I cry out to the only One who can help. Relying on the fact that He loves me, I don’t expect Him to shrug His shoulders and walk away. I want Him to rush in like a knight in shining armor, “mighty to save” (Zephaniah 3:17), and remedy the situation.
Undoubtedly, this was the kind of salvation Mary and Martha were expecting. When Lazarus became sick, they “sent to [Jesus], saying, ‘Lord, he whom you love is ill’” (John 11:3). The simple faith of this statement is an indication of their expectation of Jesus’ immediate attention in this matter. They so clearly believed Jesus intimately knew Lazarus that they didn’t even mention his name. It is evident they expected healing, so much so that their request was implied. They so knew Jesus would know what to do that they didn’t even ask.
Yet, Jesus didn’t do what they expected. Why not? The Gospels are filled with numerous examples of Jesus healing. What makes this situation different or less deserving?
Since Jesus’ actions here are such a faith-shaker and doubt-maker, the writer, John, feels the need to stress, over and over, that Jesus loved both those asking for help and the one needing help. Verse 3 calls Lazarus, “He whom [Jesus] love[d].” Verse 5 explains, “Now Jesus loved Mary and her sister and Lazarus.” Verse 33 records, “When Jesus saw [Mary] weeping … He was deeply moved in His spirit and greatly troubled.” In verse 35, “Jesus wept.” Verse 36 reports Jesus’ love for Lazarus was no secret; “The Jews said, ‘See how He loved him!’” And verse 38 says, “Jesus [was] deeply moved again.” Nowhere else in Scripture is Jesus portrayed with so much emotion. Clearly, this is eye-witness proof of Jesus’ love for Lazarus and his family. Lack of love was not the reason Jesus didn’t immediately respond to Mary and Martha’s request.
So, did Mary and Martha lack faith? Is that the reason Jesus didn’t respond as expected? The Bible teaches that faith is necessary for prayers to be answered (see Matthew 21:21-22). But lack of faith doesn’t seem to be the problem here. Mary and Martha both testified to their faith. Mary said, “‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died’” (John 11:32). Martha confronted Jesus with, “‘Lord, if You had been here, my brother would have not died. But even now I know that whatever You ask from God, God will give You’” (John 11:21-22). They had no doubt Jesus could have done exactly as they had requested and more. But they were unclear why He hadn’t.
Jesus didn’t act immediately or as expected, because He had much bigger plans than the healing of a friend. Jesus’ eyes were focused on glorifying God. When Jesus first heard Lazarus was sick, He said, “‘This illness … is for the glory of God, so that the Son of Man may be glorified in it’” (John 11:4). Jesus was also concerned about strengthening the faith of the disciples. “Jesus plainly told [His disciples], ‘Lazarus has died, and for your sake, I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe’” (John 11:14-15). And Jesus’ mind was on bringing many others to faith. When Jesus prayed for Lazarus to be raised from the dead, He prayed, “‘Father, … I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that You sent Me’” (John 11:41-42). When God answered that prayer, and Lazarus came out one that tomb alive, “many of the Jews … [saw] what [Jesus] did [and] believed in Him” (John 11:45). You see, Jesus didn’t just love Martha, Mary, and Lazarus; He loved everyone. So, He did what was best for everyone, not just what was easiest for Mary, Martha, and Lazarus.
Are you currently in a disparaging circumstance? A situation in which you are pleading for God to intervene? Is God not acting the way you expect? Are you beginning to question Jesus’s love? Are you doubting that He cares? Are you beginning to question your own faith? Just because things aren’t going the way you hoped doesn’t mean there is anything wrong with you or your relationship with God. God will answer your prayers at just the right time in just the right way.
Remember, Jesus doesn’t only love you. He loves everyone. He will do not only what’s best for you but for others also. He will use what is happening in your life to positively affect the maximum number of people, including you. Keep praying for God to work, soon. But pray also for strength for yourself as you wait. It may not be easy, but waiting for God to do what He has planned will prove His great love for everyone, including you.
1 Scripture quotations marked with ESV are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All Scriptures are taken from the ESV unless otherwise noted. To aid in understanding, I have capitalized references to God.