Scripture: John 11:17-27 (ESV)
Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. 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.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 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.”
At last Jesus arrives in Bethany and Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. By this time Lazarus would have already started decomposing. Part of the point John is making is that there could be no mistaking the fact that Lazarus had died, he wasn’t just sick, he wasn’t just sleeping. No he was dead and buried. This then sets the scene for Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead, which we will look at after this passage.
But it is important for us to wrestle with this particular passage because it reveals much about how faith works, particularly as we look at the conversation Martha has with Jesus.
Firstly, we see that deep and true faith does not disconnect you from your reality. Martha tells Jesus that she knows that if he had been there, if he had only come in time, then Lazarus would not have died. I think that often people think that faith is somehow disconnected from reality. That to be faithful means you never question God, that you simply force yourself to believe that everything is joyful and nice even when the reality is sad and difficult. Martha’s faith here shows us that she strongly believes in Jesus and what he can do, but she doesn’t pretend that everything is hunky dory. I think this is a great encouragement to us. We don’t need to pretend that everything is fine because we are Christians. Our faith is robust enough to handle the bad times.
Second, deep and true faith does look beyond the current circumstances. Martha, after telling Jesus that Lazarus would have still been alive if Jesus had only come sooner, goes on to give an amazing statement of faith. “But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” She tells Jesus that if Jesus asked, God could raise Lazarus from the dead. Her faith, while still rooted in reality, looked beyond the reality of her situation to what God could do through Jesus. I think this is a great challenge to us. Sometimes we see only the mountain in front of us, and not the maker of the mountain. Sometimes we can be so overwhelmed by the magnitude of our problem, that we forget that God is much bigger than our circumstances, no matter how bad they are. We are reminded here that we can trust in Jesus because he is greater even than death! He is in fact “The Resurrection and the Life”.
Which of these two aspects of faith do you struggle with the most? Pretending that everything is fine because that is what good Christians do? Or having a faith in a God who practically speaking you believe is too small for your circumstances?
Prayer
Lord, thank you for showing us through Martha that we can come to you as we are, with our hurts and questions. Strengthen my faith, that I may see beyond my circumstances and trust you as the resurrection and the life.
Spiritual Challenge
Today, consider the people around you who are struggling in faith. Who can you encourage today?
Faith beyond the tomb