17On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. 18Now Bethany was less than two milesb from Jerusalem, 19and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. 20When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.
21“Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”
23Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
24Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
25Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
27“Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.” (John 11:17-27)
Thoughts: Martha and Mary both said "Lord, if you had been here, our brother would not have died." They rebuked Jesus- fussing with God- that He delayed helping them and didn't hurry to their aid when they were hurting. But Jesus knew that real hope lay in Him even if they didn't fully know it. They wanted to believe in Him but were not there yet. Jesus helped them to believe- giving them the words that He is the resurrection and the life. Both Lazarus's resurrection and Jesus' resurrection in the same month signaled God is to be trusted and hoped in- even if our prayers are not answered the way we wish. Jesus' raising Lazarus was much more important than his healing Him. God's glory is more important than our temporary pain- because His glory is clear in the face of eternity.
Prayer: Lord, help me to believe my life is found in yours, and my resurrection is found in yours too.
(Garden in Bethany 2010 photo- author's brother and sister-in-law)
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