John 11:33-35 When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled. 34 And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see. 35 Jesus wept.
In our previous discussion of Lazarus’ death, we examined Martha’s words, “Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee.” Although many view the woman’s statement as a declaration of faith, yet the context of chapter eleven proves otherwise. Basically, Martha was saying, “If you had been here on time, you could have healed my brother, just as you could also heal him now… if he were still alive!” Repeatedly, the sister kept reminding Jesus, “This is your fault for being late!” While endorsing Christ’s ability, the woman condemned His lack of concern.
This week, we see the same accusation made on three different occasions, once by Mary (vs 32), once by the mourners (vs 37), and then again by Martha (vs 39). God was being impugned for not operating according to man’s schedule and agenda. However, Jesus had already stated this situation was not about Lazarus’ death but rather about the glorification of God (vs 4). Just as Jesus tried to refocus his disciples’ attention on what was really REAL, God has also warned us from antiquity that “my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.” (Isaiah 55:8) In spite of being hard to understand, God performs His will irrespective of whether we agree or not.
In fact, even more uncharacteristic of our view of God’s Son, Jesus told his disciples regarding Lazarus’ death, “I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe.” (vs 15) Although difficult to appreciate, by His intentional absence, Christ was literally saying, “I am glad Lazarus died… so you could have an opportunity to believe!” Even if the disciples could not visualize the possibility of what God was about to do, yet Jesus knew His Father’s mind. In spite of Lazarus’ death, the situation was NOT ABOUT Lazarus’ death!
Today, our concept of God is jaded by the secular entitlement system that permeates every facet of our society. For some strange reason, too many people assume God owes them something, which He does not! Only because of His infinite mercy, He offered His love by sending His Son to die for us, while we were yet sinners. (Romans 5:8) However, He was not obligated. It was not His debt to pay, but ours! Again, God’s Grace is exclusively an outgrowth of mercy. Consequently, we must become more than “sunshine Christians” who demand a free ride at God’s expense!
Too many individuals claim faith as long as they are healthy, as long as they have money in the bank, as long as their relationships are intact, as long as no one criticizes them, etc. But what happens to these same “fair-weather disciples” when adversity arrives? The story of Lazarus should teach us that tragedies come our way for specific reasons known only to God. Additionally, the justification or purpose for the trial is not invalidated simply because we do not understand. The motive resides in the mind of God. Like Martha and Mary, we must realize that God loves us even when we’re confronted with difficulties beyond our control. In fact, we are more likely to be intimately drawn to God during times of turmoil than peace.
Characteristic of Israel’s journey in the wilderness, the Good Shepherd often leads his flock through the valley of the shadow of death in order to embrace those He loves. (Ps. 23) The prophet Hosea literally described our relationship with God in that way, “I will give her… the valley of Achor for a door of hope: and she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt.” (Hosea 2:15) The Valley of Achor literally means the “valley of death.” By stripping everything away, God personally reveals Himself to His beloved in each circumstance and during every season of life.
Just as Jesus groaned within Himself and cried because of human unbelief, we undoubtedly break God’s heart when we refuse to intimately acquaint ourselves with Him during our times of despair.
Edwin Woolsey’s family has lived in Shannon, Texas, and Howell counties since 1860. He taught 31 years at Missouri public schools and is currently the pastor of a small country congregation at Pilgrim Rest Community Church. Follow him on Twitter at @edwinwoolsey.
