The Christian’s Conflict John 11

I have learned that each season of life, whether beautiful or heartbreaking, doesn’t come to stay. Every relationship isn’t meant to last and neither is every trial. Every friend along the way is not going to be a lifelong friend. At times God will place people in our lives for a season because we needed them at that time, or they needed us. And if they leave us, we have to understand that God allowed that. Whatever the manner of the departure may be. We see plenty of evidence of this in the Bible. Good kings that blessed God’s people came and went, evil kings that persecuted and enslaved them saw their reigns begin and end. Good friends that seemed as though they might stay together forever were parted one from another; family reunions and family farewells, prophets and priests moved on, and kingdoms passed away. As for you and me today, even the people we love the very most in the world depart, leaving an emptiness that can never be filled with anyone or anything else. The Portuguese have a beautiful expression for that feeling that never goes away-the constant reminder that someone who used to be here is gone. They use it in many of their sonnets and love songs. They call is “Saudade” which in essence means, the presence of the absence.

Profoundly beautiful. It is not our place to question when our Lord allows these times in our lives, although question is exactly what we do. When Lazarus’s two sisters watched their beloved brother get sick to the place of approaching death’s door they were devastated. They sent for Jesus but Jesus didn’t come when they thought he should come. And while he waited to do what he knew would be best, Lazarus died. Martha was so completely shattered, so broken hearted, she cried out when she saw the Lord, “Lord, if you had been here my brother had not died!” What she was saying was not necessarily false. She knew the Lord could do anything. But as soon as he arrived, she placed the blame for Lazarus’s passing at the Lord’s feet. In essence she was saying, “Lord, I just can’t figure out why you would let a thing like this happen. You know what a good man my brother was…our lives will never the same.” And she was crying to break her heart. When her sister Mary heard the Lord had come, she ran out to him, threw herself at his feet and repeated what her sister said. Now, Jesus didn’t make Lazarus sick but Martha implied that none of that would have happened if he would have gotten there in time. She was hurt and it is typical of hurt, offended or bitter people to blame other people for their problems. When life doesn’t turn out the way they think it should turn out they look for someone or something to blame. Who among us has not blamed someone else for our lack of happiness-when the choice to be happy is ours alone?

Let’s pause for a moment and remind ourselves of this little family’s relationship with the Lord. Lazarus, Mary and Martha knew Jesus well. He was often a guest at their home. They knew of all the miracles. They heard the stories. Each of them made the decision to believe Him as their Lord and Saviour. They knew He was able to do exceeding abundantly above all they asked or thought. But how very difficult it can become to take all of that knowledge and live it when such things in life call for us to start living what we already know to be absolutely true.

So we see the story continues to unfold. A crowd gathered. Everyone in the town of Bethany knew this small household and so mourners, friends, acquaintances, and neighbors came to comfort the bereft sisters. Our Lord asked the girls to show him where they had placed Lazarus. They brought him to the tomb, the mouth of a cave now sealed by a huge stone. And giving proof of his humanity before giving proof of his divinity, “Jesus wept.” Some of the Jews gathered at the tomb began to reproach Christ as well. “Could no this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died?” Before we’re too hard on any of these people, you and I both know we do not understand why God allows certain things to happen to certain people, and surely if we have not expressed that out loud, those thoughts have infiltrated our hearts and prayers. The Lord instructed Martha, “Take ye away the stone”. Now Martha, who, to my way of thinking has always seemed like the female version of the Apostle Peter; irrespective of all of the things she knew about the Lord, regardless of everything he had done for their family, and all of the miracles he had performed throughout Israel, piped up. She is going to give the Lord a lesson in forensics. “Now Lord, it’s been four days. Because of the decomposition of the various body parts an awful stench will be released…” Martha did what most people do when they are lead through difficult or uncertain times. She was rationalizing with the Lord and informing him about the reasons she thinks this whole thing is not going to work out. The Lord was telling her to trust him nd obey him completely and Martha’s reply, not unlike a little child’s response had nothing to do with what the Lord was telling her to do! Trust me on this one-I speak from years of classroom experience:

“Lulu did you do your homework?”
“My grandfather has a cold.”
“I’m so sorry about grandpa-please express my sincere well wishes to him. Now did you do your homework?”
“My pajamas were still in the dryer…”

The Lord simply said to move the stone and instead of her complete obedience she hesitated and attempted to instruct the Lord. The Lord looked at her and responded, “Said I not unto thee…” In other words- “Didn’t you hear what I said?” He instanced “Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldn’t believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?” Now back to you and me. We have some choices to make. We can continue to question God, or we can trust and obey. What we choose will determine how long we delay what God wants to do in our lives.

Nothing prevents God working in our lives like disobedience and unbelief. the Bible then tells us Jesus prayed to his Father and they took away the stone. They? Who are they? I thought the Lord was speaking to Martha. Or at most both of the sisters. But you and I know they couldn’t budge that thing on their own. It was way too heavy for them. The Lord knew that. But would Martha finally stop the crying and questioning and simply show her willingness to obey? Yes, at last she did. She was quiet, no more accusations or questions. Just quietly obedient. Can you see her, standing there, tears streaming down her cheeks, pushing and struggling to move that stone, in quiet, determined obedience to the Lord she loved and trusted? And here comes “they”-friends and loved ones to the rescue! How many times has the Lord sent someone into our lives who said just the right thing, just what you need to hear, who shared the burden, who eased your troubled mind? The Lord knows exactly what we are going through, therefore he knows precisely when to send the help, how to express his grace and how to renew our strength. And when they moved the stone-when they did exactly what the Lord said to do, a miracle happened. Jesus called Lazarus and Lazarus obeyed.

Our obedience to the Lord in every area of our lives will draw us closer to him. Struggles, like life, will not last forever. But you have to choose which one you will devote yourself to; the struggle of life.

Thank you for reading-

Liz