Thursday 18th July
Read John 11:17-22
“On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. 18 Now Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, 19 and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. 20 When 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. 22 But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.’” (NIVUK)
Four days is one day longer than traditionally Jews thought the soul rested with the body; decomposition was too advanced beyond then. Jesus’ delay renders Lazarus properly dead. Martha poignantly refers to Jesus’ delay (v21) not realising that it was deliberate. Despite this she still announces her faith in Him (v22).
We should be careful as we approach this narrative and not too eagerly engage in psychological study of the sister’s motives and actions. John wants us instead to focus on Jesus. This is particularly clear when we consider that Martha and Mary say exactly the same thing to Jesus (v21, 32), yet His response is vastly different to each. Jesus is the one with perfect pastoral insight, and, two thousand years removed, it would be slightly presumptuous of us to claim more insight than Him!
Suffice to say, as the narrative moves to Bethany and the mourning household and to the awful reckoning with death, we should consider the various responses carefully. In the face of personal loss and grief, Martha still trusts Jesus. That in itself is a remarkable grace to be thankful for. Spend time thanking God for those who continue to do believe in the face of such grief.
