Monday 15th July
Read John 11:1-7
“Now a man named Lazarus was ill. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay ill, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.) 3 So the sisters sent word to Jesus, ‘Lord, the one you love is ill.’
4 When he heard this, Jesus said, ‘This illness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.’ 5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed where he was two more days, 7 and then he said to his disciples, ‘Let us go back to Judea.’” (NIVUK)
Why the delay? There is much to explore in these introductory verses to the eleventh chapter of John, but the key question commentators ancient and modern have asked is why the ‘two day stay’ when Jesus hears the news His friend Lazarus is deathly ill. Is it just callous? Is it fear of travelling too close to Jerusalem?
Some consider the delay, and I was amongst them, to be rich evidence of Jesus’ foreknowledge of all things. God’s glory would be fully revealed should Jesus raise Lazarus from death rather than merely heal Him of illness. A healing could be natural, a resurrection supernatural. The delay was hence to ensure death before arrival.
I am persuaded now that the delay is a genuine expression of anguished faithfulness. Note the number of times Jesus’ love for this family is mentioned alongside their love for Him. A request from them would be heard with compassion and refused with pain. The tension between Jesus seeking to work to God’s glory and timing and His desire to help those He loves would be immense. But the delay testifies to His faithfulness.
This last reported miracle mirrors the first John records in many ways. Another beloved Mary requests His help at a wedding. But the ‘time’ not yet being right He denies her request. He delays. Ultimately though God is glorified in His faithfulness and feast follows. Turning down the request of the one who raised Him must have been as challenging as waiting whilst this family He loves seeks His help. The humanity and divinity at the heart of this story is truly humbling.
