Week 3: Jesus The Healer
Luke 10:38-42, John 11:1-44
In John 11:3, Jesus is sent a message, “Lord, he whom you love is ill”. He responds with, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” (John 11:4) Jesus arrives a few days after receiving this message to find that His friend, Lazarus, had been in the tomb for four days. Both Mary and Martha come to meet Jesus upon his arrival and say the same thing to Him: “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” (John 11:21, 32)
We see two responses from Jesus. His response to Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he dies, yet shall live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:26)
He reminds Martha to believe.
The second response to Mary describes Jesus seeing the people weeping, and “he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled.” Jesus asks to be shown where Lazarus has been laid, and in verse 35 it says, “Jesus wept.”
He wept with Mary.
Jesus did not scold the grieving. He did not roll His eyes at their disbelief. He was not frustrated. He was not annoyed. He did not hold back the tears.
He was moved with deep sorrow, and He wept. He gives gentle, loving reminders of truth.
But the story wasn’t over.
In verse 39, “Jesus said, ‘Take away the stone.’ Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, ‘Lord by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?’ Jesus then cries out, “Lazarus, come out.’ The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth” (John 11:39-44).
Jesus doesn’t expect hope-filled people to avoid grief. Jesus experienced deep sorrow and wept over the loss of His friend. Even if it was for a short time. Even when He knew He was about to bring Him back to life. Even when He knew that good and glory were about to come from the death of the friend He loved.
Jesus doesn’t tell us to “buck up because I am about to do some big things.” No, He is moved by our grief, comes alongside us to weep with us.
He does tell us to grieve with hopeful expectancy. Hebrews 13:14 reminds us that “here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come”.He tells us to believe that we will see the glory of God revealed. Let that be the longing of your soul.
