A MESSAGE OF HOPE

JOHN 11:1–4

Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick”

(John 11:3).

The account we have before us is one of the most extraordinary of Jesus’ miracles: the raising of Lazarus from the dead. The name “Lazarus” is an abbreviation of Eleazar, meaning “he whom God helped.” And the Lord certainly helped him in the hour of his most desperate need.

The characters in this account include the sisters Mary and Martha, whom we also meet in Luke 10:38–42, Matthew 26:13, and also later in John 12. These two sisters, who knew of Jesus’ friendship with their brother and His ability to heal, sent a message to Him, informing Him of Lazarus’ condition. Jesus was far away at the time, maybe at the other Bethany on the Jordan. A message, therefore, was dispatched with the hope that Jesus would arrive in time to save their ailing brother.

Let us look at the particulars of this note. First, it was urgent. Lazarus was seriously ill, so the sisters feared that all would be lost unless Jesus arrived before their brother died. Second, the sisters did not tell Jesus what to do or when to come. They simply told Him that “the one whom You love is sick.” They did not even ask Jesus to come and heal him (although we can assume that this was their expectation). This was a wonderful expression of faith in that Mary and Martha did not presume to know what was best. They trusted in their Lord (and notice that they called Him “Lord”) to do what was best.

Lastly, they based their plea not on their brother’s love or on their own love for the Lord, but only on Jesus’ love for their brother. While our love is comparatively weak, the love of our Lord is a rock on which we can always stand, especially during times of sickness and death. When we lie on our deathbeds, our hope and assurance will rest not on what we can offer to Christ, but on what He has given to us: His everlasting love.

Jesus’ response is critical to our understanding of God’s purpose in suffering. Jesus said, “This sickness is not unto death, but to the glory of God that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” Christ is glorified through suffering, for in this His power and mercy are displayed in a most excellent manner.

CORAM DEO

Job 21–22

Acts 10:1–23

Find out the name of a person in your church who is suffering a particular illness. Find some way to reach out and comfort them today. Make a commitment to pray for that person this month. Pray for healing, but also pray that God will be clearly glorified through that person’s sickness.

For further study: Isa. 53:4–6 • Matt. 26:6–13 • 1 Cor. 15:54–57

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