Lazarus and his sisters Mary and Martha were friends of Jesus. He and His disciples visited them when they were in or near Bethany.
Luke 10:38-42 NIV As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
Since they were His friends and they knew that He had healed lots of folk in His ministry, when Lazarus became very ill they sent Him a message probably thinking that He would stop what He was doing and heal His friend. He didn’t.
John 11:1-7 NIV Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.) So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.” When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”
When He finally showed up Lazarus had died and had been dead four days.
When they heard that Jesus had finally arrived Martha went out to meet Him.
John 11:21 NIV “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died.
In other words, “Lord, where were You when we needed you?
Maybe you, like my daughter and granddaughters have said "Lord where were you when my daughter (my sister) was fighting cancer? Where were you when she died?"
Notice something, Jesus didn’t reprimand Martha He was very understanding and patient with her.
John 11:23-26 NIV Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
We can be honest with God too. It isn’t a bad thing to tell Him how we feel. For example, we can say, “Lord I don’t like the way things are going right now, and I don't understand why You’re doing what you’re doing.
It’s okay to pour out your heart to the Lord. Yet sometimes people say they’re made at God and aren’t talking to Him anymore. They’re not going to church, and they’re not reading the Bible.
That is foolish. We need to come to the Lord and cry out to Him, because let's face it we have nowhere else to go.
John 6:66-68 NIV From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve. Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.
So be honest. At the same time, understand that He is in control. There is nothing wrong with asking why but be prepared for His answer which is always better than ours even if we disagree. His answers are eternal, ours are always temporary.
Luke 10:38-42 NIV As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
Since they were His friends and they knew that He had healed lots of folk in His ministry, when Lazarus became very ill they sent Him a message probably thinking that He would stop what He was doing and heal His friend. He didn’t.
John 11:1-7 NIV Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.) So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.” When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”
When He finally showed up Lazarus had died and had been dead four days.
When they heard that Jesus had finally arrived Martha went out to meet Him.
John 11:21 NIV “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died.
In other words, “Lord, where were You when we needed you?
Maybe you, like my daughter and granddaughters have said "Lord where were you when my daughter (my sister) was fighting cancer? Where were you when she died?"
Notice something, Jesus didn’t reprimand Martha He was very understanding and patient with her.
John 11:23-26 NIV Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
We can be honest with God too. It isn’t a bad thing to tell Him how we feel. For example, we can say, “Lord I don’t like the way things are going right now, and I don't understand why You’re doing what you’re doing.
It’s okay to pour out your heart to the Lord. Yet sometimes people say they’re made at God and aren’t talking to Him anymore. They’re not going to church, and they’re not reading the Bible.
That is foolish. We need to come to the Lord and cry out to Him, because let's face it we have nowhere else to go.
John 6:66-68 NIV From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve. Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.
So be honest. At the same time, understand that He is in control. There is nothing wrong with asking why but be prepared for His answer which is always better than ours even if we disagree. His answers are eternal, ours are always temporary.
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