The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.” Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what he did, believed in him, but some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. (John 11:44-46, ESV)
Many times, eyewitnesses to the same event will each “see” the event differently. I suppose it’s a combination of one’s perspective, attentiveness, or even bias that may affect our perception of what happened. In the story of Lazarus in John 11, it wasn’t so much what each one saw, as how they reacted to what they saw.
The story is familiar to most of us. Lazarus of Bethany became very ill, and his sisters, Mary and Martha, sent for their friend Jesus. They knew He had performed many miracles and had the power to heal their brother. But Lazarus did not improve, and Jesus did not arrive—at least not in the timely manner they expected.
Since we have read the complete story in the Gospel of John, we understand why Jesus waited. His delay in going to Bethany was so “the Son of God might be glorified” (verse 4). Mary and Martha, however, only knew their friend did not show up when they desperately needed Him. Now Lazarus was dead, wrapped in grave clothes, and buried.
When Jesus finally arrived, at least four days too late in the minds of the sisters, Mary and Martha were surrounded by friends and neighbors who sat and mourned with them. This intense period of mourning would traditionally continue for seven days. This was day four.
Each woman’s first words to Jesus were, “If you had been here.” Their words implied, “You’re too late. It’s over. Finished.” But it wasn’t over! Jesus was not late at all. He arrived at just the right time to show that “the Son of God might be glorified.”
When led to the tomb, Jesus instructed, “Take away the stone.” Martha protested, “Lord, he’s been dead four days. The smell!” But Jesus replied to her reluctance, “Didn’t I tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?”
Do you have a picture of the scene? The grieving sisters, the friends and neighbors, the disciples, and probably some curious onlookers. All waited to see how this would play out. Then He commanded, “Take away the stone.”
Let’s stop here. Why did they have to move the stone? The Lord certainly had the power to speak the words and the stone would move. Instead, He involved some of those watching as part of the event. They became an active participant in the scene. They were the stone movers. This was real, no trickery. A man who had been dead four days—and should have had the smell of death upon him—walked out of the grave healed and whole. Jesus next instructed, “Loose him, and let him go” (verse 43).
Jesus could have come four days earlier. He could have healed Lazarus as he lay in his bed. But would the impact have been the same? Some could have scoffed and thought, “He probably wasn’t that sick anyway.” But it’s hard to argue away a miracle when an entire crowd sees a dead man walk. The ones who moved the stone knew without a doubt what was happening.
Have you ever questioned why God doesn’t answer your prayers as quickly as you think He should? God may use those delays to reveal the strength of our faith, our patience, and our perseverance. He may even ask you to move the stone.
A friend once remarked, “God gave me a promise, but I didn’t know I’d have to wait so long for Him to do it.” Perhaps you’ve felt the same. You believe God promised to take care of your situation. You know beyond a doubt He has the power to answer your prayers, but you wait . . . and then wait some more. Or the situation grows worse. Like Mary and Martha, you may think, “If You’d just been here, this would never have happened! Now it’s too late.”
Maybe, just maybe, God is waiting for that perfect timing so He can show His glory to those around you.
Robert H. Schuller once stated, “God’s delays are not God’s denials.” It’s true. Your miracle may be walking down the road right now. Are you willing to wait for the Lord’s perfect timing? It will bring Him glory.
Today, spend some time inviting God to show His glory in the situation you face. Trust Him and wait for your miracle.
Comments are closed.