“…if you had been here…”
John 11:1-44
A few weeks ago, in Kidz Harbour, we talked about Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. As fun as it was to watch their eyes widen when they heard about a mummy-wrapped man coming out of a grave, I couldn’t help but think about some of the other things also taking place in this story.
Because when Jesus performs a miracle, there are always multiple levels of healing and ministry taking place. Lazarus wasn’t the only one who experienced a supernatural touch from God that day.
Jesus loved and knew this family well. We get to read in other places about the time Jesus spent in their home sharing a meal Martha had prepared for them and about the great love Mary had expressed when she anointed his feet and wiped them with her hair… And we see get to see the depths of that love he had for them when their brother gets sick and dies.
The thing I love most about this whole story, is that Jesus ministers to Mary and Martha in the exact ways they need him to. Bringing comfort, peace and compassion to his friends looked different for both of the sisters.
Although they both present similar hurts to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died…” they both needed Jesus to respond in very different ways. It seems like Martha really needed to process and work through what was taking place logically and theologically… and that Mary simply needed someone to cry with and share her sorrow with.
Whether we like it or not, our understanding of God and of the world he created, the people who fill it and how their lives unfold, will always be limited. We will never know or even begin to comprehend why certain things happen or how to make sense of the circumstances that surround us.
Yesterday, Gabe spoke to us about knowing God. About how, as we grow in our relationship with him, we move from places of basic knowledge to places of deeper understanding – ultimately leading us into the way of wisdom. None of that is possible unless we are seeking his face, asking questions and spending time in his presence.
Part of the mind-boggling mystery of The Good News is that God is with us. Always.
As we begin to understand that more and more, our perspective and our prayers begin to shift from “Lord, if you had been here…” to “Okay Lord, You promised to be here…”
While we continue to make our homes places of presence, may we encounter more of that personal touch we need from Jesus. May his Spirit overwhelm us as we invite him to share meals with us and as we fall to his feet in worship and surrender.
May we be honest with him as we grieve, bringing those difficult questions before him. May we experience the freedom we need to actually wrestle with those big concepts and to know when it’s time to set them aside and simply cry it out with him.
May we all be amazed by the peace and comfort Jesus brings… before the breakthrough happens, before the big reveal, before the major miracles take place. May we be people who yearn to know God more, people who believe and see the glory of God.
Lord,
Increase our trust in you as we get to know you more. Deepen our understanding of your heart towards us.
Thank you for knowing each and every one of us inside and out. Thank you for the ways you bring comfort to us and reveal yourself to us in such different and unique ways… for knowing when to explain things to us and when to weep with us.
We ask for more encounters with you and your sweet presence.
Thank you for seeing us right where we are and loving us so, so well in those places.
We need you and we love you so much Jesus… Thank you for being our Emmanuel. For always choosing to be God With Us.
Amen.