We are in a series called, The Simple Questions of Jesus. And if you take the time to read the questions of Jesus and personally answer them, they aren’t easy at all. Last week we read the story of Jesus in John 6. Jesus fed 5,000 people and they wanted to make Jesus a King. But Jesus slips away. The next day they then wanted Jesus to do a spectacular miracle to prove that He was the Messiah. But Jesus doesn’t do a miracle to wow them. Jesus begins teaching. As Jesus is teaching, Jesus begins to say things that don’t make them feel good. And many disciples walk away from Jesus.
Jesus turned to his disciples and asked, ‘Does this offend you?’ What a great question. Is there a point in your life when you draw the line in the sand and say, ‘No’ to Jesus? Is there a point when following Jesus is too much for you?
This week we jump into a new question. Let’s read.
John 11:1-7, 17-26
A man named Lazarus was sick. He lived in Bethany with his sisters, Mary and Martha. This is the Mary who later poured the expensive perfume on the Lord’s feet and wiped them with her hair. Her brother, Lazarus, was sick. So the two sisters sent a message to Jesus telling him, “Lord, your dear friend is very sick.”
But when Jesus heard about it he said, “Lazarus’s sickness will not end in death. No, it happened for the glory of God so that the Son of God will receive glory from this.” So although Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, he stayed where he was for the next two days. Finally, he said to his disciples, “Let’s go back to Judea.”
…When Jesus arrived at Bethany, he was told that Lazarus had already been in his grave for four days. Bethany was only a few miles down the road from Jerusalem, and many of the people had come to console Martha and Mary in their loss. When Martha got word that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him. But Mary stayed in the house. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask.”
Jesus told her, “Your brother will rise again.” “Yes,” Martha said, “he will rise when everyone else rises, at the last day.” Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?” NLT
We can relate to this story, can’t we? Jesus disappointed Martha. Isn’t this your real-life experience? Have you ever prayed and asked Jesus to do something, and it seemed like Jesus didn’t come through for you? Did you feel disappointed? You prayed and prayed and the thing you didn’t want to happen, happened? Or the thing you wanted to happen, didn’t happen the way you wanted or when you wanted? Have you ever felt frustrated like Martha and wanted to say, ‘Jesus, if you would have only answered my prayer’?
A couple of years ago, I was making dinner for Karen. She got home, and the food was ready, so we began to eat. The vegetable that night was roasted Brussels sprouts with garlic. As I was eating, I swallowed a Brussels sprout, chewed it, and swallowed it, but it became stuck in my esophagus. I tried to swallow hard, but nothing happened. Everything I did to get it to move didn’t work. We gave it an hour, but nothing happened. It became more and more uncomfortable. Off to Patient First. They couldn’t do anything so off to West Shore Hospital emergency room. And of course, we counted 40 people in the emergency room in front of us that night. It was about 7 pm and I was in enormous pain. It wasn’t until 2 am I got to see a doctor. In those hours, my body was reacting to the stuck Brussel sprout with chest spasms. It had me in tears. I prayed and prayed and prayed to have Jesus end this pain, but nothing happened. For 7 hours, I prayed and prayed and nothing happened. Right before I met the doctor, if felt the Bussel sprout move and my body became relaxed again.
Have you ever prayed and Jesus didn’t seem to come through for you the way you wanted and when you wanted? That’s what happened with Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. They were friends with Jesus. They had dinner with Jesus. They hung out with Jesus. They became close friends. Lazarus got sick. Jesus is only a few miles away. And all Jesus needed to do was show up, and pray, and Lazarus would have been healed. But Jesus didn’t come through for them the way they wanted or when they wanted. In fact, Jesus didn’t show up until Lazarus was buried for four days.
In this story, Jesus tells us why He didn’t show up right away. Jesus said,
‘…it happened for the glory of God so that the Son of God will receive glory from this.’
Remember my emergency room story? That night in the emergency room, I was so tired and in so much pain I begged Jesus to give me relief. But nothing happened the way I wanted it to or when I wanted it to happen. I don’t know how that Brussel sprout being stuck in my esophagus brings glory to God. Maybe it was to give me a story to share with you.
In the Lazarus story, think with me for a second. Lazarus has to deal with a sickness. Lazarus is in pain. Mary and Martha have to care for him. He dies. He’s buried. Jesus doesn’t show up for four days. That means Mary and Martha and the community have to walk through enormous pain. Jesus tells His disciples, ‘It’s all going to bring glory to God.’
Martha runs out to see Jesus and says, Jesus, if only you would have been here. Jesus says to Martha,
I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this?
Jesus is telling Martha, ‘Martha, I know Lazarus passed away. I know you and your sister walked through pain and suffering, but do you believe in Me? Even though it looks impossible, do you believe something spiritual is happening and it will bring glory to God? Martha, do you believe I can do the impossible?’
That’s the Jesus question for you today. Do you believe? Do you believe that even though it seems impossible something spiritual is happening and it will bring glory to God? Do you trust Jesus?
Let’s be honest. Life may have worn you out. Relationships may have left you wounded. Negative emotions like stress, fear, and anxiety may seem to own you. You may not see hope in the future. Your prayers may not be answered the way you want or when you want. In all of it, do you believe Jesus? Do you trust Jesus? Do you believe that even though it seems impossible something spiritual is happening and it will bring glory to God? Do you believe Jesus can do the impossible?
What do we do when life hurts or is confusing? Let’s read Romans from The Living Bible version.
Romans 8:24-26 We are saved by trusting.
Before I keep reading, let that sink in for a second. You are saved when you trust Jesus. What does that mean? Let’s keep reading.
And trusting means looking forward to getting something we don’t yet have – for a man who already has something doesn’t need to hope and trust that he will get it. But if we must keep trusting God for something that hasn’t happened yet, it teaches us to wait patiently and confidently. And in the same way – by our faith – the Holy Spirit helps us with our daily problems and in our praying. TLB
Did you see that? We are saved by trusting. That means while we are in pain and suffering when we trust Jesus, that is when the Holy Spirit helps us. That means that night in the emergency room as I walked through seven hours of pain and struggle, I could trust Jesus. That means that as Mary and Martha walked through caring for, burying, and mourning for Lazarus, they could trust Jesus.
When we walk through confusing times, we are saved when we trust Jesus. That’s when the Holy Spirit helps us.
Let’s keep reading from Romans 8 in the Message Version and ask a few questions.
Romans 8:26-28 Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good. MSG
Do you believe Jesus? Do you trust Jesus?
Question. Are you able to accept the reality of life? That means as things happen, whether good or bad, and you still believe in Jesus and trust Jesus.
Question. Are you able to give up control and trust Jesus? When I say control, I mean demanding that life be the way you want it to be. To be more detailed, we want you to control what you can control like brush your teeth, study hard, and work hard. But it’s silly to worry about things you can’t control. Jesus told us, that in all your worry, you can’t add an hour to your life. Are you able to give up control and trust Jesus?
Question. Are you able to give up your expectations of what you want without becoming bitter? That means you want certain things in this world like health, wealth, happiness, and comfort and if we don’t get what we want, are you okay with that? You have expectations of your spouse, your kids, your friends, your church, and people and maybe someone disappoints you, are you okay with that? Are you able to give up expectations of what you want without becoming bitter?
Question. Are you able to feel the real emotions of bad things happening but still believe that Jesus is working every detail of your life into something good?
One of the hardest things about following Jesus is believing and trusting in Jesus when life hurts. We want to go to Jesus and say, ‘Jesus if you would have only answered my prayer.’ And Jesus wants to know, ‘Do you believe? Do you trust me?
This past week, our office had to wrestle with real-life stories. Each story leaves the person and family feeling pain and confusion. Parents taking the next step into aging and losing some of their independence. One person was diagnosed with cancer. One person was diagnosed with a sickness that will probably lead to passing away. One person fighting addiction who has fallen back into addiction. Again, this is real life. We pray and sometimes our prayers aren’t answered the way we want or when we want. In those moments, we trust. And in that trust, the Holy Spirit helps us.
The next time life disappoints you and you want to tell Jesus, ‘Jesus, if you would have only answered my prayer’, Jesus wants to know, ‘Do you believe in Me?’ Jesus wants to know because if we trust Jesus, the Bible tells us every detail of our lives will be worked into something good.