Scripture Reading: John 11:1-16.
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 John 11:5-6
Today’s passage began with Jesus receiving the news that Lazarus was sick. The scripture made it clear that Jesus had a close relationship with Lazarus and his sisters.
Here is the first mystery in today’s passage. Why does suffering touch the lives of those whom God loves? The mutual love between Jesus and Lazarus cannot be denied. Lazarus was not just a man who loves the Lord but also the one the Lord loves! Here is a striking reminder that deep, genuine love from God does not exclude us from the hardships and challenges that are part of human existence.
The second mystery unfolds as Jesus chooses to stay where He is for two more days after hearing about Lazarus’s condition. From the perspective of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, this must have been a time of confusion and disappointment—waiting, hoping, and watching for Jesus, only to see their brother’s health decline.
But one thing the Bible made crystal clear in this passage, ‘Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus ‘. We may wonder why Jesus, knowing of Lazarus’s suffering and loving him deeply, did not rush immediately to his aid. This delay can challenge our understanding of love and divine intervention. Sometimes, what feels like divine silence or delay is not evidence of indifference, but the unfolding of a deeper purpose.
Finally, Jesus told His disciples they needed to go back to Judea. They were surprised that the Jesus would want to go back there because a while ago, the Jewish leaders were trying to kil him. Jesus’s willingness to return to Judea, despite real threats to His own life, demonstrates the commitment of the Good Shepherd to His sheep.
This passage invites us to reflect on how divine love and wisdom can operate in ways that seem puzzling from our human perspective. Jesus’s intentional delay was not an absence of care but part of a greater plan to reveal God’s glory and strengthen the faith of those involved.
📣 Declare today: “I trust the mysterious ways of a loving God. His timing is perfect, His love is constant, and His purpose will prevail—even in the waiting.”