When Jesus Seems Late

John 11:6 So when he heard that [Lazarus] was sick, He then stayed two days longer in the place where he was... 21 Martha then said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died... 32 Therefore, when Mary came where Jesus was, she saw him, and fell at his feet, saying to Him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

Most of us expect to have what we want and need immediately. Our technology-driven world has learned how to speed up the delivery of goods, services, and information. As a result, the level of patience for a typical person has dropped to almost nothing. We have also seen how important timing is to success in sports, business, and even relationships. We take action. We expect an immediate response. How can good come any other way?

Yet, in our spiritual lives, we do not always see immediate response. We pray, and God often answers immediately, but sometimes he doesn’t. This can challenge our faith. Does Jesus care? Is he even there?

I imagine Mary and Martha felt that way at the beginning of John Chapter 11. Their brother Lazarus was deathly sick. They knew Jesus had the power to heal. They had no doubt seen him heal many others. They were even special friends of Jesus, so they sent him word, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.”  (Verse 3) They just knew he would come right away, but he didn’t. (See Verse 6 above.) Jesus did not respond immediately. He did not work as they expected, and things got much worse. Lazarus died.

Interestingly, both Martha and Mary greeted Jesus with the same words. “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” Jesus did not work as they expected. He took longer. They blamed his delay for the bad outcome, but Jesus had much more in store than they could have imagined. The large crowd that had gathered to comfort Martha and Mary got to see both Jesus’ compassion and love for the sisters and their brother, but they also got to see the power of God raise a man from the dead. As a result, many believed in him (Verse 45), and Mary and Martha got their brother back. Had he shown up and healed Lazarus’ privately, only the sisters would have received the benefit. Now, hundreds believed and we have the account in scripture that has moved millions to faith.

God may not always work on our preferred schedule, but that does not mean he is not at work. Sometimes more is accomplished with a little delay than an immediate answer.

 

Sleep

John 11:11-13 – This He said, and after that He *said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I go, so that I may awaken him out of sleep.” The disciples then said to Him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that He was speaking of literal sleep.

Nearly every evening you fall asleep. Your body gets the rest and recovery it needs, and you awake refreshed the next morning, ready to face another day. Every person on the planet sleeps nearly every day. It is one of the most common experiences of life. Yet, sleeping is unique.

As we sleep, our minds are not conscious of the real world around us. We are not in control of our actions. We are not able to interact with those around us. Yet, this condition is temporary. We are out of touch with reality for several hours, but then we reemerge and reconnect with the real world.

Jesus introduces sleep as a metaphor for the experience of his friend Lazarus who had died. Jesus said he would “awaken him out of his sleep,” and he did that by calling his name at his tomb later John 11. Lazarus, who had been dead for four days, came back to life and walked out of the tomb. Like a sleeper who had been out of touch with the real world, he woke up and reengaged.

 

The New Testament goes on to use sleep as a picture of death for Christians (I Corinthians 11:30 and 15:51), and this should be a great encouragement for us who believe and a motivator for those who have yet to believe. Death can be a cause of great fear because it seems a permanent end to life. Yet, because Christ was willing to die temporarily on our behalf, as he arose from the dead, so will we who believe in him. Death for the Christian is temporary. It is like sleep. If you believe in Christ, the time will come when you disengage, but only temporary. You will awake as from a good night’s sleep.