You Don't Have to Wait

More than half a week had gone by before Jesus even came onto the scene. Four days was sufficient time for reality to set in for the ones who loved Lazarus. Mary and Martha were in full mourning. There was no pretending it didn't happen or wishing it away. He was dead.

But Jesus didn't see it that way. As soon as He heard the news about Lazarus, He declared it would not end in death. Now, that didn't mean it wouldn't detour in that direction first, but it did mean it would not be the final verdict over the situation. 

When He did arrive, Martha said what many of us would have probably blurted out... "If only..." If only He had been there. If only. Then they would have had a fighting chance against death. 

I imagine Jesus could have responded in a number of ways in that moment. He could have responded the way you or I might have. He could have apologized for not coming sooner. He could have tried to explain Himself. But He was not looking to defend Himself, for He knew He was perfectly surrendered to the Father's will. And there's no need to make excuses when obeying the Father. 

His response was simple. "Your brother will rise and live."

In which Martha basically responded with, "Yes, of course, one day he will. When this life is over."

I wonder in that moment if Jesus, though moved with deep compassion to the point of tears for them, was also silently chuckling with excitement to Himself. For He knew the truth about resurrection power. And He knew the reality of what was about to take place. He knew the Father had something special up His sleeve for this moment. And He knew they were all in for the surprise of their lives! They were about to understand something they never knew about God. And that always excites Jesus. 

So He tries to clue Martha in a little bit as He basically said, "Martha! You're forgetting who you're talking to! I AM the Resurrection and the Life! Martha! You don't have to wait until life is over to experience My resurrection power!"

And that I believe is something we could all be reminded of. 

We don't have to wait. 

We don't have to wait until we die to finally rest. 

We don't have to wait until we die to finally experience peace. 

We don't have to wait until we die to start being free, 

start experiencing joy, 

start experiencing the love of the Father.  

We.

don't. 

have. 

to. 

wait. 

Jesus is looking to reveal the Father's love to us now. He's looking to show us the power that is found in Him now. 

Many of us know how the rest of the day played out for Mary, Martha and Lazarus. It happened just as Jesus had said it would. Lazarus was raised from the dead. But I imagine all three of them came alive in a new way that day. They didn't have to wait.

***

In the village of Bethany there was a man named Lazarus, and his sisters, Mary and Martha. Mary was the one who would anoint Jesus’ feet with costly perfume and dry his feet with her long hair. One day Lazarus became very sick to the point of death. So his sisters sent a message to Jesus, “Lord, our brother Lazarus, the one you love, is very sick. Please come!” 

When he heard this, he said, “This sickness will not end in death for Lazarus, but will bring glory and praise to God. This will reveal the greatness of the Son of God by what takes place.” 

Now even though Jesus loved Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, he remained where he was for two more days. Finally, on the third day, he said to his disciples, “Come. It’s time to go to Bethany.” 

“But Teacher,” they said to him, “do you really want to go back there? It was just a short time ago the people of Judea were going to stone you!” 

Jesus replied, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight in every day? You can go through a day without the fear of stumbling when you walk in the One who gives light to the world. But you will stumble when the light is not in you, for you’ll be walking in the dark.” 

Then Jesus added, “Lazarus, our friend, has just fallen asleep. It’s time that I go and awaken him.” 

When they heard this, the disciples replied, “Lord, if he has just fallen asleep, then he’ll get better.” Jesus was speaking about Lazarus’ death, but the disciples presumed he was talking about natural sleep. 

Then Jesus made it plain to them, “Lazarus is dead. And for your sake, I’m glad I wasn’t there, because now you have another opportunity to see who I am so that you will learn to trust in me. Come, let’s go and see him.” 

So Thomas, nicknamed the Twin, remarked to the other disciples, “Let’s go so that we can die with him.” 

Now when they arrived at Bethany, which was only about two miles from Jerusalem, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Many friends of Mary and Martha had come from the region to console them over the loss of their brother. And when Martha heard that Jesus was approaching the village, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed in the house. 

Martha said to Jesus, “My Lord, if only you had come sooner, my brother wouldn’t have died. But I know that if you were to ask God for anything, he would do it for you.” 

Jesus told her, “Your brother will rise and live.” 

She replied, “Yes, I know he will rise with everyone else on resurrection day.”

“Martha,” Jesus said, “You don’t have to wait until then. I am the Resurrection, and I am Life Eternal. Anyone who clings to me in faith, even though he dies, will live forever. And the one who lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” 

Then Martha replied, “Yes, Lord, I do! I’ve always believed that you are the Anointed One, the Son of God who has come into the world for us!” Then she left and hurried off to her sister, Mary, and called her aside from all the mourners and whispered to her, “The Master is here and he’s asking for you.” 

So when Mary heard this, she quickly went off to find him, for Jesus was lingering outside the village at the same spot where Martha met him. Now when Mary’s friends who were comforting her noticed how quickly she ran out of the house, they followed her, assuming she was going to the tomb of her brother to mourn. 

When Mary finally found Jesus outside the village, she fell at his feet in tears and said, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 

When Jesus looked at Mary and saw her weeping at his feet, and all her friends who were with her grieving, he shuddered with emotion and was deeply moved with tenderness and compassion. He said to them, “Where did you bury him?”

“Lord, come with us and we’ll show you,” they replied. 

Then tears streamed down Jesus’ face. 

Seeing Jesus weep caused many of the mourners to say, “Look how much he loved Lazarus.” Yet others said, “Isn’t this the One who opens blind eyes? Why didn’t he do something to keep Lazarus from dying?” 

Then Jesus, with intense emotions, came to the tomb—a cave with a stone placed over its entrance. Jesus told them, “Roll away the stone.” 

Then Martha said, “But Lord, it’s been four days since he died—by now his body is already decomposing!” 

Jesus looked at her and said, “Didn’t I tell you that if you will believe in me, you will see God unveil his power?” 

So they rolled away the heavy stone. Jesus gazed into heaven and said, “Father, thank you that you have heard my prayer, for you listen to every word I speak. Now, so that these who stand here with me will believe that you have sent me to the earth as your messenger, I will use the power you have given me.” Then with a loud voice Jesus shouted with authority: “Lazarus! Come out of the tomb!” 

Then in front of everyone, Lazarus, who had died four days earlier, slowly hobbled out—he still had grave clothes tightly wrapped around his hands and feet and covering his face! Jesus said to them, “Unwrap him and let him loose.” 

From that day forward many of those who had come to visit Mary believed in him, for they had seen with their own eyes this amazing miracle! But a few went back to inform the Pharisees about what Jesus had done.

‭‭John‬ ‭11‬:‭1‬-‭46‬ ‭TPT‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/1849/jhn.11.1-46.TPT