Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed where he was two more days, and then he said to his disciples, ‘Let us go back to Judea.’ John 11:5-7 NIVUK https://bible.com/bible/113/jhn.11.5-7.NIVUK
I remember the event very well. I was flying out to the Philippines to get married. My route took me from London through the Middle East and Singapore to Cebu City. It was not my normal route, but it was a few hundred pounds cheaper and I didn't have a lot of money. It was not long after the invasion of Iraq. The American Air Force was using Doha, Qatar as an airbase and my plane was due to land there.
My plane was heading towards the Arab Gulf when the pilot made an announcement. It was one of those announcements you tend not to forget in a hurry: "Ladies and gentlemen, I regret to announce that this flight will be an hour late arriving into Doha. This is due to a change in our flight plan to avoid flying over Baghdad."
I chuckled under my breath. I had a seven hour layover in Doha. We would have flown over Iraq in an American-made jet with "Qatar Airways" written in huge maroon letters on the side. As far as I was concerned, the flight could have been delayed by two hours, or even three.
The delay was no problem at all for me.
A friend of mine was once flying home from Vietnam with his wife when an erupting volcano in Iceland shut down aviation over most of Northern Europe. His airline put him up in a five star hotel with a pool and provided free food and tours for two weeks until the ash cloud dissipated.
Sometimes waiting is not so hard to do.
At other times, though, it can be agony.
We might be waiting on medical results to hear if we have a serious condition or not. Or waiting on exam results to hear if we've got a university place. Or waiting on the outcome of a job interview, or a consultancy process to be made redundant. Or a seriously ill companion passing away. Or a post-mortem so we can bury a relative.
In these circumstances, waiting is anything but fun. It's gruelling.
These verses tell the story of a great miracle. In fact, apart from Christ's resurrection itself, I think it's impossible to find a more miraculous miracle anywhere else in the Bible.
Yet there is a sub-plot. An under-current. A significant plot line that it's easy to miss.
Jesus leaves Mary, Martha and Lazarus waiting. And while they are waiting, Lazarus' condition deteriorates until he dies. When Jesus arrives, they have already held the funeral rites. Lazarus is in a tomb. He is stone cold dead. Jesus knows Lazarus is sick. He knows he is dying. Yet Jesus consciously decides not to come. He decides not to heal Lazarus.
That makes these verses all the more striking. They declare Jesus' greatness and glory and power, yes. But they also declare the uncomfortable truth that sometimes we have to wait to see it, and that this wait can be deeply painful. The Bible is absolutely honest about that fact.
In this meditation we will take a close look at this wait, particularly at why Jesus makes them wait, the resources He gives them to cope and the outcome of it.
Waiting on God to provide something you absolutely need is never easy. The Bible doesn't hide from that fact. But these verses are not just about what happens when the wait is over. No, they are also about what happens during the wait and provide some precious truths to see us through.
So as we look at what Jesus does during this awful event turned into a miracle, we will see firstly that JESUS WAITS.
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