Based on John 11:38-44 (New King James Version)
Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. Jesus said, ‘Take away the stone.’ Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, ‘Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?’ Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, ‘Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.’ Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come forth!’ And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, ‘Loose him, and let him go.’”
I once heard this saying: What have you done for me… …lately? Many people treat the Lord this way, in the sense that His life, His death, and His resurrection is not enough, at least, so it seems. They think that their relationship with the Lord is based on answered prayers and granted whims. We live in an era where this mindset is propagated even among children and young people, and the laws in many countries now support this kind of upbringing; because in many places, you can’t discipline children like before. So then, almost always that I go to a store where they have things for children like candy, or food, or toys, you can hear the “sweet sound” of screams and complaining. And well, thanks to many of our laws now, the parents need to try to calm their children down in a very tranquil manner so that they don’t get sent to jail, and have their kids taken away.
But even though many people don’t like what is happening, they practice this with God. Many judge God based on things that are not granted. And this varies between things of little importance like, “God did not answer my prayer in that I didn’t want it to rain today because I wanted to have fun outside; to things that are much more serious like: “God did not grant my petition and I lost a loved one.” The Lord and His power are under judgment depending on how circumstances turn out.
Now then, what does this have to do with today’s passage? We see Martha, that even though she had confessed before her faith in the Lord, she still had doubts, and she mistrusted in such a way that she even questioned the Lord in what He was doing. The issue is that, when it comes to actions that are incomprehensible to us, doubts start coming up to the surface. And of course, there is a lack of acceptance. Because these are the issues: The Lord is not our genie; He is not here to fulfill our will; and, He knows what He is doing, even though we may never understand it. So then, having said this, are we truly convinced of who Jesus is? The grave problem is that, even though there may be verbal confession, that the Lord is believed in, there is no such faith. It is written: “Therefore the Lord said: ‘Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but have removed their hearts far from Me, and their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men.” Isaiah 29:13. There are too many people that believe in the Lord, but they believe superficially.
The problem is that many people still innately have pagan inclinations in their hearts. Pagan beliefs in the end teach that the function of a deity or deities is for them to grant wishes to their followers when gifts, sacrifices, or homage is given. So then, the Lord is treated like a common idol. That’s why people prefer to believe in a “God” because “God” means to them something or someone that is Almighty, but to grant them their petitions. But, the problem comes when it involves acknowledging the lordship of Lord. And the problem becomes even greater because it involves someone like Jesus, a person that was seen as humble, troubled, and poor. How can a person accept as Lord someone like Jesus? They might not say it, but that is what they feel very down deep inside in their hearts, where only the Lord can see things very clearly.
The other problem is that, if people believe in Jesus in some way, He is treated like where we started today: “What have you done for me lately?”. There is no appreciation for what the Lord did for us, and quite possibly because people don’t have a single idea of what hell and the lake of fire are (because they are real places that are reserved for the unbelieving in heart). If it was understood well, an eternity would not be enough to be grateful for what He did because those places involve eternal punishment. In the end, the so-called people of the Lord fail in their faith because of ignorance, because they neither understand who the Lord really is, nor what He did for us, nor what God does daily. What He does is not very imaginable, where there are an innumerable series of reactions and interactions between one human being and another, and that each interaction takes you to another, and another; and now, add the component of time. My head hurts just starting to even imagine everything the Lord could have in His mind in a single instant. So then, with so many things He keeps under His control, looking for everyone’s greatest benefit (because He is good, and He loves us), can you venture to think that your petition, whether small or large, bears in mind everything else that it might affect? I don’t think so. But, God does know. And as God and Lord, He knows what He is doing. I don’t want to say that you shouldn’t pray for things. You should pray, and with faith, but also, we need to think of the possibility that granting our petition may not be for the greater good, because it might affect things negatively, even us. What would have happened if the Lord would have healed Lazarus as opposed to have raised him from the dead? I have had to many times thank the Lord for not granting me many of my petitions because they were not best, and I was able to understand that as time progressed.
So then, what is most important, is that we must believe in Jesus as Lord which implies that He is the Almighty, that we do have eternal life through Him, that He does look out for our best interests (even though we might not understand it at the moment), and that His will needs to be done and not ours, because in that manner, He is working out the greatest benefit for all of us collectively, including our own (even though we might not see it). Faith in the Lord is indispensable, for it is written: “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6.
So, are you really convinced of who Jesus is? Lord bless! John