17 So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days. 18 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off; 19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary, to console them concerning their brother. 20 Martha therefore, when she heard that Jesus was coming, went to meet Him, but Mary stayed at the house.

21 Martha then said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 Even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.” 23 Jesus *said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha *said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.”

John 11:17-24 (NASB)

The delay

Jesus arrives in Bethany to minister to the family and perform the miracle the Father had already prepared. Remember He waited 2 days before leaving to come. Yesterday we talked about why He waited. Another benefit of waiting was to dispel the myth that “the spirit of a person who had died lingered over the corpse for three days, or until decomposition of the body had begun.” (planobiblechapel.org)

Emotional storm brewing

This miracle event is loaded with raw emotions and drama that makes it so moving to read! Jesus had a special relationship with this family. The sisters, in faith and hope, sent a prayer request to Jesus to come help. He delayed His appearance – but now He’s there. 

Mary stays at home. Why? Surely she was overwhelmed with grief and maybe couldn’t move. Maybe she was (a little) disappointed in Jesus – he didn’t seem to care as she expected. Martha runs to meet Jesus. The first thing out of her mouth is, “If you’d only come sooner!” She probably thought Jesus’ power was limited by distance. 

Faith released

Surely there is a lot of emotion here, but I don’t believe Martha is expressing anger toward Jesus. In the next verse, she expresses her faith in Jesus’ healing power. “Even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.” Does this remind you of the water to wine miracle in John 2:5 where Mary tells the servants to do whatever Jesus tells them – a demonstration of faith in Jesus’ ability to do miracles. 

For both of them, it’s a release of the problem, in faith, to Jesus.

<- Reflection ->

• Are you able to release your problems, in faith, to the Lord? Read this whole account and trust.
• Do you feel disappointed with God? Don’t be ashamed. Be honest. Even King David, the “man after God’s own heart”, felt that way sometimes. But he ended his Psalms of lament with hope in God.