“Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when He heard that Lazarus was ill, He stayed two days longer in the place where He was.” John 11:5-6

Lazarus, Martha, and Mary loved Jesus and He loved them. They were good friends and scripture records that Jesus often visited their home. Here they were in their time of need, so messengers sent word to Jesus that Lazarus was gravely ill.

In this passage we read that Jesus loved them. A factual statement. And He didn’t just love them in the past, He loved them “now” in that very moment. He loved them in the very moment of their need and in the very same moment He determined not to give them exactly what they asked. Notice though how it broke His heart to have them go through it. In verses 33, 35, and 38 it says that Jesus was deeply moved and greatly troubled when He saw how sad the sisters were. In fact, Jesus Himself wept.

The first word in verse 6 is also powerful: so. One could read the passage, connecting the two sentences, as “He loved them, therefore He waited two days to make sure Lazarus was good and dead before taking action.” He loved them, so He let Mary and Martha go through days of heartache and sadness. It was not out of a lack of love or compassion that He waited, it was because He loved them that He waited. And therefore, they were able to witness the greatest miracle He performed, and a foreshadowing of His own death and resurrection. Jesus Himself tells us the reason in verses 15, 40, 42, and 45:

1. So that the disciples would believe,

2. So that they would see the glory of God, and

3. So that they would believe that God the Father sent Jesus (that He was the Messiah).

Verse 45 tells us that indeed many of the Jews believed in Jesus because of this miracle.

This passage has an important lesson to teach us about our will versus the will of God. It also powerfully reminds us that Jesus loves us even though He won’t always give us the outcome we want. They wanted healing, Jesus had bigger plans.

There is one more key purpose for their pain and this experience, which is found in the remainder of chapter 11: this miracle would prove to be the last straw for the religious leaders. From this moment on, the religious leaders actively plotted to kill Jesus. They planned to kill Him and end His influence over the people, but once again Jesus had bigger plans. Their plans to kill Him would ultimately lead to His resurrection.

You see, Mary and Martha could not have known the purposes for their pain, and all that would be accomplished for all of eternity through it. But they trusted in a plan - and a Person - bigger than their pain. And they knew He loved them regardless of their experience.

Dear friend, remember that right now He loves you - He really truly loves you. And, He has plans for you that you cannot even imagine.

Now that’s a good word!