STAYING WITH JESUS
JOHN 11:32-37 NKJ
JOHN 11:32-37 NKJ
32 Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died."
33 Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled. 34 And He said, "Where have you laid him?"
They said to Him, "Lord, come and see."
35 Jesus wept. 36 Then the Jews said, "See how He loved him!"
37 And some of them said, "Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?"
We see a snapshot. God sees the big picture.
Chapter eleven is the account of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. But this was not a simple cut and dried story. Jesus was summoned when Lazarus became sick, but He stayed two more days until leaving for Bethany. Even then, His disciples did not want to go because the Jewish leaders were looking to kill Jesus. But Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit and worked off His own time schedule.
Then when Jesus arrived, He was met with the grieving sisters. Both sisters, Mary, and Martha, were upset with the Lord. Both sisters told Him that if He had been there, their brother would still be alive. Both sisters insinuated that Lazarus' dying was Jesus' fault.
Jesus did not allow their veiled accusations to offend Him. He saw how grieved they were, and it troubled Him, and He wept.
What is interesting is that some saw Jesus weep and attributed His tears to love for Lazarus. Others wanted to know why a man who could open blind eyes allowed Lazarus to die.
I am still amazed at the amount of conflict and complaint Jesus dealt with.
Of course, we know the end of the story. Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. And even then, some of the people who witnessed this outstanding miracle went and told on Him to the Pharisees.
APPLICATION:
There will always be opportunities to question and wonder why things took place or didn't take place. Stay with Jesus. There will be times the Lord's love is called into question. Stay on Jesus' side. There will be times when it looks as if the situation is beyond hope and help. Stay with Him.
We see the little picture. The snapshot. He sees the big picture and the end result. Stay with Jesus and do not become offended at Him. He is always just and right and loving. And staying with Him is always best in the long run.
PRAYER:
Lord, I may not understand everything, but I trust You and Your love. I am staying with You regardless of how things appear.