God's Love Is Greater
John 11:5–6 (ESV) Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.
Hearing Lazarus was sick, Jesus stay where he was for two more days. In those two days Mary and Martha watched their brother's condition worsen, his body weaken, his spirit fall and his eyes close for what seemed like the final time.
Where could Jesus be?
What's taking Him so long?
And the footnote of verse 5 becomes very strange... "Jesus loved Martha and her sister (Mary) and Lazarus."
Now we have a choice with this text. We can either think John didn't really know how Jesus felt about them, or we can rethink God's idea of love.
Of course we know Jesus loved them. But how He loved them is far different from how we think God should love us. God's love in Christ does not always rush into the problem. God works in a deliberate fashion so that we learn not simply to trust Him, but to grow in our knowledge of Him and His love for us.
Jesus waits so that Lazarus will die and instead of simply being healed. He's going to raise a dead man. What a sign this will be! And who better than those good friends of His whom He loved, Lazarus, Mary and Martha.
We see the crowd was bigger now that a death had occurred. John 11:19 (ESV) "and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother." This is pretty typical protocol for a death in the family. People come in from out of town to wish us well. But in this case Jesus knows a bigger crowd will produce a greater picture of the glory of God.
Then the emotional statement of Jesus, not over Lazarus' condition, but the condition of our hearts apart from the hope of resurrection: John 11:35 (ESV) Jesus wept.
The shortest verse in the Bible is not short on impact. This is one of the few emotional expressions of Jesus in any of the scriptures. In fact, apart from anger at the religious leaders and sorrow in the Garden of Gethsemane, I cannot think of others. But John saw something here, deep in Jesus, that was worth noting down in sacred scripture.
God loves. He loves us in our pain. He loves us enough also to wait for us to see the greatest GAIN from our pain. If He just solved every problem, would it deepen our trust? Would we draw close again? If Jesus was a fast-food restaurant-type Savior, we'd be the ones losing out on His power and glory.
God doesn't love us the way we think of love. God's love is always preparing something far greater and better for us than what we are asking for. Where we want healing, God wants to raise the dead. Where we want a job, God wants a legacy. Where we want friends, God wants us to impact the community. Where we want a church building, God wants a regional revival. His plans are always bigger, better, and greater.
Because His love is bigger, better and greater than ours.
Psalm 130:5 (ESV) I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope;
PRAYER:
Thank You Father for the times you made me wait. And when I am waiting again, please remind me of this passage. Help my emotions to never get the better of me so that I might confidently wait in expectation for You.
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