"(Martha) went away, and called Mary her sister, saying secretly, 'The Teacher is here, and is calling for you,' And when she heard it, she arose quickly, and was coming to Him.... When Mary came where Jesus was, she saw Him, and fell at His feet...." (John 11:28, 32)
What moves me to tears in this chapter is to see the heart of Jesus. He does one thing after another that does not make sense, yet He walks through the story with so much love and compassion.
The Word of God is clear that Jesus had a special loving friendship with these siblings - Mary, Martha and Lazarus. The Word of God is also clear that when Jesus heard of Lazarus' illness, He deliberately delayed to come to them. "Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus. When THEREFORE He heard that he was sick, He STAYED then two days longer in the place where He was." (Jn.11:5,6)
As the story unfolds, Jesus continues to do and say things that defy earthly reason. It's hard to understand, and yet His Presence walks through this "impossible" story with unmistakable tenderness.
This does seem to be God's way! If you take a step back and look at the entire story of God's Word, examining the individual lives that He highlights and the pieces of the puzzle, it's quite clear that He often moves and acts in ways we cannot comprehend and often do not understand. Why allow Joseph to be sold into slavery? Why allow the children of Israel to experience hunger and thirst in the desert? Why allow David to have to flee for his life in the wilderness? Why allow good king Jehoshaphat to suddenly be confronted with three impossible armies?
Of course those examples are simply a drop in the bucket. Story after story in the Scriptures and in the entire flow of human history highlights the fact that God allows circumstances that we would not choose and often cannot understand.
Two chapters before this story of Lazarus, we see Jesus heal a man who had been born blind. In this story, Jesus makes a profound statement when His disciples ask the reason for the man's suffering. "It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents, but it was in order that the works of God might be displayed in him." (Jn.9:3)
The suffering and need became a platform for the wonderous display of Jesus' love and power. The need becomes the story. The suffering becomes the stage. The battle becomes the opportunity for God to reveal Himself.
Oh to see our own circumstances this way! Can we see that the purpose of every need, every struggle, every heartache, every battle, every longing, and every hardship, is that our lives might become a platform for God to make Himself known?
Martha says to Mary, "The Teacher is here, and is calling for you."
This is the reality behind every part of our own life story, for each one of us. "The Teacher is here".....exactly here. In my place of need. Jesus is exactly HERE.
"And is calling for YOU." It is always personal with Jesus. He calls His own sheep by name. My circumstances....your circumstances....are the very place where the Lord Jesus is calling US in a deeply personal way to find HIM.
"When she heard it, she arose quickly....came to where Jesus was.....and fell at His feet...weeping." Mary already had a beautiful relationship with the Lord. She had learned to sit at His feet and listen. (Luke 10:38-42) So in this moment of extremity and grief, she comes straight to Him with absolute honesty. No pretense. No attempt to put a "spiritual" spin on what she was feeling. He called for her, and she came to Him, just as she was.
And oh the heart of Jesus! He knew what He was about to do. He knew that in a matter of moments He was going to call Lazarus right out of that grave and return him to his family. Yet He looks upon His loved ones and is deeply moved. In all their affliction, He is afflicted. He is touched by all the feeling of their infirmity. He deeply feels with them the suffering that has come to the whole world because of the presence of sin and death. He gives them His Presence. He weeps.....and then He changes everything.
What are we facing today? In all of it, may we hear His loving voice:
"The Teacher is here, and is calling for you."
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