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Today's Little Lift
by Jim Bullington
“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 [Lazarus] would not have died.' Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled. And He said, 'Where have you laid him?' They said to Him, 'Lord, come and see.'” (John 11.32-34; emphasis mine, jb).
Where have you laid him?
There are times when it is too late for words and a time for action. This was the case when Jesus asked, “Where have you laid him [Lazarus]?” He had told His disciples that the sickness that had befallen Lazarus was not unto death; they actually thought that He [Jesus] would die as well as they when they returned to Judea. He had told Martha, “Your brother will rise again.” She responded, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” He had felt the faithless sting of Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus, when she said to Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” It was too late for words!
The only thing to do was to act, and act He did! When He was taken to the tomb He commanded that the stone be rolled away. Still, even with that command, faith was weak or absent in His power over death. “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days,” Martha replied. (John 11.39). The dread of the stench of death in the onlookers was stronger that their faith that Jesus could reverse the effects of death and raise Lazarus from the grave. Seeing once again the futility of His previous attempts to elicit faith from the hearts of His disciples, as well as Martha and to Mary, Jesus responded, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” (John 11.40; see also John 11.4). Without saying “I told you so,” He said “I told you so!”
Two other times in the book of John Jesus said I told you so; one was in real time and the last was in prospect. The first of these occasions is recorded as follows: “Jesus answered them, 'I told you [Jews at the Temple], and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me.'” (John 10.25). As Jesus knew in John 10 with the case of unbelieving Jews at the Temple, so He knew with Lazarus. On the night of His betrayal, there were things He said which would not be understood, but He said them anyway; He said them for the reason He stated. “But these things I have told you, that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you of them. And these things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you.” (John16.4).
When we read the words, “Where have you laid him?” we ought to see more that a mundane question about a matter Jesus could have used His Divine Powers to have discerned. Rather, we ought to see just how patient and loving our God is in going the second, and third, and fourth, and fifth, and sixth mile (and on and on almost to infinity) in order to bring about faith in the human heart. He could have told Adam and Eve, “I told you so, and that is it!” However, He didn't. He could have told the nation of Israel, “I have hewn you by the prophets,” (see Hosea 6.5) “and I am tired to the point of ceasing my call for your repentance.” However, He didn't. He could have given up on mankind because of the hardness of his heart. However, He didn't. He gave the Son of His love when words would not avail! The honest man's heart melts at that story! When we look back at the empty tomb, we say, “See, there is where they laid Him.” But, He is there no more!
Questions:
1. When should the friends of Jesus have realized that the sickness of Lazarus would not end in death (see John 11.4)?
2. Could Jesus have know where Lazarus was laid without asking? Four days earlier, how did Jesus know that Lazarus was dead?
3. Compare the longsuffering heart of God with examples of longsuffering on earth. Is there any comparison?
4. What effect does the story of the Cross have on a good and honest heart?
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