Trusting Jesus Through Pain and Uncertainty

"Jesus his response is this sickness will not end in death he's got something good in plant something that's going to be glorious something that will actually uh produce glory in those that he love but then real strange thing now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus it's striking there's never a mention of a spouse not not a husband for Martha or for Mary or a wife for Lazarus or children that was very uh unusual in the ancient world and probably quite stigmatizing they had a strange little family in their society and Jesus of course himself was single a single Rabbi and that was strange and maybe uh they're sharing that status together as part of why he felt at home with them and loved them he loves them but when he heard Lazarus was sick he stayed where he was two more days and that's strange why wouldn't he go directly there and heal Lazarus and he says to his disciples uh that he's glad that they were with him when he stayed so that they might believe he's he's got something remarkable planned and if you know the story you know it is that he's going to raise Lazarus there's going to be a little Resurrection a little mini picture of the Resurrection that might help his friends and you and I believe the resurrection is possible." [00:57:46]

"Mary and Martha have to watch as this brother that they love dies and they know that Jesus knows about this and he doesn't come hour after hour for a couple of days until it is too late why didn't Jesus at least tell them hey Mary and Martha and Lazarus I'm going to do something spectacular it's going to be great people going to talk about this for centuries so just want to give you a heads up you don't have to worry about whether or not I love you and there is a reason for this very often people come to Jesus and they ask for a healing they ask for deliverance they ask for help and he gives it to them without making them go through a delay he puts Elan orites Mary and Martha and Lazarus through a delay precisely because he loves them and he knows they're going to achieve a connection with him they're going to come to an understanding of him they're going to grow in their faith if they go through these days of uncertainty in a way that would not happen if they were just able to find out what the outcome is right away life is that way." [00:90:31]

"Jesus believes that Mary and Martha and Lazarus know him and can trust in his love for them enough that they will be able to walk through this faith has grown that way we see a little echo of this at the very beginning of Jesus's life when he's 12 years old he's at the temple and his mom comes she'd been looking for him didn't know that he stayed behind why did you treat us like this didn't you your father and I have been anxiously searching and Jesus respon is why were you searching did not you know I'd be here and the grammar of his question there didn't you know it expects a positive answer in other words Jesus thought his mom would would know he doesn't you know he could have told her hey Mom I'm going to stay in the temple for a couple days um and that would have spared her a lot of anxiety he did not do that Mary is going to have to learn not to worry about Jesus she has a lot she's going to have to face and Jesus does not tell her where he's going to be he expects she'll be able to figure it out he can't that's kind of disappointing but even so she going to be able to grow more as she has to go through that uncertainty and come to know him at a deeper level and come to know herself and her faith at a deeper level than if she just you know was spared the uncertainty of not knowing." [00:338:44]

"Jesus comes into Bethany after Lazarus is dead after he has said nothing to Mary and Martha what does he expect is going to happen there and notes one possible scenario would be that Mary and Martha would come to him and say Lord we don't understand we are stricken with grief we are sad we are so sad we are uh terrified and yet we know you love us and we know that you're wise we have good reason for this we've seen it before we trust that you know what you are doing we trust that uh we will walk through this together with you and somehow you will bring good out of it that's not what happens and Ellena writes it is so saddening to Jesus to be the object of pain in these lives where he was trusting in them Martha comes up and rebukes him Lord if you had been here my brother would not have died and uh she's quite confrontational they get into a little sparring match where Jesus gives quite an impassioned statement I am the resurrection and the life the one who believes in me that trusts in me though he dies yet will live Martha do you believe this and she's LED for that moment to a deeper Place." [00:422:00]

"Jesus Weeps elanar says not because of a general abstract commiseration with the human condition or death he knows he's going to raise Lazarus from the dead that's not the problem the problem is the pain that he sees those that He Love go through so deeply and that he knows the way that he has handled the situation is a deep part of what caused that pain but he loves Mary and Martha still and he wants something better and just like with his mom he knows they're going to get there but it's going to be harder and more painful so sad and uh so he raises Lazarus from the dead we'll get back to that later on uh and then to kind of move things on he says take off his grave cloth you know Martha was always good at like preparation and hygiene and fixing stuff up so he gives her something to do um they're walking through these moments of not knowing and darkness and uncertainty and why is this delay and why is this timing happening how come I is not a sign that he doesn't love them it's precisely because he does and it's hard for the moment but it's leading to something even greater it's leading to a deeper connection and a greater miracle that may come after death rather than before it so that's the hope that I have for you and me today and I know in The Fellowship of the withered hand where we live with our own sense of inadequacy and worry and concern and why and how come I can't know there is one who loves and he is fully competent and he knows what he's doing and the invitation is now today don't Focus primarily on what you don't know Focus primarily on what you do know that courage is a good thing that persistence is a good thing that endurance is a good thing that no one has ever explained life or love nobody has ever lived or died or been raised against the way that Jesus did and he is worthy of our trust even when there are things that we don't know so today whether what you're going through is a minor or a life or death deal don't you give up you keep going you Embrace Life you persist you run out to Jesus and talk to him and let him know about whatever your complaint is you keep going you give it the best you have you are Freddy Freeman you stay in that batters box and you swing stretch out your hand." [00:508:44]