Lessons from the Lazarus Narrative (Part 4) By Babatunde Olugboji
The narrative of the death and resurrection of Lazarus in John 11 was one of those narratives that gives us a taste of what Jesus was all about. Lazarus was sick, ended up dying, even after his sisters, Mary, and Martha, sent for Jesus.
The Bible says as soon as Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary was sitting in the house. Mary was too upset to get up to meet him; no perfume, ointment, 21 Now Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. (John 11: 20-21) Aren’t many of us like Martha? Lord, if you are here, my marriage wouldn’t have collapsed, I wouldn’t have lost my job, my home wouldn’t have been repossessed, etc. Have you ever gone through a situation where you couldn’t figure God out? Let me assure you, he’s got you on his mind. He’s got your back. Be mad at the devil not at God.
Never mistake God’s patience for his absence. His timing is always perfect, and his presence is always constant. The sisters couldn’t understand what was going on. When Jesus heard that Lazarus was sick, instead of commandeering a donkey like he did on Palm Sunday and rushing down with his lieutenants in tow, he tarried 2 days in the same place and proceeded to another town. Then after this He said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again. (John 11:7)
When the sisters sent for him, they reminded him, “Our brother, whom you love is sick.” Jesus said: “I heard you, this sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” I don’t know what you are going through, whatever it is, it is not unto death.
Jesus didn’t do what you wanted Him to do, when you thought He should, and how you thought He should because there is something bigger He is planning for you. In Bethany, Jesus wanted to demonstrate resurrection, not resuscitation, He wanted to show them what real love is.
Real love may be criticized, real love may be controversial, but real love would accomplish my purpose. It may be painful, but it is not pretentious. Real love will sometimes ask you to wait, for your own good. When God pushes you to the edge of difficulty, trust Him fully because 2 things can happen. He’ll either catch you when you fall or He’ll teach you how to fly.
Martha was upset, but the Holy Spirit flipped a button inside her. “But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.” (John 11: 22-23) In other words, it may be late, my brother is already the Late Lazarus, but for you nothing is too late, nothing is impossible.
As you are reading this, it is not too late for God to turn that situation around. God is about to give you an ‘Even Now’ miracle. If He can turn mourning into dancing, He can turn burden into blessing. It was at this point that Jesus declared “Your brother will rise again.” (John 11:23). 
He told Martha: show me where you laid Lazarus. God is telling somebody: Show Me where you stopped believing and I will do the impossible, where you gave up on Me, where you thought I brought you this far to dump you, where you got tired. Show Me where you ceased to trust Me, show Me where you decided I wasn’t able to heal you.
To be continued.
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