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There are times in all of our lives when situation arises and seems hopeless.
There are times in our lives when despite everything that we do, our situations seem hopeless.
There are times in our lives when we may even question our faith because despite prayers, fasting and diligence- our situations remains stagnant.
You may feel frustrated when people say, hang in there and you have been hanging on a thread so much until if someone touched the string you would fall.
We are constantly seeking ways to resolve our situation.
We want solutions in our lives especially when we are facing issues after issues.
Sometime we don’t know what to do.
Often we go to friends and family to see resolution; only to find that they are just as messed up from the floor up as we are.
Some for whom we talk to, gives us the same old statement that really doesn’t give much hope.
If we admit it, we need solutions and sometimes we don’t understand why we are going through tough situations and look around and see those who don’t attempt to know Jesus seemingly are doing well and seemingly everything is falling there way.
Again, we want solutions.
It’s like this, I remember when my youngest was about 4 years old.
He was having a stuffy nose and couldn’t clear.
He said to me, “ My nose is stoppy up” and I replied, “ I understand baby, you don’t feel good.”
He turned and looked at me and said, “ Well what are you going to do about it.”
We burst out and laughed because his response wasn’t what we expected.
He didn’t see anything humorous because he was feeling bad and wanted a solution.
I think for most of us we would feel the same.
I think many of us here today don’t want hear a bunch of stuff without real solution.
We want thing fixed, and not later but sooner.
We don’t go and get our malfunctioning car to a mechanic to make it worse, we don’t go to the beauty shot in order for our hair to be taken out- the point of this, we go to a specialist in order to get our problem resolved.
But what happens when we go to Jesus who we know is our comforter, our healer, our Savior; but, yet nothing seems to change?
It is no use to pretending that sometimes our situation, regardless of how we pray or whatever, it just doesn’t make sense to us.
I want to read this Scripture today from
(NRSV)
14 Then Jesus told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead.
15 For your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe.
But let us go to him."
When Dead Isn’t Dead: But Testing
Have you ever gone to someone in dire straits and needed help.
The person that you sought help from was a very dear friend who said that she or he would be by your side regardless of what may come; but, you went to this person and no help was given.
This friend has been with you for a life time and suddenly when you were in need, no help was given.
The only help said to you was, hang in there, it will be OK.
But still, you know that the person had the capability of helping you out but didn’t.
How would you feel?
Now I want to set something up for you.
We know that Jesus has power to do whatever He wants to do.
The Scripture that I read, shows a family, two sisters who were experiencing a family crisis.
This family or sisters knew Jesus very well; but, he didn’t come to there rescue when they sought him.
But sisters and brothers, the Scripture says and we have heard people say:
James Chapter 4: 2 b “ You do not have, because you do not ask.”
Well, do people not say that, but when you pray and ask Jesus for help and nothing happens, then what?
Do we lose faith?
Here’s the critical situation:
(NRSV)
1 Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair; her brother Lazarus was ill. 3 So the sisters sent a message to Jesus, "Lord, he whom you love is ill."
This family wasn’t a stranger to Jesus.
Jesus knew, Lazarus, He knew Martha and He knew Mary.
During that visit Martha was very busy, but it was Mary who sat and attentively listen to the Words of Jesus.
Martha was so busy serving she even asked Jesus whether or not he cared that her sister wasn’t helping her and wanted Him to tell Mary to help her instead of just sitting and listening to her.
Jesus told Martha which I am paraphrasing that he was essentially worrying about too much stuff and Mary was doing the right thing sitting listening which her hearing would not be taken away.
Mary was the one that the disciples and other got angry when she used a flask of fragrant oil and poured it on his head, another said his feet and wiped his feet with her hair.
During the encounter Jesus told those around that Mary was preparing him for his burial.
Lazarus also sat with Jesus.
The point is this, this family was well familiar to Jesus.
So when Lazarus was sick, it was a request from a stranger, this was family for whom Jesus loved.
As the Scripture say the sisters sent a message to Jesus, “ Lord, he whom you love is ill.
Think for a moment, for many of us , those who have accepted Jesus as your Savior, you are know by Jesus.
You have a relationship with Jesus.
You are not a stranger.
But, there are times when we send a prayer to Jesus and say, Lord, I need you....Lord, I am sick, please come and heal me, Lord, I need you someone that I love has died, Lord, my family is falling apart, I need you or Lord, my heart is broken I need you to heal me or Lord, have mercy on me…I could go on and on.
We may feel because of what we do as a Christian, working for the Lord, then our request should be answered with an affirmative yes.
But there is something my brothers and sisters that Jesus did in response to Mary ‘s and Martha’s request that will puzzle all of us.
Let me ask, what would you have expected Jesus to say in response to their request.
Would you expect Jesus to say yes because, they meaning, Lazarus, Martha and Mary were very close to Jesus.
This is what the Scripture says:
4 But when Jesus heard it, he said, "This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God's glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it."
5 Accordingly, though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, 6 after having heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.
Wait a minutes, this equation sound right.
You mean Jesus who sat at Lazarus, Martha and Mary table didn’t immediately go to their home; but, instead, he stayed 2 more days where he was.
Now brothers and sisters, I don’t know about you, but I think I would been upset knowing that Jesus didn’t immediately come to see my very ill brother but stayed where he was for 2 days.
Then I would have had to back track and think about with a bit of confusion that upon Jesus receiving the message in the presence of the disciples, "This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God's glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it."
The Scripture doesn’t say that the message was sent back to Mary and Martha, this particular encounter Jesus is having with his disciples.
Sisters and brothers, sometimes are struggles in life regardless of how difficult it is, God is still in the midst.
In many cases, God is testing our faith through many means.
Sometimes
God allows Satan to test faith.
Recall Job as the Scripture reads : (NRSV)
7 So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD, and inflicted loathsome sores on Job from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.
(NRSV)
10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer.
Beware, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison so that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have affliction.
Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.
Sometimes God will allow difficult circumstances to test our faith.
(NRSV)
25 Three times I was beaten with rods.
Once I received a stoning.
Three times I was shipwrecked; for a night and a day I was adrift at sea; 26 on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from bandits, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers and sisters; 27 in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, hungry and thirsty, often without food, cold and naked.
(This is what happened to Paul.)
Sometimes God allows persecution to test our faith.
(NRSV)
35 Women received their dead by resurrection.
Others were tortured, refusing to accept release, in order to obtain a better resurrection.
36 Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment.
37 They were stoned to death, they were sawn in two, they were killed by the sword; they went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, persecuted, tormented— 38 of whom the world was not worthy.
They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.
39 Yet all these, though they were commended for their faith, did not receive what was promised,
Sometimes even discouraging people test faith.
(NRSV)
39 When he had entered, he said to them, "Why do you make a commotion and weep?
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