John 11:20-24 – Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house. Now Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.”
Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
We have all had struggles in difficult times believing God for what seems hopeless. Apparently, the Lord is willing to expose our fears and sometimes our sins to display His faithfulness and mercy. You know what I mean: Peter’s denial, Moses’ anger and unbelief, Thomas’s doubt, David’s lust – I’m sure we all must fit into one of those categories from time to time. Martha thought she knew what she believed but her brother’s death took her beyond her limits. She said some of the right things but something was missing. You know what I mean, the half hearted comment about someone being in a better place mouthed at a funeral hardly brings encouragement to the grieving. Here is how Erasmus describes Martha’s response to the Lord:
“Not even this promise was enough for Martha’s heart, for, though she hoped passionately that her brother would live again, she could not help being afraid. She feared that, just as he had deceived her with an ambiguous answer in his reply to the messengers that the illness was not fatal, so now too something was hidden in his words that would mock her hope. “I know,” she said, “that my brother will live again, but only on the last day when we shall all rise again.” For many Jews believed that there would be this resurrection, especially those who belonged to the Pharisaic party.”
The good news is that even when we struggle the Lord is faithful. He stepped up when no one else could and called Lazarus back from the dead. Sometimes that’s just what He does, when we are faithless, He is faithful, because He cannot deny Himself. So if you find yourself struggling to find faith standing outside of somebody’s tomb, just give it your best shot. Speak God’s word even if you are struggling, He may just show up and shock everybody.
