October 2, 2023

John 11:1-16  (HCSB)
Lazarus Dies at Bethany
11 Now a man was sick, Lazarus, from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, and it was her brother Lazarus who was sick. 3 So the sisters sent a message to Him: “Lord, the one You love is sick.” 4 When Jesus heard it, He said, “This sickness will not end in death but is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” 5 Now Jesus loved Martha, her sister, and Lazarus. 6 So when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was. 7 Then after that, He said to the disciples, “Let’s go to Judea again.” 8 “Rabbi,” the disciples told Him, “just now the Jews tried to stone You, and You’re going there again?” 9 “Aren’t there 12 hours in a day?” Jesus answered. “If anyone walks during the day, he doesn’t stumble, because he sees the light of this world. 10 If anyone walks during the night, he does stumble, because the light is not in him.” 11 He said this, and then He told them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I’m on My way to wake him up.” 12 Then the disciples said to Him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will get well.” 13 Jesus, however, was speaking about his death, but they thought He was speaking about natural sleep. 14 So Jesus then told them plainly, “Lazarus has died. 15 I’m glad for you that I wasn’t there so that you may believe. But let’s go to him.” 16 Then Thomas (called “Twin”) said to his fellow disciples, “Let’s go so that we may die with Him.”

Nathan Putty
This entire passage of scripture could have been titled, “Don’t Doubt Jesus.” I mean, good grief, even the disciples who walked with Him and saw the things He could do still found themselves questioning Him. Jesus says this will not end in death, yet there is doubt. I must admit it’s pretty funny that Jesus seems to be in no hurry and stays put for a couple of days, which surely confused the disciples. As always, Jesus does nothing without a purpose and a plan. Jesus gives the disciples a beautiful analogy about following the light and good as opposed to following the dark and evil of the world. Don’t doubt, Jesus works on His time, not ours. Be patient. Remain steadfast. Follow Jesus, the light.