Why Does Jesus Wait? | The Gospels | John 11:1–16
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How does Jensen introduce the problem of God's apparent delay in John 11?
Welcome to 10-Minute Bible Talks, where we connect the Bible to your life and the time it takes to get to work. I'm Jensen Holt-McNair. My husband and I do this thing when our life gets really chaotic. With three kids, four and under in the house, chaos is pretty constant. But some days it just feels heavier. Sometimes we get less sleep than we need. There's additional stress at work or trips to plan, parties to host. In some seasons, it's family conflict, emotional baggage, seasons of doubt. But anything added on top of the normal 24-7 chaos can send him and I into a tailspin. I'll speak specifically for myself. I get snippy. I assume the worst. I feel overwhelmed and begin to throw blame anywhere else.
What personal story does Jensen use to explain a 'guiding truth' for chaos?
We can both feel it happening as children scream at us, vying for our attention, and the pasta water boils on the stove, and my three-year-old runs in, covered in some substance of unknown origin, and then my four-year-old asks me if I want to see his Hot Wheel go through the triple loop really quick. We always just make eye contact above the chaos and we say, same team, same team. We are not out to get each other. We are not competing. We are on the same team. Sam and I have the same goals. We share the same burdens. We hope for the same things. And this guiding truth about our relationship with one another helps us walk into the chaos and any added stress without turning on one another, without assuming the worst.
Instead, we walk in united. Now, you may not be married, you may not have toddlers, your house may not be as chaotic as mine, but we can all benefit from understanding the power of a simple, guiding truth. A foundational truth, simple in reality, but full of richness that can transform our understanding and approach to even the most appalling and confusing moments in our lives. See, in John's Gospel, chapter 11 begins a sort of transition. This transition is moving us towards Jesus' death on the cross, Jesus' approach to Jerusalem, where he will be finally arrested and killed by its leaders. See, Jesus has taught his disciples that he is the bread of life, the light of life, the water of life. But in this subsequent chapter, he's going to display up close and personal that he, Jesus, brings life.
Chapter 11 tells of the death and then resurrection of Lazarus from the dead. But the portion of scripture that we're looking at today focuses solely on the before. We don't see the resurrection yet. And parts of what we will read today may confuse us, may make us wonder, why? Why would Jesus even let this happen?
How does John 11 begin to transition the Gospel toward Jesus' death?
But we will see John employ the same tactic that Sam and I employ in the chaos of our home, a guiding truth that helps us approach the text with understanding and not confusion. That's enough of an introduction to the text. Let's just dive in. Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair. So the sisters sent word to Jesus, "'Lord, the one you love is sick.'" So John, he gives us context. Lazarus is a close friend of Jesus's, like Mary and Martha. Mary, who will in the next few chapters wipe Jesus's feet with her hair, a sign of respect, care, love, adoration.
The one who sat at Jesus's feet, clearly they have a close relationship, a close friendship. But they describe their brother as the one Jesus loves. Now, when I hear that my kid is sick at school, I immediately go to them, both because it's policy, but also I want to be near them, to take care of them, to do what I can for them. Mostly it's to offer them comfort. But Mary and Martha reach out to Jesus because they know that he has power, not just to comfort them as a friend, but to heal. They know his ministry.
Who are Lazarus, Mary, and Martha and why do they send for Jesus?
They're imploring him to come and take away this sickness. And we would expect if Jesus really loves Lazarus like I love my kids, he will immediately go to him and heal him. But he doesn't. Verse 4. When he heard this, Jesus said, This sickness will not end in death.
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
How does Jensen introduce the problem of God's apparent delay in John 11?
0:05–0:56
2
What personal story does Jensen use to explain a 'guiding truth' for chaos?
0:56–3:06
3
How does John 11 begin to transition the Gospel toward Jesus' death?
3:06–4:33
4
Who are Lazarus, Mary, and Martha and why do they send for Jesus?
4:33–8:11
5
Why does Jesus wait two days after hearing Lazarus is sick?
8:11–13:38
6
How does Jesus frame Lazarus’s sickness as ‘for God’s glory’ and what does that mean?
13:38–13:51
Speakers
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