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So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” John 11:3
D.L. MOODY
The communion those sisters had with Jesus brought them so near to His heart that when the time of trouble came, they knew where to go for comfort. A great many people do not learn that secret in prosperity, and so when the billows come rolling up against them, they don’t know which way to turn. The darkest and most wretched place on the face of the Earth, is a home where death has entered, and where Christ is unknown. No hope of resurrection, no hope of a brighter day coming.
ERWIN LUTZER
If we are not walking with God during the day, how will we fare when night comes? As Moody said, these sisters had welcomed Jesus into their home when they and their brother were well; now He comes to them in their desperation.
But there is another lesson. Although Jesus loved Lazarus, Lazarus died. God’s love may not shield us from death, though He certainly has the power to do so. The love of God prepares us for death. No doubt these sisters depended on their brother for their livelihood; they missed him not just because of their love for him, but because they depended upon him. And now he was dead.
We know how this story ended: Jesus raised Lazarus from the grave. We don’t know how long Lazarus lived after this, but Jesus had a specific purpose for this miracle: to prove to the sisters, to us, and to the entire world that He is “the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25). We can rejoice that the day is coming when we too shall be raised with an eternal, incorruptible, resurrection body (1 Corinthians 15:53).
So until then, let us walk closely with the Lord so that when our bodies decline or those around us die, we shall remember we are loved by the One who will raise us to new life.
PRAYER
Father, draw me near, believing in your love and knowing you are with me when my time comes to die.REFLECTION QUESTIONS
How does the Christian hope of resurrection fundamentally change the experience of grief and loss compared to facing death without that hope?
How does the certainty of loss, decline, and death challenge us to depend on the Lord?