John 11--part 2

Okay, due to a little (okay, not little) computer problem at home, I'm going to have to update this from school for a while. Despite my blogging irregularities, my personal devotions have been alright, but regardless, I hope to finish posting on the Gospel according to John with a little more regularity.

In John 11:17, when Jesus gets there, Martha goes out to meet him and makes a statement with a broken heart: If you had been here, my brother would not have died. She follows up that question with a statement of great faith. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask. Was she expecting Jesus to raise her brother from the dead? I'm not sure, but it doesn't seem likely from what she tells Jesus in verse 24 (and also verse 40, later). Even so, for her response in verse 25, I think she gets an A+.

So she goes and gets Mary. Mary goes out to Jesus and falls at his feet and makes the same grief-ridden statement. Following this are some of the most moving words in scripture. Jesus knew that things were going to turn out alright (see verse 23). He knew that in 15 minutes, these same people were going to be overcome with great joy and the power and victory of God. But in that moment, Jesus Himself was deeply moved (even to tears) because the people around Him--people He loved--were hurting. See how he loved him!... Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?

The happy ending: (11:44) The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. I hope it's not irreverent for me to think this, but the picture John paints here is absolutely hilarious, and even Mary, Martha, and Lazarus must have had a laugh about it in retrospect. First of all, "the dead man came out..." ?! Second, here's this picture of him all tangled up in strips of cloth, maybe like he's in some sort of sack race, with a cloth around his face, so he can't even see where he's going. Then, as if Jesus had to tell them, Take off his grave cloths and let him go. All to the glory of God!