John 11 Commentary
Are there times when the LORD Jesus is deliberately absent from your situation? This appears to be the case here. Jesus is happy to be away from where He is required! Consequently, things go bad. Deliberate divine absence.
Yes, things go bad but Jesus deliberately delays showing up. How we want Jesus to arrive in time, assuming disaster strikes in His absence. Should the LORD wait until a bad situation becomes worse? Deliberate divine delay.
Our problems are not exactly Jesus’ problems. If you can tell the end from the beginning, whatever is in between matters less! It is like watching an old football match. You know the results already! The thrills and anxieties in between can only be enjoyed. The LORD probably isn’t bothered by our petty issues, especially since the end is all golden!
At the same time, this chapter dispels the notion of a distant and impersonal God. He does care about the activities between the start of the match and the final whistle – even when He knows the final results.
So we have Jesus in the midst of a grieving family. He is moved. He weeps. He mourns with them. In the midst of mourning is an important announcement for those who grieve.
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
Jesus knew what He was going to do. His weeping wasn’t connected to a personal loss. The loss didn’t exist. Jesus weeps because the people He loved wept. He is part of your community. He experiences grief with you.
Strange but Jesus must be informed! Deliberate divine ignorance. Yet He knew! Prayer isn’t an “FYI”, for-your-information kind of mail. If only the LORD is informed in time, so we think. He knows already, yet we must pray.
“If you had been here, my brother would not have died.” The Martha and Mary theology isn’t exactly faultless but it is definitely full of faith! Now we know Jesus is everywhere. He is there even before an incident happens. He is first on sight, even before the victim shows up. He is there in the future even before we can think of it. There are other reasons; the lack of Jesus’ presence isn’t one of them. There are other reasons; lack of compassion or friendship isn’t one of them. There are other reasons; a loveless relationship isn’t one of them.
“Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?” The Jews’ theology isn’t faultless either. It is not a question of ability. There are other reasons; lack of capability isn’t one of them.
Following this incredible miracle, the Sanhedrin meet, and a decision to kill Jesus is reached. He would die for the people, literally. But Caiaphas’ reason isn’t faultless. He wants Jesus dead for selfish reasons. Who cares? Can you win against God? All of this is part of the script! Isaiah 53.
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