Where Was He?

Jesus spent a lot of time in the town of Bethany with Lazarus and his two sisters, Mary and Martha. They shared many meals and many good times together. Mary, Martha, and Lazarus could rightfully refer to Jesus as their personal friend.

Thus, when Lazarus became sick, they dispatched a message to the Lord. They knew that Jesus would know what to do. They thought that perhaps He would speak a word, and Lazarus would get better immediately. Or maybe He would stop what He was doing, rush home to Bethany, lay His hands on Lazarus, and take this sickness away.

But the Bible tells us that upon hearing Lazarus was sick, Jesus stayed where He was for two more days (see John 11:6). The question is, if Jesus loved Lazarus, why did He not rush to His aid? Immediately, we think this is a contradiction. If Jesus really loved this man, then why did He not go and heal Him?

When tragedy, hardship, or even death strikes our lives, we too might ask the same question: If Jesus really loves me, why did He let this happen? But the point is that although we cannot see how the situation will end or why it has come upon us, we can know that it flows from the love of God and is controlled by Him.

But let me qualify that statement. This is true only for the Christian. If you are a believer, you can know that everything must first come through God’s protective screen that He has placed around His children.

His delays are to be interpreted in the light of His love and not the other way around.