John 11 tells the story of when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. Lazarus, along with Mary and Martha, are all friends and followers of Jesus, so when Lazarus becomes very sick, the two sisters put out the request for Jesus to come and heal him. Unfortunately, Jesus delays His arrival, and by the time He gets to where they are, Lazarus has died and been placed in a tomb.
When Martha hears that Jesus is coming, she runs out to meet Him. But Mary stays behind at home. She’s upset that Jesus seems to have ignored their cry for help. Martha is more straightforward. She is clearly unhappy with Jesus. “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died” (v. 21). Basically, she’s blaming Jesus. But in the midst of that blame there is a kernel of faith. “Even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You” (v. 22).
But in the midst of that blame there is a kernel of faith.
Jesus responded: “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” (vv. 25-26).
This is the question Christ asks us when we are experiencing hopelessness and feeling disappointed that we aren’t seeing God respond in the way and the time frame we expected. Can we, in the midst of all our doubts and questions, hold on to that kernel of faith that holds tight to His resurrection promises?
If we do, we’ll experience a bit of that resurrection power in our own lives.
