Week 34: Clutching godliness and denying its power

 

When Jesus arrived at Bethany with His disciples

²¹ said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. (John 11)

In other words:

Sorry Master, it’s too late I’m afraid.

To go back to the beginning of the story narrated in John 11

11 Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.

³ Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick.

⁴ When Jesus heard that, he said, this sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.

⁵ Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus.

⁶ When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was.

Strange, isn’t it?

The normal reaction when you hear somebody you care for is sinking would be to rush to the place.

How many times have we sent word to Jesus – believing He careth for you (1 Peter 5:7) – and were disappointed with His behaviour.

Does He not have ears to hear? The most common lamentation in Tamil is: கடவுளுக்கு கண் இல்லையா?Does He not perceive the seriousness of the situation? Or worse, is He avoiding us because He is powerless to do anything about it?

The end.

But what does Jesus say?

this sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.

After some exchanges, Jesus tells His disciples

¹¹  Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep.

Nobody informed Jesus that Lazarus is dead. He just knew in His divine perspicacity. And He tells His disciples the reason why He didn’t dash. This was a little too much for the disciples – not the brightest lot – to digest, but they moved along like a herd.

In the meanwhile, the disappointed and dispirited Bethany sisters were grieving the passing away of their brother in the company of a throng of Jews. Then follows an interesting conversation between Martha and Jesus, continuing from our opening line.

²² But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee (Martha: You are not quite, God, are you?”)

²³ Jesus saith unto her, thy brother shall rise again. (“I and My Father are one” John10:30)

²⁴ Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. (traditional belief speaking)

²⁵ Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:

²⁶ And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?

Not only was Martha on a different page from Jesus, she was in fact reading from a different book altogether; check out 1 Timothy 3:5 “Having a form of godliness” (Martha) but denying the power thereof (Jesus).

Finally, she conceded, seemingly without conviction (John 10:27)

³² Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.

(Martha redux!)

³³ When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit and was troubled.

³⁵ Jesus wept. (the face of Jesus’s humanity)

³⁷ And some of them said, could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died?

(redux redux)

³⁹ Jesus said, Take ye away the stone.

Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days.

(“It’s alright Jesus. Finito. Please don’t embarrass yourself”)

More conversation with an un-understanding Martha, followed by a clear chat with the Father.

⁴³ (Jesus) cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.

⁴⁴ And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, loose him, and let him go.

⁴⁵ Then many of the Jews (stunned) ……. believed on him.

Jesus was four days late: now, was He really?