We Don't Think Big Enough, Part 3

  Jesus wept.


  Take a minute and really think about that statement.  That's the shortest, most profound statement in the Bible.  I think many people who ready that verse think, "oh well that's kind of cool, he shed a tear."  But this word means to wail loudly, to be racked with sobs.  How can we overlook the profound nature of that statement?  The God of the universe was crying his heart out.  Although there are many different speculations as to why Jesus wept, I like to think it was because He understood the pain of Mary and Martha's loss.  Lazarus was His friend after all.  Jesus understands our pain and heartache.  Does that not blow your mind?!


  Now take that and tie it to the idea of us not dreaming big enough.  If Jesus would weep for our pain and He understands what we're going through, then don't you think He wants the best for us?  Sometimes we have to go through really bad things so we can truly appreciate the best that God has for us.  Think about the testimony Mary and Martha and Lazarus would have after he was raised from the dead.  Think about the lives that were touched because of his resurrection.  Would they have impacted as many people if they didn't have this miraculous story to share?  Yes, there is that possibility, but probably not.  In the next chapter, we see that crowds of people were coming to see Jesus and Lazarus after they heard this amazing story; and in this group were Gentiles.  The word was spreading.  It was no longer only for the Jews.


  Another positive that came from the pain they went through was the fact that they probably cherished and appreciated life and the time they had together more than they had before.  After Lazarus was raised to life, and Jesus was hanging out with His friends (that's cool to think about huh?), Mary anointed Jesus with very expensive perfume by pouring it on his feet and wiping them with her hair.  I like to think this was because Mary was grateful for having her brother back after going through so much pain.  She realized that everything they had gone through was all to glorify God. . .

We Don't Think Big Enough, Part 2

  John 11
  When Jesus arrived in Bethany, many unthinkable things happened.  The first was when Martha went to meet HIm and the conversation that followed.  The first thing Martha says to Jesus is really like an accusation, but it also shows that she understands the power of Jesus.  "If you had been here, my brother would not have died."  Martha knows that Jesus could have saved Lazarus and through her hurt, she knows that Jesus could have stopped her pain, and she tells Him so.  But in this hurt-filled statement, there is also a beauty.  Martha knew and understood that Jesus could heal.  Later, Mary comes out to meet Jesus and says the exact same thing.  In the middle of their pain and loss of their beloved brother, they were still worshipping God.


   So it seems that Mary and Martha are pretty legit right?  They are solid in their faith in God, they are close friends of Jesus, they know He can perform miracles.  So what could they learn from losing their brother, knowing all along that Jesus could have saved Lazarus.  But did they really understand the power of God?


   Both Mary and Martha said, "if you had been here. . ."  They weren't dreaming big enough.  They knew that Jesus was "the Christ, the Son of God who was to come into the world" (v. 27) and that they would see Lazarus again in the resurrection at the last day (v. 24).  But they still weren't dreaming big enough.  We can learn so much from these few verses.  Mary and Martha weren't expecting Jesus to raise Lazarus from the dead even though they knew Jesus could have saved him before he died.  Yet they still trusted Jesus.  Even though they didn't know what Jesus was up to, they took Him to Lazarus' tomb when He asked.  They protested when Jesus said for the stone to be rolled away from the tomb, further showing they had no idea what was coming next; but they had the stone moved anyways - because they believed and trusted Jesus.


   We never know exactly what Jesus has planned for us, but when it's a very hard situation it's particularly hard for us to trust in what Jesus is doing in our lives.  But it's in those times that we need to go with what God is telling us, no matter how crazy it may seem.  Mary and Martha led Jesus to their brother's tomb, the place where all their heartache was.  Can you imagine how hard and painful that was for them?  To go to the place where they knew their brother was, but they would never be able to carry on another conversation with him again, and the person who could have prevented all that pain was asking them to reveal it to him all over again.  They didn't know why Jesus wanted to go there or why He wanted the stone rolled away when it was not going to be a pleasant sight.  It was going to be very painful.  But they did it anyways.  And their pain was healed because they trusted in Jesus enough to listen to what He had to say.


   Although Mary and Martha trusted Jesus, there was so much more that He had planned for them that they could never even imagine. . .

We Don't Think Big Enough, Part 1

   So it's been a very long time since I've blogged about anything and I thought it was time for me to start writing a few more of my thoughts down.  This post is going to take a while to get all the thoughts written out where they make sense so I'm splitting them into several different posts.  Here goes. . .


   One of the greatest mysteries and disconnects between God and man is not that He expects so much of us.  As a matter of fact, it's that God expects so much for us.  We as humans have a hard time understanding that He wants to bless us and to see the best things happen for us.  Jesus didn't come to suffer and die for us so that we could have a mediocre life.  He wants us to have a great life.  Now, that doesn't mean we won't have hardships, because we most certainly will.  


   In John 11, one of the most amazing Bible stories to me occurs.  Jesus is told that Lazarus is sick and is about to die.  The most disturbing part to me personally is that after Jesus hears this, he waited for two days before He went to see Lazarus and his sisters.  Of course, the message has probably come several days after Lazarus first became sick.  And Jesus waited?!  I am most definitely not the most patient person in the entire world and when things are wrong, I want them fixed immediately, so it's hard for me to understand this part.  This was someone Jesus cared about - it says in verse 3 that "Lord, the one you love is sick."  Why would He wait?  Why wouldn't He run to comfort and help this family whom He loved dearly in their time of need?  Why?  Why?  Why?!


  "So God's Son may be glorified through it."  That's what Jesus said.  We all know that Lazarus was raised from the dead later in story, but why didn't Jesus go ahead and heal Lazarus while he was sick instead of waiting until after he died?  Would the disciples have believed in Jesus and HIs ministry as much if Jesus had healed his sickness?  They had seen HIm heal people before, but never had they seen someone raised from the dead after being that way for four days.  Mary and Martha were suffering greatly by this point because of losing their brother.  But when Lazarus is raised from the dead, can you imaging the celebration and joy they had.  Their brother, who they had accepted was gone and they would not see in this life again was back!  And can you imagine how much more precious life and spending time together became after Lazarus was raised from the dead?


  And their faith.  I can't even begin to imagine how their faith grew and deepened after their brother was brought back to them.  But that is a conversation for tomorrow. . .