For God's Glory

Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it” (John 11: 1-4).

 After a final confrontation with the Jewish elders in the temple, Jesus crossed the Jordan River and went to the wilderness of the Gentiles. His ministry there was fruitful… “And many believed in him there” (John 10:42). But while he was there, a personal emergency arose back in Bethany. The emergency involved a family of two sisters and their brother. Mary loved to sit at our Lord's feet and listen to His teachings while her sister Martha was a busy soul who had the gift of service… “Mary… sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving” (Luke 10:39-40). Their home was often a welcome respite for the Lord and His disciples where they could relax and be themselves. We know little about Lazarus beside the precious fact that Jesus loved him. Today we learn that Lazarus was ill. He was sick enough to prompt his sisters to send word to Jesus. The Son of God revealed His divinity once again with His reply… “This illness does not lead to death”. No one but God could have known whether or not Lazarus was about to die. In fact, right before their eyes Mary, Martha, and the entire village of Bethany would see this illness end in the death of poor Lazarus. But the Son of God saw the bigger picture and was about to confirm His words with a marvelous demonstration of the Christ’s power over death. The Son of God was about to show that the illness and death of His dear friend and disciple was not the end of the story, rather it was to be for God’s glory!

The Holy Spirit teaches through God’s word the truth that the length of our life and the day of our death are determined by God alone… “Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them” (Psalm 139:16). Disciples who embrace this truth receive and live every day as a gift from God. We set our goals and we make our plans, but we trust the Lord’s sovereignty and let Him direct our steps… “The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps” (Proverbs 16:9). As we grow as Christ’s disciples, we learn to pursue God’s will above our own… “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit’— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that’” (James 4:13-15). When we live this kind of surrendered life, seeking to know and pursue God’s purpose out of love for Christ, everything that comes our way, whether blessing or trial, victory or defeat, will be used by the Lord for our good… “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28), and for His glory… “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen” (Romans 11:36).

In today’s scripture Jesus revealed that even sickness and death may be used for the glory of God. There are two reasons for this. First, Christ is sovereign over everything, including death… “Which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” (2 Timothy 1:10). Second, because of His sovereignty and victory, death is never terminal. Death is never the end of the story. The death of a relationship, vision, ministry, business, job, or a loved one is never meant to be the end of the story because Christ has conquered death and God receives glory when Christ shares the victory over death with His disciples… “The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:56-57).

As we grow up into Christ we know death is not the end of our story, and in Christ we live every day…

For God’s Glory.