John 11:17-44
Jesus Comforts Mary and Martha
17 On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. 18 Now Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem,19 and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. 20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.
21 “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”
23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
24 Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
27 “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”
28 After she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. “The Teacher is here,” she said, “and is asking for you.” 29 When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. 31 When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there.
32 When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. 34 “Where have you laid him?” he asked.
“Come and see, Lord,” they replied.
35 Jesus wept.
36 Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”
37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”
38 Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. 39 “Take away the stone,” he said.
“But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”
40 Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”
41 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”
43 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.
Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”
Grief and the feeling of joy are things that are hard for me to put into words...So, for me, there are times when words and speech are not enough...Besides grief and joy, there are many things beyond words...Describing things that are sacred and holy are also difficult...
One thing in trying to find words for and that comes immediately to mind is the death of a loved one...For me, it is beyond the reach of words when I am at a funeral trying to speak to one who has lost their closest of friend or a close family member...Nothing I say, feels quite soothing enough or adequate...Nothing I say can heal that open wound of grief in their loss in that moment...
My words cannot explain death, and there is this other side of grief and its distinct opposite...There is the sacred and holy...I believe there are things that are so great in the sacred and holy that words cannot express them...There are Divine things beyond description...There is this Joy in Jesus...
As Martha and Mary saw different things in the aftermath of their brother’s death...Four days after their brother's death Jesus arrives...He has arrived too late to save their dying brother...I do believe that He is One who can somehow find the proper thing to say or the act to do that can heal the pain of the deepest of wounds...Jesus Himself is beyond the description of words...So when He does talk to Mary and Martha about their brother He is bringing them comfort...Him just being there, no matter how late He was is a Great Comfort...And although He does not say much, if anything to Mary, He tells Martha that He is the Resurrection and the Life...And although He says little to Mary, He weeps with her...Jesus Wept...And during this time Jesus was deeply moved in spirit and was troubled...Jesus also grieved with the sisters...He comforted the sisters...And within a short period of time He has raised their deceased and buried brother, who had been dead for four days...And now Lazarus was now alive and back among the living...
What words could describe or speak about this?...Jesus’ action of resurrection was more powerful than any words that could ever be spoken or written about...