Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you."
Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." Martha said to him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day." Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?" She said to him, "Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world."
As I read the words "if you had been here" I sense the deep disappointment that Martha was feeling. She had done everything she knew to do to save her brother from dying - she had even asked Jesus to come and he did not. In a human sense, we all feel the pain of her words and many of us can relate to her disappointment. Like Martha many of us anguish, hurt and grieve when our loved ones are hurting, sick and sometimes die. Yet unlike Martha, some of us have not had their loved ones healed or raised.
To Martha, and to us, Jesus speaks of words of life and resurrection. His words are filled with hope whether we see our loved ones healed or not. In my case his words comfort me because I have hope that one day I will be reunited with the loved ones who have died. Knowing that I will see them gives me comfort that I cannot really fully explain. There was a sense of robbery in me when my first wife died yet that sense gave way to an expectation of future joy. This hope is a universal one for those who believe in the Jesus.
In you I will hope Lord. You are the resurrection and the life.
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Oh Bob...doesn't our attitude change when we realize we don't grieve as the world, as we have that wonderful HOPE and assurance that we will see our loved ones again. The older I get, the more anxious I am for heaven.
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