The Raising of Lazarus
The thing that stands out the most to me in this passage is the “amount” of faith people had in Jesus and his abilities. Mary, Martha, and the disciples claim to believe and know that Jesus is Lord. So often we say one thing but our actions show something different than what we are saying.
The back and forth conversation with Jesus, “if you had been here then Lazarus wouldn’t have died” is one that is still relevant today. There is nothing that we have done or can do that will change God’s mind. He knows what is going to happen and knows what our actions will be; thus Jesus in verse 4 “it happened for the glory of God so that the Son of God will receive glory from this.” Personally this is the most challenging idea for me to wrap my head around. Our circumstances are not a result of how good a Christian we’ve been, because there is never a point to where we can measure up on the good Christian scale. We can never attain that title because, our “measuring stick” is Jesus who was perfect. However, just because we can never be perfect, doesn’t mean we stop trying. I think the most important part to keep in mind is that our relationship with God is a journey. It’s not going to stop and will constantly change and evolve as we grow and learn with him. If we strive for hearts and actions that reflect Jesus, doesn’t that show our faith?