”So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”
Then Thomas (also known as Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”“
John 11:14-16 NIV
I love these honest words spoken by Thomas, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” Thomas might have been doubting or he might have been a realist. Truly, the last time these guys stayed in Judea, the religious leaders tried to capture Jesus and stone Him for blasphemy.
They all, Jesus and His gang of twelve, escaped unscathed, but only because God’s timing had not yet been fulfilled. I can appreciate how Thomas and his fellow followers might have been perplexed at Jesus’ beckoning to return to Judea so soon.
”and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”
“But Rabbi,” they said, “a short while ago the Jews there tried to stone you, and yet you are going back?”“
John 11:7-8 NIV
Sometimes we just can’t fathom what God is up to because our vision is limited and our knowledge is finite. We can’t see the end from the beginning or know for certain exactly how good will come from difficult circumstances, or even if good will come.
That’s the reality of a faith journey. But the joy of the journey is getting to go with Jesus into the unknown believing He does see the end from the beginning. And believing that He is good and true to His word. It’s an invitation to an adventure full of questions and covered by a multitude of promises guaranteed by God.
Another reality of following Jesus is that none of the details will be the way you would have arranged them, and even the end result might look vastly different from the end you would have written. Even so, God will work it all out, and keep His promises to never leave you while remaining true to His faithfulness.
I am reminded of the day we received news that Mom B, my mother in law, suffered a stroke. The initial news regarding her health crisis was a second blow as earlier that same day my dear man received news of his employer’s impending takeover by a competitor. This would mean the end of his job in the near future.
Fortunately, it was a Friday, and so after his grueling work day, and attempts to manage his own health concerns, we quickly packed a suitcase and started driving the ten hours to Ohio. It was one of those seasons in life when it was hard to see any good outcome from the perfect storm hovering over our family. However, we chose to cling to our recent experience with the faithfulness of God through some other family situations. And on that first weekend, we shakily put our hands in His and determined to follow Jesus, together, wherever He would lead.
We couldn’t see the end from the beginning of Mom B’s health decline or my dear man’s career or even the complications of his own health concerns, but we believed Jesus did know, and that He did care. We learned over the next three years of Mom B’s hospice care that God, in the middle of the awful, had designed really special, unique and faith building missions for us to live out on those drives between Georgia and Ohio.
”Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die;“
John 11:24-25 NIV
In the end, Mom B shed the grave clothes of this life, and came alive to step into the waiting arms of Jesus. My dear man had two cervical spine surgeries and learned he has Parkinson’s Disease. We grieved the loss of his career and found abundant life on the other side of our loss. None of it happened in the way I hoped, and God wasn’t offended when we were overly doubtful or realistic. He proved Himself a promise keeper, and He’s never abandoned us.
As Jesus and the guys packed up to return to Judea, He was focused on giving life to His creation. Jesus was focused on honoring His Father and helping His disciples grow up in faith. Since the twelve could only hear Jesus’ words through the narrow filter of previous experience, the current situation appeared hopeless.
On the other hand, Jesus was steadfast in getting back to Judea because He knew Lazarus would live. He knew that in the end His disciples would see the purpose for returning to a contentious place. Ultimately, the disciples would learn to trust God for the details and the results. They would learn to obey even when they didn’t understand.
”When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. “Where have you laid him?” he asked.
“Come and see, Lord,” they replied.
Jesus wept.“
John 11:33-35 NIV
And Jesus isn’t offended when we can’t see past the hurt, pain, suffering and tragedy inherent in living our own lives in a broken world. He knows we are limited. But He takes our hands and walks us all the way through, and all the while validates our feelings about our limited understanding. Jesus is still steadfast because He knows how our faith will be strengthened and the purposes we will experience when we walk with Him.
In all of this, Jesus proves Himself faithful, good and worthy of our trust. He alone is worthy to be praised. Jesus is Life. The Giver and Sustainer. And He brings us along to participate – learning to more fully love Him and love our neighbors.
Something to ponder with Jesus,
Lisa
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