John 11:5-6 (The Message) Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, but oddly, when He heard that Lazarus was sick, He stayed on where He was for two more days.
“Jesus’ delay was not a matter of indifference; rather, it was a matter of purposeful timing that would strengthen the faith of His disciples (v. 15) and bring glory to God (v. 4). The sickness would not end in death (v. 4) because Jesus would restore physical life” (Kuzmic). Actually, in one sense it would lead to death—His own! For once the word spread throughout Jerusalem (less than two miles away) the religious leaders would plot to kill Him (v. 53). Raising Lazarus from the dead would be the seventh and final miracle of Jesus recorded in John’s Gospel and would mark the climax of Jesus’ public ministry. Through this miracle Jesus hoped to build into His disciples a rock solid faith that would sustain them in the awful days ahead. God has a divine timetable. We may be in a hurry for Him to act but He knows when and how best to accomplish higher purposes through our lives.
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