John 11:17–37 - 17 So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days. 18 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off; 19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary, to console them concerning their brother. 20 Martha therefore, when she heard that Jesus was coming, went to meet Him, but Mary stayed at the house. 21 Martha then said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 “Even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She said to Him, “Yes, Lord; I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God, even He who comes into the world.” 28 When she had said this, she went away and called Mary her sister, saying secretly, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” 29 And when she heard it, she got up quickly and was coming to Him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha met Him. 31 Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and consoling her, when they saw that Mary got up quickly and went out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there. 32 Therefore, when Mary came where Jesus was, she saw Him, and fell at His feet, saying to Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and was troubled, 34 and said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus wept. 36 So the Jews were saying, “See how He loved him!” 37 But some of them said, “Could not this man, who opened the eyes of the blind man, have kept this man also from dying?”
What does today’s passage say?
In today's passage, Jesus reached the small town where His friends lived, but He came too late - their brother had been dead and buried for four days already. The older sister rushed out to meet Him on the road, expressing both her disappointment at His delay and her unwavering faith in His power with God (vv. 17-22). As they talked about life after death, Jesus made an astounding claim about His own identity as the source of eternal life. The sister then boldly proclaimed her complete confidence that Jesus was God's promised Messiah (vv. 23-27). When the younger sister hurried out to see Jesus, she collapsed in tears at His feet, sharing her heartache. Seeing their pain and the crowd's sorrow, Jesus felt deep anguish in His heart and began to cry. Everyone there could see how much He cared for this family (vv. 28-37).
How can I apply John 11:17-37 to my life?
Grief has a way of stopping us in our tracks. The pain is real and can be overwhelming when death robs us of someone we love. Martha and Mary knew this sorrow all too well. They had sent urgent word for Jesus to come because Lazarus was sick, assuming Jesus would drop everything and heal him. But He did not arrive until four agonizing days after Lazarus died. It is hard to imagine the mix of sadness, anger, and confusion these sisters felt as they saw Jesus approaching. “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died!” The sting behind this repeated cry speaks for anyone who has pleaded with God to work, only to face silence and increasing troubles instead. Yet woven through this family’s story remains a message of hope - one that meets us within life’s hardest moments. Jesus responds to grief with compassion, not pious platitudes. His empathy runs deeper than human understanding. At the same time, He speaks eternal truth into earthly pain: “I am the resurrection and the life.” This raw, honest account shows Jesus meeting people within deep sorrow, yet pointing them toward confident hope. As we walk through seasons of grief and loss ourselves, we discover a Savior who bears our pain with us. His words and His presence minister to places within us that no one else can fully reach. Yes, we still wait and plead urgently for God to move in situations that break our heart. But Jesus’ interactions with Mary and Martha remind us that hope always rises brighter than darkness. Suffering will not have the final say. Here are some basic principles from this passage that we should apply to our lives:
1. Put Your Trust in Jesus' Perfect Timing (vv. 17-22): Martha's words to Jesus show both faith and frustration about His delayed arrival after Lazarus died. Life hits us with brutal disappointments when God's timeline does not match our desperate pleas for help. In those raw moments of grief and confusion, our hearts wage war against His seeming inaction. Four days had passed since Lazarus was laid in the tomb - four long days of Martha and Mary wondering why Jesus had not come sooner. Their situation mirrors our own struggles when we face endless medical battles, watch loved ones drift from faith, or stand helpless as tragedy strikes. Some days the wait feels unbearable. Yet Jesus, who loved this family deeply, had a greater plan unfolding. His delay would showcase God's glory in ways that an immediate arrival never could. The same holds true in our lives today. Behind every painfully slow answer to prayer and every "too late" moment stands a Savior who sees beyond our limited view. What looks like divine neglect to us often sets the stage for God to display His power in unexpected ways. The cancer diagnosis, the prodigal child, the financial crisis - these become platforms for Jesus to work in ways our quick-fix demands would have prevented. Trust grows strongest in the soil of patient waiting, even when that waiting hurts. Jesus calls us to hold onto faith precisely when His timing makes the least sense to our broken hearts (Psalms 27:14, Isaiah 55:8-9, Romans 8:28, 2 Peter 3:8-9).
Food for Thought: What situation in your life right now requires you to trust Jesus's timing rather than demanding immediate answers? How has God used seasons of waiting in the past to strengthen your faith and reveal His faithfulness?
2. Look to Jesus as Your Life and Hope (vv. 23-27): Jesus' declaration to Martha that He is the resurrection and the life reaches beyond words on a page—it calls for faith that transforms how we live and think. Life is often really hard. The ground shifts beneath our feet, and we scramble to find something solid to hold onto. Some of us throw ourselves into work or relationships. Others build walls of careful planning, desperate to control what happens next. We exhaust ourselves looking for answers everywhere except the One who gives life itself. Jesus stands ready—not with quick fixes or empty promises—but with life that runs deeper than our pain. Following Him means letting go. It means opening our white-knuckled grip on our own solutions and falling into His unchanging truth. When grief feels like a heavy blanket we cannot shake off, He gives us breath to keep moving forward. When our circumstances scream that all hope is lost, His presence speaks peace into the chaos. This is not just positive thinking or wishful dreams about a better tomorrow. Jesus offers Himself—the source of all life, the anchor that holds through every storm, the hope that death itself cannot destroy. He walks with us through our darkest valleys and leads us toward eternal light. His power fills our present reality while securing our future glory. Nothing can separate us from this kind of life because nothing can separate us from Him (Romans 15:13, 1 Peter 1:3-5, John 14:6).
Food for Thought: How do you tend to respond when life feels uncertain, and how can Jesus' identity as the resurrection and the life bring steadiness to your heart? What steps can you take to depend more fully on Jesus as your source of life and hope in both small decisions and significant challenges?
3. Take Your Grief to Jesus (vv. 28-37): Jesus shared in Mary's sorrow, weeping with her at the tomb of Lazarus. People face grief in countless ways. A mother learns her child has cancer. A husband buries his wife of fifty years. A teenager watches her parents' marriage crumble. Each loss cuts deep, leaving us with questions no one can answer. Our culture pushes us to bounce back quickly - to put on a brave face and keep moving forward. Well-meaning friends quote Bible verses or offer simple solutions that fall flat against the weight of real pain. Some Christians even suggest that strong faith means holding back tears. These messages pile guilt on top of grief until we stuff our feelings behind closed doors. But Jesus shows us something radically different at Lazarus' tomb. His tears tell us God cares about human pain. The Creator of the universe does not stand back coldly while His people hurt. Instead, He moves toward our mess. Jesus understands the sleepless nights when peace feels impossible. He knows about the empty chair at the dinner table and the memories that ambush us at unexpected moments. Taking our grief to Him means dropping the act of having it all together. It means letting honest tears fall, speaking our doubts out loud, and trusting that His comfort runs deeper than our pain. God gives us permission to grieve - not as people without hope, but as beloved children who know their Father catches every tear. Healing comes as we stop trying to be strong and let Jesus carry what we cannot (Psalms 34:18, Matthew 11:28-30, 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, 1 Peter 5:7).
Food for Thought: What keeps you from being honest with Jesus about your deepest hurts and sorrows? In what specific ways can you practice taking your grief to Jesus this week instead of trying to handle it alone?
When pain strikes deep and answers feel far away, Jesus shows us a better path forward. Martha and Mary's raw encounter with Him changes everything about how we handle life's hardest moments. Their story unfolds three powerful truths that work in real life, not just on paper. God's timing rarely matches our urgent demands, but His purposes reach far beyond what we can grasp. Sometimes He lets situations grow darker before His light breaks through. Jesus stands as our unshakeable hope - not a distant religious figure, but the source of real life both now and forever. His presence brings steady strength when our world spins out of control. Most remarkably, Jesus meets our grief with tears of His own. The God of the universe does not hand out quick fixes or demand that we hide our pain. Instead, He walks straight into our mess and stays close while we hurt. These truths work in hospital rooms, at gravesides, and through long nights of worry. They hold firm whether we face cancer, divorce, job loss, or dreams that died too soon. Through every storm and season, Jesus proves that He is exactly who He claims to be - the resurrection and the life, the One who turns mourning into dancing, our solid rock when nothing else stands.
Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father,
I pray that You would teach me to trust Your perfect timing, even when my heart aches with grief and loss. Your Word shows me how Martha and Mary struggled with Your delays, yet You had a greater purpose in mind. I pray that You would build my faith during seasons of waiting and help me see beyond my immediate pain to Your bigger plan.
I pray that You would fix my eyes on Jesus as my source of life and unshakeable hope. When circumstances threaten to pull me under, I pray that You would anchor me in the truth that Jesus is the resurrection and the life. Let that reality transform how I think and live each day.
I pray that You would free me from trying to handle grief alone or pretending to be strong. Like Jesus wept with Mary, I know that You welcome my tears and honest struggles. Help me bring my deepest hurts to You instead of hiding them. Thank You for being a God who enters into our pain and walks with us through every valley.
I pray that You would use my own experiences of loss and waiting to point others toward Your comfort and hope. Give me wisdom to share authentically about Your faithfulness in hard times. Thank You for showing me through this passage that You care deeply about human suffering while holding power over death itself.
I pray these things in the most precious name of Jesus, Amen.
John 11:25 - 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies.”
With His Blessings,
Pastor Corby
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