“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’ ” (John 11:14-15).
When we take one phrase out of context it seems unlike what we have come to know about Jesus. “Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there.” Lazarus’ sisters, Martha and Mary, were close friends of Jesus. They didn’t understand His delay in coming to the rescue of their dying brother. When Jesus arrived in Bethany after Lazarus’ death they each said to Him, “If you had been here my brother would not have died.”
It seemed to them that Jesus had come too late. We often feel the same way when something He could have prevented happens to us. We think, “Jesus, if You had been here….” We ultimately realize what the sisters learned—Jesus is never too late!
When we read this entire account we can see what Jesus was doing. He had healed the sick before and His followers knew that He could do it again. He had raised a young man from the dead as his body was being carried to his place of burial. However, Lazarus had been dead four days. This miracle seemed like it was too much for which to hope.
Jesus was about to die. He knew that His death would shake the faith of His followers. He waited to raise Lazarus from the dead because He wanted His disciples to know that He is the Resurrection and the life. He wasn’t too late. His timing was perfect for teaching them the truth they needed to know. When Jesus told His disciples “for your sake…so that you may believe” He was explaining that the raising of Lazarus would build their faith for what they were about to go through.
