If Only, Jesus

The words at the heart of most any intercessory prayer.

Martha’s words to Jesus are raw and honest: Lord, if you had been here, my brother wouldn’t have died. It’s the kind of statement many of us have whispered—or shouted—in moments of pain. If God is loving and powerful, why does suffering persist? Why didn’t God step in sooner? Why does God allow grief, loss, and injustice to unfold?

Martha’s faith is real, but so is her sorrow. She believes Jesus could have prevented this. And yet, here she is, standing in the aftermath, waiting for him to make things right.

And aren’t we, too, always waiting for Jesus to come and fix what is broken? Like Martha and Mary, like Job and the psalmists, like generations of humans who have cried out in confusion and longing, we are waiting for redemption, waiting for resurrection, waiting for the day when God wipes away every tear.

Jesus does not dismiss Martha’s pain. He does not explain it away. Instead, he shifts the conversation—not to the past, or even to the future, but to himself: I am the resurrection and the life.

(This is the fifth of seven I AM statements in John.)

Resurrection is not just a future event. It is a present reality in the person of Jesus. And though we still wrestle with the weight of suffering, though we still wait for the fullness of God’s kingdom, Jesus stands before us today as he did before Martha, calling us to trust—not in an answer, but in him.

John 11:17-27

When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Bethany was a little less than two miles from Jerusalem. Many Jews had come to comfort Martha and Mary after their brother’s death. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him, while Mary remained in the house. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother wouldn’t have died. Even now I know that whatever you ask God, God will give you.”

Jesus told her, “Your brother will rise again.”

Martha replied, “I know that he will rise in the resurrection on the last day.”

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me will live, even though they die. Everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

She replied, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, God’s Son, the one who is coming into the world.”

Psalm 62:5-8

Oh, I must find rest in God only, because my hope comes from him! Only God is my rock and my salvation—my stronghold!—I will not be shaken. My deliverance and glory depend on God. God is my strong rock. My refuge is in God. All you people: Trust in him at all times! Pour out your hearts before him! God is our refuge!

Prayer

God,

There are people with more concerning illnesses than those in our household, but honestly, it’s been a rough winter in my family. It’s one thing for my kids when they’ve been sick - and pathetic at that for the littlest ones. But my poor wife and the on-going, various, and seemingly disconnected symptoms are quite annoying at this point. And goodness knows…ain’t nothing right when Mom’s sick.

So this is my prayer: help her get better. And help us in the midst of the rest of it all while she is sick.

By your spirit & in Christ,
Amen.