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John 3:16-17
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John 3:16-17
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When one of my friends died, his wife prayed for three days that God would raise him from the dead. She reasoned that Jesus loved him and loved her, so his death could be reversed. His funeral was heavy with the burden of unanswered prayers.
John 11:1-16
Now a man was sick, Lazarus from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair, and it was her brother Lazarus who was sick. So the sisters sent a message to him: "Lord, the one you love is sick." When Jesus heard it, he said, "This sickness will not end in death but is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it." Now Jesus loved Martha, her sister, and Lazarus. So when he heard that he was sick, he stayed two more days in the place where he was. Then after that, he said to the disciples, "Let's go to Judea again." "Rabbi," the disciples told him, "just now the Jews tried to stone you, and you're going there again?" "Aren't there twelve hours in a day?" Jesus answered. "If anyone walks during the day, he doesn't stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if anyone walks during the night, he does stumble, because the light is not in him." He said this, and then he told them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I'm on my way to wake him up." Then the disciples said to him, "Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will get well." Jesus, however, was speaking about his death, but they thought he was speaking about natural sleep. So Jesus then told them plainly, "Lazarus has died. I'm glad for you that I wasn't there so that you may believe. But let's go to him." Then Thomas (called "Twin") said to his fellow disciples, "Let's go too so that we may die with him."
Oh no, Lazarus is sick? They sent a messenger, so this is urgent. We should go. But why is Jesus delaying? He can teach anywhere, but if we rush, maybe he can help his friend. Wait, actually, why are we going at all? If Lazarus is dead, there's no need to risk our lives. If he's only asleep, then he'll get better by himself. Still, Jesus says it's daytime, so he wants us to walk there now. It's Judea that we're afraid of. That's where a mob nearly stoned him (and maybe us). You can still feel the weight of those stones in your chest. Now Jesus is telling us that Lazarus is dead, and he's glad he wasn't there. His friend is dead and he's glad? And we need to leave now? Sometimes Jesus doesn't explain the plan. He just says, "Let's go." Not every unanswered prayer means God looked away. But standing in the middle of it, you can't tell the difference. Both my wife and I had dream jobs in Boston, but we had a one-year-old daughter and wanted to prioritize family over our careers. Still, after we resigned, we felt the terror of the unknown: Wait, what if we don't find good jobs in Atlanta? Thomas steps forward: "Let's go too so that we may die with him." Perhaps we should call Doubting Thomas "Daring Thomas." He doesn't know why Jesus is risking his life to see a dead man, but he's willing to go. Thomas isn't daring because he's foolish. He's daring because he knows Jesus is good. Twice, Jesus says, "Let's go." Thomas echoes him and says to his friends, "Let's go with him." Jesus is doing something Thomas can't understand. But Thomas responds in faith and starts walking to Bethany. He can't see it yet, but Jesus is walking toward the most spectacular miracle of his ministry.
What stands out to you about Thomas in this passage? Does "Daring Thomas" fit better than "Doubting Thomas"?
Have you ever obeyed God in a way that scared you? What did you learn about God on the other side of that decision?
Is there an area of your life right now where you feel like Thomas, making a costly decision to follow Jesus without fully understanding where he's taking you?
Ask a friend: "What's one decision you're making right now where you can't see how it ends?" Then tell them your answer. Then ask God how you can keep walking in faith together.
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