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I recently taught this chapter of John to the Abide Sunday School class, and I was surprised by the emotion it triggered in me when I read it. The words of Martha and Mary, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother wouldn’t have died” brings me back to my own story from thirteen years ago, when my younger brother died very unexpectedly. I remember getting the phone call from my dad in the middle of the night that no one wants to receive, telling me this news that would change my life forever.
If we read a little further in John 11, we learn that Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead, and the story ultimately has a happy ending for Mary and Martha. However, for anyone who has lost someone dear to them, this section in the middle holds a lot of hope as well. This interaction shows the intimacy that Martha and Mary shared with Jesus; they treated him a close friend and were very open about their hurt and grief.
Their reaction shows us that our faith can include the entire spectrum of emotions, and that God can handle all of them. And though Jesus had the power to raise their brother back to life, he first sat with them in their pain. Jesus weeps right alongside these two sisters in their darkest moment of despair. This text promises that Jesus does the same for us.
Though I cannot expect the miracle of my loved ones being brought back to life, I trust and feel comforted by my belief that in our hardest moments, Jesus is with us. In our deepest pain, Jesus hurts because we hurt. Thanks be to God that we are never alone.
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