A man from the village of Bethany named Lazarus fell ill. Mary and her sister Martha lived in that village. This is the same Mary who poured perfume on the Lord’s feet and wiped his feet with her hair.
Lazarus, who was sick, was Mary’s brother. So his sisters sent a message to Jesus, saying, “Lord, the one you love has fallen ill.” When Jesus heard this, he said that the sickness was not for his own death but for the glory of God, so that the glory of the Son of God might be revealed through him.
Among the various problems in human life, physical sickness is a special problem. The illness attacks everyone, rich and poor alike. In many cases, strong young men and women, like the elderly, are also bedridden.
The Reason God Sends All Kinds Of Diseases
There is a lot of sickness in life for some people to change their soul. Many times the heart of a healthy person cannot touch the Word of God. Because to them the world and its possessions are everything.
Happiness, honor, desire, and luxury of the world are the center of happiness for them. In such a situation God drags us into the bed of sickness and throws us into self-examination.
Sickness helps us to see the sinful filthiness of our hearts. Helps to see that there is a huge gap between this world and God’s kingdom. At this time one realizes that the resting place of man is Christ. Eternal rest is the greatest achievement of man.
That is why it is written in Psalm 33 and Psalm 107 that the disease is so pleasant that draws the soul to Jesus.
Sometimes sickness also comes for a change of friends. We mingle so much with friends that we forget our God and his instructions. The Lord desires us to remember him all of the days of our life.
Sometimes sickness is the consequence of justice. When the worldly-minded people live in the darkness of sin for a long time and ignore the biblical consciousness and the warnings of God’s devotees, God’s judgment comes down as a punishment and suddenly the life of that man is extinguished.
That is why it is written in (Proverbs 29:1), that even if he is repeatedly adhered to, he stiffens his neck, he suddenly breaks down and it becomes impossible to gain his remedy. 1 (Corinthians 11:30) says that many of these people are weak and sick and many are falling asleep.
In this article we are witnessing the illness of a person whose life revealed the glory of Jesus.
Lazarus Who Was Sick
A man named Lazarus was sick. Lazarus was a child of God and was sick. We are not told how he received the grace of being a child of God. With the help of imagination, it is possible that Mary was probably the first person in the family to know the Lord (Luke 10).
Lazarus is a child of God and a member of God’s family. Everyone in that family became children of God. Some have fallen in love with the Lord at their own urging, while others have received God’s grace and become His children. In this way, the Bethany family continued to hold hands with one another in order to glorify God in love.
However, sickness also came in that family. Lazarus became ill. But Jesus loved Lazarus. So Martha sent Mary to say that the one you love has fallen ill.
Jesus loved Mary of that family, he loved Martha also and loved Lazarus, so Jesus said, Lazarus, has fallen asleep. Jesus loved Lazarus as much as he loved his disciple John. we can’t say why Jesus loved Lazarus so much. He was a sinner like us but God washed him and made a new creation.
We need to be learned here so that we do not judge people when we see illness in them. Job’s friends wanted to prove that Job was unrighteous or wicked. Because God allowed him to suffer.
They did not understand that God took His beloved children through many misfortunes. So Lazarus became ill; The beggar Lazarus had wounds all over his body.
Even God’s children should not doubt God when they are sick. God loved Lazarus but allowed him to be sickened. Just as doctors pay close attention to the sick when they treat them, so Christ pays close attention to us in our time of need.
We must never doubt the holy love of the Lord Jesus. Even though he allows us to go through all kinds of misery, his love never leaves us. The depth of his love is greater than sorrow. God loves us as he rules. Because the Bible says that He rules over whomever He loves (Proverbs 3:12). As the goldsmith takes the gold through the fire, he keeps a close eye on it.
Bethany The Village
Bethany was the village of Mary and her sister Martha. Bethany was a quiet, beautiful, secluded village about two miles from Jerusalem. The village behind the Olive Hills was surrounded by fig trees, almonds, and pomegranates. But in Jesus’ eyes, this village was prominent because Mary and Martha lived here.
Probably the people of Jerusalem thought that Bethany was the home of some rich Pharisees. The village was named after those who had a lot of houses and land. But to Jesus that place is the abode of Mary and Martha.
Most likely they lived in a quiet house surrounded by fig trees, where Jesus loved to go. When he came to the Mount of Olives, he was fascinated by the light coming through the window of that quiet house. He often sat in the shade of the fig tree and talked about the kingdom of God.
The dwelling of this righteous family was the beloved place of God the Father. The place was beautiful even to the angels because they cared for those three, the heirs of salvation. The place in the heavenly place was also Mary, the most beloved and known place as the abode of Martha.
Now it is. The people of the world mark the place where we live by the name of a prominent person. But no one says’ Mary or Martha’s abode or the abode of such a devotee of God. The abode of the devotee of God is marked as a prominent place in the presence of the Lord Jesus.
He knows our city or town, he knows our house. The place where I live and pray is not unknown to him. He often stood at my door, putting his hand on the door handle.
Such a groom prefers his bride’s place of residence; The Lord also says that those for whom I have embraced death live here. Don’t we have to work hard to become like Christ in this situation?
When a businessman looks at a map of the world, he has a vision of where his ships are. A soldier looks at his battlefield and at the fortified city. In the same way, every believer should look at the city where different believers live and love those places.
The Message About Lazarus Sickness
They sent word to him saying, “After Lazarus was sick. The first thing they did was send word to the Lord. They did not want to hide any physical problems from Jesus. Although Jesus taught them to think, they knew.”
They knew that Jesus had special feelings for every human being. So they sent the news to Jesus. We also need to do the same. That is why it is written in (Psalm 50:15), Call me in distress, I will save you and you will glorify me. Remember that no crisis is too big to be taken to him or too small to be heard.
“Pray to him with your prayers and supplications,” and turn your attention to the Lord. ” Problems of any size can be taken to Jesus. Some rely on the Lord in spirit but not physically; Depending on their salvation is not for health. But remember he cares.
If a worldly man were to be sent to Jesus, he would give a different kind of argument. He would say, “He who loves you is sick. He who believes in you is sick. He who acknowledges you before the world is sick or sick for your name today. Mary and Martha did not do this. They said, “The one you love is sick”.This moved Jesus’ heart in a special way.
Believers should learn to humble themselves to the Lord in this way. Many times we don’t even get the answer because we don’t pray properly. We want but in our minds, we want to be able to express it with desire. Sometimes we ask the Lord with an arrogant mind
We want to be like that. In this case, if the Lord answers us as we ask, then we can abuse that grace in luxury. We need to be taught about this so that we can be grateful for the love that the Lord has given us for free.
Martha and Mary put their prayer at the Lord’s feet. They did not say, “Come, heal my brother soon.” Knowing the love of the Lord, they were deeply moved by his wisdom and deeds, so they surrendered their hope to the Lord.
And the Lord healed them (Matthew 15:30). They did not plead with themselves, but they placed their problem at God’s feet.
That is why the book of (Philippians 4:6) says to make your request known to the Lord, it is more important to wait in deep faith than to be distracted by our problems. He who trusts in the love and power of the Lord receives the fruit of prayer.
In the Bible, we see a few pleas where prayers are offered to the Lord in earnest but in faith. Mark 5:23 says, “My daughter is on her deathbed. Come and lay your hands on her, that she may live.”
Matthew 8:8 says, Lord, I am not worthy that you should come under my roof, you just say and I know my servant will be healed. In all these prayers the believer humbly offered his supplication to the Lord. In the same way, both of them conveyed their prayers to the Lord. The Lord, whom you love, is sick.
Answer Of Their Prayer
The answer came with a promise and this illness was not for death. It was an immediate answer to prayer. He did not come immediately, did not heal but sent a message full of reassurance and hope. The messengers, perhaps crossing the Jordan, rushed to deliver the good news to Bethany before sunset.
The good news from Jesus is that this sickness is not for death. It is like a sweet promise from the Lord. The anxious hearts of the two sisters calmed down.
But as the brother became weaker and weaker, sisters began to see the change in their brother’s face. Their faith seemed to be wounded. But Jesus did not lie. He sent word that this illness was not for death. Eventually, Lazarus died.
Mary and Martha cried with deep pain as they lost their dear brother. People gathered together and they put the body inside the grave.
Their faith died on Jesus and they gave up every possible hope. They did not understand what Jesus told them about their brother.
Son Of God Was Glorified
One might ask, “Why did Lazarus get sick?” The answer is that God was glorified by his death. Firstly, Jesus realized his wonderful love for his friend when he stood beside the grave and wept. Secondly, he showed that he had the power to give life to the dead. Lazarus’ coming out from the grave revealed the power of his life and resurrection.
The glory of God increases rather than the suffering of the devotee. Christ’s glorious power was revealed in Lazarus’ illness and death.
The power of God was manifested in sorrow. The power of the blood of the Lord Jesus is expressed in our pain and suffering. So the children of God should not be anxious at the pain of illness, anger, poverty, persecution. The Lord will show his strength in our weaknesses.
The grace of God that we do not realize in health, comfort, and happiness would be revealed to us in pain and sickness. So when it comes to pain in life, let’s bear it.