Make no mistake, when Jesus . . .

Make no mistake, when Jesus arrives too late to heal her brother Lazarus, Martha is more than a little upset.  After all, she had sent a message specifically requesting that he come.  “Lord, the one whom you love is ill,” the message read.  “Please hurry.”  Since Bethany was only twelve miles away from where Jesus was, there shouldn’t have been any problem with him getting there in time.

But despite the urgency of the situation, Jesus is a no-show.  Why?  Did he not get the message?  Was he prevented from making the trip?  Did another emergency arise that required his attention?  Surprisingly, the answer is “None of the above.”

According to John’s Gospel, Jesus is intentionally late.  He receives word that his dear friend is at death’s door and instead of rushing to his side, Jesus decides to wait.  Indeed, he waits so long that not only does Lazarus die; they have time to gather the family, conduct a funeral service, and bury him.

When Jesus finally does show up, Martha charges out to confront him.  No cordial greeting or formal pleasantries here.  Martha is upset.  The first words out of her mouth are, “If you had been here, my brother would not have died.”  If only you had come sooner, Jesus … if only you had listened to me … if only you had appreciated the gravity of the situation—then this whole thing could have been avoided.

Whenever a loved one dies, one of the first issues that many of us deal with is regret.  We keep saying to ourselves over and over again, “If only ….”  If only I had called the doctor sooner.  If only we had discovered the cancer before it spread.  If only he had taken a different way to work that morning.  If only she had access to this medication or that form of treatment.

“Lord, if only you had been here,” says Martha, filled with regret, “my brother would not have died.”

It does seem strange that Jesus would purposely wait while his good friend lay dying.  But perhaps Jesus is trying to demonstrate that Death is no longer in charge.  Death is no longer calling the shots, nor is it setting the agenda.  Maybe that’s why Jesus doesn’t jump when Death says “Jump”—because Jesus knows that Death no longer has the last word!

“I am the resurrection and the life,” he tells Martha.  “Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.”