Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask.”
Martha believed that Jesus could have kept her brother from dying, ‘If’ He only had been present at his time of sickness. Martha had faith for the past.
When Jesus told her that her brother, Lazarus, would rise again, Martha showed her faith for tomorrow by replying, “Yes, he will rise when everyone else rises, at the last day.”
But Jesus wanted Martha to have faith for the present.
Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?” Martha assured Him that she believed this. Then she left to fetch Mary, her sister.
When Mary arrives, she also shows that her faith is for the past, by saying, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
When Jesus saw her and the others weeping, John says that a deep anger rose up within the Lord, and He asked where they had lain him.
Why was Jesus angry? Because of the lack of faith in His Power, even after their seeing many miracles performed at His hands. He even asked, at one time, if He would find faith on the earth when He returned for His church.
Did the Lord know where Lazarus was, without being told? As the Son of God, He knew all things, including what was in the heart of man. So He also knew where the grave of Lazarus was located. He wanted Martha and Mary to vocalize and lead Him to their problem. They said, “Lord come and see.”
When Jesus gave the command to roll the stone aside, Martha protested saying, “Lord, he has been dead for four days. The smell will be terrible.”
Jesus replied with a rebuke, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the Glory of God?”
The God of Moses and Elijah is not behind us, but ahead of us, and right here with us. “I will never leave you, nor forsake you, even until the end of this age.”
Without Faith, it is impossible to please God. Abraham believed God; and it was counted to him for righteousness. He was called the friend of God.
Abraham was 75 years old when God gave him the promise of a son. Twenty-five years later he received that promise fulfilled, with Isaac being born. For twenty-five years, Abraham trusted God to keep His promise, even when his and Sarah’s bodies were past child-bearing years. That is a long time to believe for a son, when all the natural circumstances tell you that it is impossible and it will never happen. But it did happen, just as God had said it would. It happened in the perfect timing of God, when Abraham was 100 years old.
Abraham had faith for today.
Jesus showed Martha and Mary that He is the same yesterday, today and forever, by calling Lazarus by name, raising him from the dead and having his grave clothes removed. Jesus did the same for each of us when we came to Him as our Lord and Savior. He raised us from spiritual death and removed our grave clothes, filling us with His Holy Spirit of life. We have experienced first hand how God can change a heart of stone that desires the things of this world, to a heart that pants and seeks after the things pleasing to God.
But do we still believe that He is able to do the same today? Today is the Day of Salvation; if we harden not our hearts in unbelief. What is it that we need to believe for today? A healing? A lost loved one restored to God? A broken relationship mended? A financial crisis resolved? Whatever situation you are facing, Jesus is facing it with you. He is still the same today, as He was when He first saved you. He is still the same today, as He was when He raised Lazarus from the grave.
