“Jesus Meets Us In Our Need”
“When I ask them ‘What’s Wrong With The World?’, nobody ever says ‘nothing’. What is interesting about this is …. This world, that we assume is broke, is the only world we’ve ever known. None of us has ever known a world without disease, or suffering or war …. so it’s surprising how certain we are that something is wrong with it.
As one Oxford don (C.S. Lewis) famously put it, it’s like a fish being continually surprised at the wetness of water. Where does this sense of something wrong with the world come from? What are we comparing our world to?” (Andrew Wilson)
- Jesus Responds With Truth to Martha
““Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”” (John 11:21–26)
““Yes, Lord,” she told him, “I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.”” (John 11:27)
[ picture: “Sound Theology” ]
- Jesus Responds With Tears to Mary
“(Mary) got up quickly and went to him … when Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. “Where have you laid him?” he asked. “Come and see, Lord,” they replied. Jesus wept.” (John 11:29–35)
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.” (2 Corinthians 1:3–4)
III. Jesus Responds With Power to Lazarus
“Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb … they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.” When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”” (John 11:38–44)
[ Video: ‘Evermore’ ]