Bible Reading: John 11
Matthew 5:4, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”“
John 11 is a wonderful chapter to describe the power of our Lord. He is able to turn tears of mourning into warmth and comfort. In John 11, Jesus receives news that a friend whom He loves, Lazarus, has fallen ill. Jesus waits two days before going to visit Mary and Martha, who were the sisters of Lazarus. Jesus knows that the illness has killed Lazarus already, but He goes in order to bring comfort as only God can.
When He arrives, Jesus is met by Martha in the streets outside her home. She knows that Jesus could have saved her brother from sickness and death, but she still has faith that Jesus will raise Lazarus to life, if only at the resurrection on the last days. Her faith in the salvation and resurrection God has promised gives her some comfort, but Jesus offers her full comfort in His response. John 11:25-26 reads, “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” Martha believes Jesus, and follows Him as He leads hr and Mary, her sister, to the tomb of Lazarus. It is here that Jesus brings Lazarus back to life, even though he had been dead four days already.
Martha, Mary and Lazarus are reunited, and their outlook on life and eternity is forever changed. Their hope for the resurrection has gone to a depth that they had never known before, and now they had hope and comfort in the face of inevitable death on earth. Jesus had turned their mourning into dancing, and their sad tears were now tears of joy. Those sisters who were mourning were now blessed and comforted. Jesus Christ is able to give perfect comfort to all people who seek Him during their mourning.
Application: All of us reading this knows what it is like to lose someone you love. Maybe you have lost a parent, a grandparent, a child, or a close friend. We have heard of death’s that made us sad, and some have almost crippled us with mourning and shock. Death is something we all fear, and when we are confronted by it, we are not sure what we need to move on. I believe we learn from John 11 that we all need comfort, and that perfect comfort can only be found in Jesus. He is life, resurrection and eternal life. He has defeated death and conquered sin. If you are mourning anything in this life, and there is much to mourn other than death, then I urge you to look to Jesus. He is able to give perfect, complete comfort to all who seek Him. I pray He gives comfort to you at every hour of need.
