The Solution
Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, "Lord, by this time, there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days."
John 11:38-39 (ESV)
Lazarus' body was placed in a cave. It was common for caves to contain several bodies although we do not know what this cave contained other than Lazarus' body, and the idea of rolling away the seal was bothersome.
I can imagine the thought of seeing and smelling the stench of death emanating from your loved one was disturbing. We know that we are all headed towards a time when our bodies will dissolve, and everything we own will disintegrate. There comes a time when living apart from God gets ugly, smelly, and useless. So, Lazarus was finished with his body and moved on to his eternal home.
I wonder if Jesus was thinking about how distorted people's view of life and death was when he wept. Jesus, the creator and sustainer of all life, was in control. He is older than us, smarter than us, and loves us. Therefore, we can always trust Him.
Lazuras' relatives responded from their perspective. Jesus does not have perspective; He only knows what is right. When Jesus is involved, we can rest in Him and see that our faith is far more important than our understanding.
If you are struggling to trust Jesus, you do not know Him. There is an obvious solution to that problem.
John 11:38-39 (ESV)
Lazarus' body was placed in a cave. It was common for caves to contain several bodies although we do not know what this cave contained other than Lazarus' body, and the idea of rolling away the seal was bothersome.
I can imagine the thought of seeing and smelling the stench of death emanating from your loved one was disturbing. We know that we are all headed towards a time when our bodies will dissolve, and everything we own will disintegrate. There comes a time when living apart from God gets ugly, smelly, and useless. So, Lazarus was finished with his body and moved on to his eternal home.
I wonder if Jesus was thinking about how distorted people's view of life and death was when he wept. Jesus, the creator and sustainer of all life, was in control. He is older than us, smarter than us, and loves us. Therefore, we can always trust Him.
Lazuras' relatives responded from their perspective. Jesus does not have perspective; He only knows what is right. When Jesus is involved, we can rest in Him and see that our faith is far more important than our understanding.
If you are struggling to trust Jesus, you do not know Him. There is an obvious solution to that problem.
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