So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” 4 But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”
We all go through times of trial and serious illness. I am in the midst of it right now. As we see here, I am not the only sufferer. Vicki is a helpless passenger on the ride and, like the sisters of Lazarus, cries out to the Lord for the sake of her loved one. The response of Jesus is somewhat cryptic, not like it would be to an unbeliever who thinks death ends everything, but because we are unsure of which good news about death he referred to. Is it that Lazarus will be brought back to life? Is it because death itself will be defeated and we will be brought back to life in the Resurrection? Either way, we are blessed in that the glory of God showed itself in the Resurrection of God the Son so that we can say of anything we are suffering from, “this illness does not lead to death”.
Today, praise the Lord for everything he has put in your life, whether you find it convenient or not because it is all God’s plan to bring glory to himself. If you or someone you love is suffering, it is hard to comprehend this. Pray for the Holy Spirit to guide you. Above all, the words of Jesus are true. This illness does not end in death because…
It is not the end of the story.
Pastor Brad Boyer
Cape Community Church