TOPIC: A SICKNESS NOT UNTO DEATH
TEXT: John 11:1-19(NKJV)
- 11:1. Now a certain [man] was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.
- 11:2. It was [that] Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.
- 11:3. Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.”
- 11:4. When Jesus heard [that,] He said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”
- 11:5. Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
- 11:6. So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was.
- 11:7. Then after this He said to [the] disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.”
- 11:8. [The] disciples said to Him, “Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone You, and are You going there again?”
- 11:9. Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.
- 11:10. “But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.”
- 11:11. These things He said, and after that He said to them, “Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.”
- 11:12. Then His disciples said, “Lord, if he sleeps he will get well.”
- 11:13. However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep.
- 11:14. Then Jesus said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead.
- 11:15. “And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe. Nevertheless let us go to him.”
- 11:16. Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with Him.”
- 11:17. So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days.
- 11:18. Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away.
- 11:19. And many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.
STUDY:
Lazarus, Mary and Martha were very remarkable siblings, and Jesus loved them. During a visit to their village, Mary anointed Jesus with an expensive oil (v.2; 12:3; Matt. 26:7). She also delighted in listening to the word of God (Luke 10:39-42).
Martha, on the other hand, was very good at service delivery (Luke 10:40-41; John 12:2). When Lazarus fell sick, his sisters informed Jesus through a message, but He deliberately spent two more days before setting out for Bethany. The reason for this delay was that the sickness was not unto death, but would bring glory to God (vv. 4&15).
By the time He got there, Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. As usual, people gathered to comfort the sisters.
To them, all hope was lost. When you are sick, pass through difficulty times, or even “pass through the valley of the shadow of death” (Psalm 23:4), keep praying and believing God.
That delay may not mean denial. Daniel did not know that the answers to his prayers had been given on the first day of his 21-day retreat (Dan. 10:12-13). Continue, therefore, in prayer concerning that troubling situation, so that “God may be glorified through it.”
PRAYER:
Lord, let Your name be glorified as I overcome every challenge that comes my way.
Watch Today’s Anglican Daily Fountain Devotional:
Watch the devotion on ACNNTV YouTube Channel.
Partner with ACNNTV
Help us reach the world with the undiluted Word of God. Make donations through our website or via the details below:
Church of Nigeria Anglican Communion ACNN Account
Account Number: 1016868363 (Zenith Bank)
Thank you for joining the Kingdom Partners today.
