WHEN GOD DOESN'T MAKE SENSE

Why would God let our most difficult problems go from bad to impossible if He really loves us? Doesn’t make much sense, does it? Why is it there are times when there are difficulties in your life, there’s pain in your life, there’s a relationship that’s shredded, there’s something wrong with your body, you need some money, you need a job, you got a kid who is in trouble, and you say, “God, help! Help! Help!”

And instead of it getting better, it doesn’t get bad, it doesn’t get worse. It goes to impossible. And then it raises this issue like, “Does Jesus really care?”

The story I want to tell you is John chapter 11. And the answer that I want to give you is two words. You’ll notice in the bottom of your notes it says that, “You ‘blank,’ ‘blank.’” And I’m not going to tell you those two words yet.

We see this kind of thing all the time. For example, we read about a woman who is a devout believer. She is so devout that she goes to church three times a week. She gives her time and money to charity. She is constantly helping others. She wears a crucifix and a WWJD bracelet. She walks with Jesus. Then one day a car jacker forces his way into her car. There is a Bible sitting right there on the front seat next to her, but it does not matter. The car jacker shoots her in the head and dumps her body in a ditch. Her family is left to pick up the pieces in bewilderment.

When we ask, "Why do bad things happen to good people?" the essence of the question is simple. If God is looking down upon us from heaven and answering our prayers, how could he allow these horrible things to happen to true believers? How could he ignore their prayers? If someone lives a good and faithful life, and if a person is doing God's work, then why would God allow bad things happen to that person? Why doesn't God -- the all-powerful, all-loving, all-knowing creator of the universe -- protect a person who is going to church every Sunday, putting plenty of money in the offering plate, following the commandments, praying faithfully and so on?

Open your notes, I want to walk through, I want you to ponder a story with me. Probably more than preach I want to tell a story and I want you to meditate and think and ponder and let your mind kind of wander about what God is doing in your life and in your relationships and in your heart.

As you ponder this thought of, “Why is it there are some things in your life that you bring to Jesus and it seems like, instead of them getting better, they’re getting a lot worse.” What could God ever be up to when He does that in your life or how about when He does that in a church now and then?

John chapter 11. Let’s read it together. It opens up with a problem brought to Jesus in verses 1 to 3. “Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped His feet with her hair.) So the sisters sent word to Jesus, ‘Lord, the one that you love is sick.’”

The problem: There are two sisters that love Jesus. We know from other passages that He spent a lot of time in their house. We know that Martha fixed one meal and probably quite a few. We know that in all the different relationships there was a special relationship between Lazarus where Jesus could kind of kick back and this was, sort of, the R&R place and He and Lazarus would talk and they were close friends.

And these two sisters know that Jesus loves Lazarus, they’re close friends, they’ve seen Him do miraculous works, and they have a big problem. And so they do what good followers of Jesus do when you have a problem. They bring the problem to Jesus.

The first three verses also tell us something about the people. They’re among His closest friends. They’re among the most devoted followers. We don’t know, yet, what’s going to happen in this story but what we know for sure is the author is making it very clear.

Remember, this is Martha, and this is the friend, and this is Mary. This is the kind of follower that abandons her awe and pours perfume on the Lord’s feet and then just, no self-consciousness. Takes her hair and wipes His feet.

And so the solution is: They take their problem to Jesus. Now, so far, I think this is a pretty good story and this is how it ought to work. So what’s Jesus’ response? How does Jesus respond to His most devoted followers who are His closest and intimate friends?

Well, we’ll find out in verses 4 to 6. “When He heard this, Jesus said, ‘This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.’”

Then notice this little commentary: “Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. Yet, when He heard that Lazarus was sick, He stayed where He was two more days.”

Now, well, what, wait, wait, wait, wait, time out. Time out. This doesn’t make sense. Now we know He loves them, it’s said it now two or three different ways and times. And when He hears about their need, He makes a pronouncement. He’s an all-knowing God. He says, “This sickness will not result in death.”

This is a God-ordained, God-timed, God-orchestrated sickness. It will not end in death. In fact, it has a very specific purpose so that the Son may be glorified. The word “glorified” has the idea of a reputation enhanced.

The idea He’s saying is, “This situation, this sickness that these two women whom I love, with one of my closest friends: Number one, it will not end in death. Number two, the purpose behind it, God ordained, is that when we get to the end of this, people will see and know Jesus for who He is like never before.”

And the disciples are overhearing this conversation and wondering what’s going on. Did you notice again because, how many verses do you have in the Bible where we know that God loves the whole world and we know the rich young ruler, God looked at him with love but did you notice this one, little line? “Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.”

The author wants you to know that however Jesus is going to treat these three people, He’s doing it out of love. Because the very last line seems to communicate that He doesn’t care.

How would you like this response? “I need help! I need help! 9-1-1! Come right away!” And the guy on the other end goes, “I’ll be there in a couple days.”

How would you like to call on the fire department and say, “My house is burning! It’s just started! I can’t get it done; please come,” and you call the fire department. “I’ll be there in a couple days.”

That’s what happened here. How many of you need a job? How many of you need money? How many of you need a relationship restored? How many have a problem, an addiction, some struggle you’re saying, “God, God, God! I love You. Fix this problem now.”

And as best you can tell, He’s just doesn’t seem to hear or He’s off doing other things. What’s it make you think? Doesn’t it make you wonder, “Does He really love me?” Doesn’t it?

Well, after this situation, we pick it up in verse 7 to 16 and Jesus announces His plan to solve the problem. He didn’t do it in their time, He didn’t say, “Oh, I’ll be right there, Mary,” or, you know what? We’ve got enough evidence about Jesus. Did He have to go anywhere? Remember this story? Remember the one story where the guy comes and says, “My servant is sick and, yeah, I’m unworthy.” And Jesus said, “Tell you what, I’ll take care of this.” He’s well. Remember that one?

Could not He do that on this one? Could not Jesus just have said, “Oh, Mary, Lazarus, no problem. Ready? Lazarus,” bing, he gets up and says, “Hey! When did this happen?” You know, we talked, and it was exactly this hour.

The issue is not His power. And the text is telling us the issue is not whether He loves or not. But something is going on here. And pay attention to it because it might be the very thing He’s doing in your life.

I know it’s what He’s doing in mine. I’ve been living in John 11 for about the last three weeks. I read other places just because I think I should but I just can’t get out of this one.

Now Jesus shifts gears and He’s going to tell us what He’s up to. “And then He said to His disciples, ‘Let’s go back to Judea.’ ‘But Rabbi,’” you know, that word for “You’re the teacher, you’re the one with authority, you’re the one that has wisdom.” And they’re calling Him Rabbi for a reason. “What you’re about to suggest is not very smart, in fact, it’s downright dumb.”

Well why? They said, “A short while ago the Jews tried to stone You there, and now You are going back there?” Notice they didn’t say, “We’re going to go back.”

I love these disciples. Tell it like it is. “Jesus answered,” and, you know, He does one of these Jesus things, I call them. He tells this little story about something, and you know there’s a big point, but you kind of wonder what it is.

So, Jesus waits two days, and then out of the blue the guys are around and we haven’t heard any more about Lazarus. And He says, “Fellows, we’re going to go back through Judea and I got a plan,” and we’re going to learn from the context the plan was about taking care of Lazarus.

And one of them goes, “Excuse me. Excuse me. They tried to kill You last time. You don’t really want to go there, teacher, O wise One, do you? You know? I can’t imagine You going there, Jesus, it’s going to be a rough trip.”

And then Jesus gives a little metaphor - a quick picture. And He answers, instead of with a real direct answer, He goes, “‘Are there not twelve hours of daylight?’” to which they nod their head and go, “‘Well, yeah.’ ‘A man who walks by day will not stumble, for he sees this world’s light.’ ‘Okay.’ ‘It’s when he walks by night that he stumbles, for there is no light.’ After He said this, He went on to tell them, ‘Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep.’”

And then they reply, “Well, Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.” In other words, “Hey, we don’t have to go. Like, if he’s just taking a nap, he’s getting better. Great! We won’t go back there because we don’t want to die!”

“Jesus had been speaking of his death, but His disciples thought He meant natural sleep. So He told them plainly, ‘Lazarus is dead.’” Now notice the purpose again, “And for your sake I am glad that I was not there.” What do You mean You were glad You weren’t there? You didn’t go on purpose. Why? “So that you may believe.”

“On His arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had been already in the tomb for four days.” You think the author is trying to give us some real, clear identity markers about some historical facts that have occurred? He waited two days. Now He tells us four days. So he’s been dead. He waits two days and then there’s some time of travel.

“Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet Him, but Mary stayed at home.”

And this is what Jesus gets greeted with. “‘Lord,’ Martha said to Him, ‘if You had been here, my brother would not have died.’”

“But I know that even now God will give You whatever You ask.” I know that You’re the genie in the bottle, I know You’re the great problem solver, I know that You can fix anything. And maybe this one is too late but I still have confidence in you that You can fix whatever I bring to You because, see, that’s Your role. I want You to solve my problem. I want You to make my life work out. I want You to restore my marriage. I want my kid to come back to the Lord. I want a new job, I want a better job! I want to get back in shape, I want to get on a diet and try and stay on it. Fix my life! Right? Make it work!”

I read into the text a shade there, I must confess.

“Jesus said to her, ‘Your brother will rise again.’” And she reads in, “Oh, we’re going to have a theology class? Oh yeah. I believe that.”

“Martha answered, ‘I know He will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.’”

“I’ve been, man, I’ve been listening to You teach, I believe in You. I’m one of Your followers.” And I hope when you read this next line, it’s a familiar one, but before we just read it together, I want you to imagine Martha and I want you to imagine where she’s been. I want you to try and focus on where her emotional life has been.

Her brother is dying, she knows Jesus, she’s seen Him do multiple miracles, she sends word, she gets back, he’s got the message! Great! So is He coming? No. Why? He didn’t say. Oh. Well Lazarus is much worse. And then from the text we can infer he probably died that day or the next day.

And now they’ve buried him. And he’s been in the grave for four days and she did what any good Jew or any person who is hurting, she wept and she cried and she was mourning and she was in grief. And in her emotion, what was she feeling? She was feeling a big mixture of, one, “I lost my brother and I love him and at the same time I hoped so much in Jesus. I thought He was so different. I thought He really cared. It seemed like when He was at our home that He really loved us and I hung on every word and He said if I trusted, He said if I believed, and I did!”

“But He doesn’t love me. How could He, how could He not come? I mean, I adore Him. I’ve publically humiliated myself. My sister was there and I fixed the meals and she’s down on the floor wiping His feet with her hair.”

And she’s been through all these emotions and then she hears He comes, and she runs to Him, and they’ve had the little conversation and she’s been very bold to say, “If you would have been here, You could have fixed the problem and You didn’t come. But I know, I know God will do great things because You’re very, very special.”

And Jesus says, “Well, your brother will rise again.” “Oh, yeah, I know. I mean, I got that down, I remember that. It was sermon number thirty-two wasn’t it, out on the beach? About resurrection, when it happens, the last day? Yeah. I believe that.”

And then I believe Jesus looked right into Martha’s eyes. And I believe what He is about to say to her was why He allowed Lazarus to die. And I want you to imagine Jesus looking into Martha’s eyes and with emotion and with tenderness and with a sense of ringing, riveting, truth that went, not just into her mind, but down into her soul.

Picture it, when Jesus said, “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. Martha, do you believe this?”

And she answers, “‘Yes, Lord”.

In his book, James Dobson opens with the story of Chuck Frye, a gifted student who graduated from college and was accepted to medical school. Frye had decided to work as a medical missionary and Dobson says, "If permitted to live, Chuck could have treated thousands of poor and needy people who would otherwise suffer and die in utter hopelessness. Not only could he have ministered to their physical needs, but his ultimate desire was to share the gospel with those who had never heard this greatest of stories." Unfortunately, despite fervent prayers from his parents, family and friends, Frye contracted and then died of leukemia shortly after starting medical school. As Dobson puts it, "how can we make sense of this incomprehensible act of God?"
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