Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. … So the sisters sent to Jesus, saying, “Lord, he whom You love is ill.” But when Jesus heard it He said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God …. Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. [Therefore,] when He heard that Lazarus was ill, He stayed two days longer in the place where He was.
(John 11:1, 3-4a, 5-6 ESV)
The Greek word in verse 6 is usually translated “therefore”—as in, “Jesus loved this family. Therefore, when He heard that they needed Him, Jesus deliberately stayed away till it was too late.”
What! That’s a strange way to love someone, isn’t it? You hear that their brother needs you desperately; therefore, you stay just where you are. Most people would call that hate, not love.
Jesus knows how it’s going to look and sound. The family will not understand until the end that God is doing this on purpose, to glorify Jesus. They will be hurt. Who can Jesus trust to bear that pain? Who loves Jesus enough to trust Him, even when He comes late with no excuse?
Mary and Martha love Jesus that way. And their trust is justified when He raises their brother from the dead.
We love Jesus because He died and rose to save us. And yet, we too have times when it looks like God has come to us “too late” for what we wanted or needed. What then?
We Pray: Lord, make me someone who loves and trusts You, even when I don’t understand Your ways. Amen.
Reflection Questions:
► Who in your life trusts you so much that they will commit you to helping, even though they can’t ask you first?
► Tell about a time when someone trusted you that way.
► Would you want Jesus to trust you that much, even though it caused you some pain? Why or why not?
Lenten Devotions were written by Dr. Kari Vo.
Originally published in The Lutheran Hour on February 27, 2026
Used by permission from International Lutheran Laymen’s League, all rights reserved