Too Little, Too Late

"Martha said to Jesus, 'Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not died'" (John 11:21).

The implication of Martha's words is that Jesus' arrival was too little, too late. The tiny word "if" presents a big challenge. If only Jesus would have arrived sooner. If only he cared enough to come right away. If only he would have commanded the sickness to leave. How could he not rescue Lazarus? Where was he? Why didn't he come sooner? Martha must have wrestled with these questions when the Lord tarried and Lazarus died. I have heard it said that people in the first century believed the soul lingered around for three days after death. John states that Lazarus had been dead four. It would seem that all hope of rescue was gone. Case closed.

However, John informs us that Jesus tarried in order to display the glory of God in the situation. When Jesus is confronted by Martha, she seems torn between confusion and hope. Her statement, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not died," is followed by the statement, "But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give to you" (John 11:22). She is confused by Jesus' lateness, but knows that he is able to do something (although the rest of this passage makes it unlikely that she thought Jesus could bring her brother back to life at this time, see John 11:23-24).

Jesus tells her that her brother will "rise again" (John 11:23). Martha doesn't see this as an immediate event. She responds, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day" (John 11:24). Again, in light of her initial statement, she doesn't appear to be comforted by this. The resurrection seems so far away in light of her pain and grief. She wants relief now (and of course at the resurrection). It seems that even the resurrection is "too late" to be of any use.

Listen to Jesus' response. Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?" (John 11:25-26). His verbs are all present tense. He says, "I am the resurrection and the life," not "I will be the resurrection and the life." He says, "whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live," not "whoever believed in me, though he has died, he will live." The use of the present tense expresses the present reality of the resurrection. Those who walk with Christ in faith, shall always walk with him. They have been buried with Christ in death and raised to walk in newness of life.

Jesus also stresses faith. He asks, "Do you believe this?" In other words, he wants to know if Martha is trusting him to raise the dead to life at the end of time. Does she believe he can get the job done then? He seeks to draw her toward trust. The implication of Jesus' statement and question is that if he can do something about Lazarus' problem in the long run (through the resurrection), then he can be trusted to do something about Martha's grief in the short run. If she can trust him to raise the dead on the last day, why is she giving into despair at this moment?

Martha responds in faith, "Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world" (John 11:27). In this confession, Martha is expressing her trust in Jesus to do something now (you are the Christ), since he will do something at the resurrection (who is coming into the world). Although she can't imagine what Jesus is going to do, she believes he can do it.

Many of us will be in situations where it feels like God's presence comes too late. It may even feel like what he is doing is too little. Most of us have been trained well enough not to voice these opinions, but God hears our hearts. This passage teaches us that God's response to our situations is never too little, nor too late. His timing is not ours, nor are his ways, our ways. If we can't trust him to work in our situations now to bring about in eternal purposes, how can we say we trust him to raise us out of the dust on the last day? The key is trusting, even when we can't see what he has in store around the corner. He has shown us how it will all turn out for those trust him. He has demonstrated his faithfulness throughout history. Caught between the past faithfulness of God and his future faithfulness, we must trust him to remain faithful in the present. We must remember what he has told us, "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose" (Rom. 8:28).