Is Jesus your Best Friend

John 11:1-6

Lazarus has died and Lazarus is not only a friend of Jesus, but Jesus cares very deeply for his family.  Now Lazarus has two sisters, one is Martha and the other may be better known for the kindness of anointing the Lord with ointment and wiping His feet with her hair.  As often happens in Scripture, we find the account told later in John 12:3.  Can you imagine having a better friend than Jesus?  Before answering too quickly it may be wise to give you more information on what happened when Jesus was told His friend Lazarus was very sick.  In chapter 11 and verse 3-6,  “So the sisters sent to him, 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, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.  So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.”  I do not believe it is wrong to ask this question, was what Jesus was doing so important to ignore His friend’s needs?  And you may be surprised at the answer.

Our first clue is found in Luke’s gospel chapter 2:41-49, and it is the account of Jesus staying behind at the temple as a 12 year old with the teachers listening to him and asking questions.  Now mom was not happy with him at that moment, and said, “Son, why have you treated us so?  Behold your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.”  And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me?  Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”  Jesus was very clear that His Father had a plan for Him and He must be implementing that plan.  But guess what, Mary and Joseph did not get it, anymore than did Jesus’ disciples some years later.  We are not that much different than them, we are also ignorant of what Jesus is about, acting out His Father’s plan in our lives.  Often we look pass this truth; Jesus did all His miracles as a man.  Not once did He act as God while walking among us.  Pastor Bill Johnson writes: "Jesus could not heal the sick. Neither could He deliver the tormented from demons or raise the dead. To believe otherwise is to ignore what Jesus said about Himself, and more importantly, to miss the purpose of His self-imposed restriction to live as a man. Jesus said of Himself: "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does (John 5:19-20)."

So when Jesus the God man spoke these words, they were the insights given by the Holy Spirit to Jesus and were totally misunderstood by his disciples; “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.”  Faith is defined in this way, acting like Jesus tells the truth, and Jesus said this about you and me; “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.”  (John 14:12)

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice