When Divine Love Allows Pain… (John 11:1-6)

Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. 3 So the sisters sent to him, saying, "Lord, he whom you love is ill." 4 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." 5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. (John 11:1-6 ESV) 

No living thing enjoys pain. A person will remove a splinter that is lodged in their hand. Cattle will learn to avoid the sharp barbs of a fence. Pain is unpleasant, therefore, we naturally seek to run away from it or remove it from our lives. But just because pain is unpleasant, it does not mean that all pain is bad. For some of the greatest benefits and rewards cannot be attained without traveling the road that is marked by pain and suffering. A cancer patient undergoing chemotherapy will accept the horrid sensation of burning in their veins because they believe that they might be cured. An athlete will endure chapped lips and frozen limbs as they train in sub-zero temperatures, hoping that their diligent training will result in a gold medal. 

The life of a follower of Christ is no different. Though there is joy in walking with our Lord and Master, we are not absolved from carrying our crosses daily. Here we see that Mary and Martha bore the full weight of anguish and sorrow as they attended to their mortally, sick brother. Though they were helpless, they knew the One who wasn’t and earnestly implored their Lord to come quickly to their aid. They had seen Jesus do miracles before, and out of love for their dear brother, they wanted to see him restored. But the apostle John tells us that Jesus loved Mary and Martha, and that his love for them resulted in him staying put and not rushing immediately to their sides! 

How paradoxical this seems! The Lord of life who can heal with a word spoken from afar and who can raise the dead to life does not immediately alleviate their pain, but instead allows them to remain in their distress even though he is fully capable of ending their suffering with a word! Although this thought might cause us some discomfort, let us never think that our God is a cruel masochist who delights in our sorrows. God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked, and neither does he bring his children into the desert to destroy them. He is the God who weeps at the grave of Lazarus. 

But from this passage, we learn that divine love withheld the miracle of divine healing from Mary and Martha so that they could taste the glory of God through the greater, more awesome miracle of resurrection from death. Jesus’ desire for his beloved children is that they would see and embrace that which is greatest in the world—the glory of God. And because of his great love for us, he will spare no expense to ensure that we are not deprived of seeing the priceless glory of God maximally displayed—even if that means we must walk through the valley of pain. For pain is the needle which God uses to inject our hearts with wonder at his divine glory. 

Christian, are you suffering under a heavy burden right now? Do you feel that the Lord has forgotten you in the midst of your trial? Do you despair because your eyes are a fountain of tears and that your daily cries seem to go unanswered? 

Take heart, believer, and remember that the Father who gave you new birth through his precious Word not only sees you now, but is working for his glory and the good of those who love him. Divine love, not cruelty, is what withholds relief from your current suffering. Divine love may not always give us what we want, but it will always give us what we need—to the glory of God. 

Written by: Samuel Chua