John 11
ABSOLUTE FAITH
Jesus had seen some great examples of faith during his ministry around Israel. The best ones came from Gentiles, but there were a select few Jews who came to have the same sort of faith as well. Martha and Mary were two of them.
When Lazarus became sick, “the sisters sent to him, saying, ‘Lord, he whom you love is ill.’” (John 11 v 3 ESV). Maybe like the centurion, they were hoping for a miracle done by remote control. But Jesus seemed to ignore them. Despite the inaction of Jesus when he didn’t turn up to heal Lazarus, the faith of the sisters was not shaken.
When Jesus arrived five or six days later, after Lazarus had been dead for four days, both Martha and Mary declared their faith in Jesus’ power to heal, saying, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” (v 21, 32). They were still confident that he could heal, and that he would have healed Lazarus if he had been there. Martha even declared her absolute faith in the resurrection, saying, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” (v 24).
It is the faith of Martha and Mary, even though they were disappointed, that God is looking for in each of us. Like them, we can have absolute confidence in the power of God and the power of our Lord Jesus Christ no matter what happens. Let us grow and show that confidence in our lives.
May God grow our faith this week.
With love in our Lord
Robert
New at Thinky Things this Week
Sharon’s Segment: Cause of Death: Grumbling
Special Request
Preparation for Thinky Days 2026 is underway. At the bottom of each page is a meditational verse from one of the daily Bible readings. If anyone would like to help choose the verses for next years diary, please let me know. Email me at robert@thinkythings.com.
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