The One He Loves

“Now a man named Lazarus was sick.  So the sisters sent word to Jesus, ‘Lord, the one you love is sick.’” John 11:1, 3

The book of Luke lends an entire chapter on a family in Bethany with two deeply spiritual sisters, Mary and Martha.  Luke gives voice in rich detail of the extravagant worship of Mary and the unselfish service of Martha.  These sisters loved Jesus and lived their lives with a strong focus on His ministry.  In the book of John, just one chapter later, we are introduced to their brother Lazarus whom Luke never mentioned.  Was it because Lazarus was a silent follower of Jesus?  Was the brother less than spiritually active, or did he have a quiet faith even stronger than his sisters?  The Bible stays silent on the life of Lazarus leaving us less than impressed with any contribution prior to his resurrection.  We will never know the extent of his contributions, but what is evident in Scripture is that Jesus loved Lazarus regardless of any service or worship. 

I have shared many times through my writing that my inner battle has been fought with faulty armor.   I wore a helmet of false perceptions of who God was and how He deals with His children.   In a nutshell, I believed that God’s love was withheld or received as a result of my performance. 

I was so blessed by an experience with a man whom I met through Griefshare after he lost his wife of 60 years.  He stated that he had not been in church in over 70 years, although he believed in God.  Throughout the time we spent together I was amazed by his attention to grief and the work he was investing to navigate through his pain.  His healing is obvious and God is lavishing His grace and comfort upon him.  My friend had not served God over the course of his life like other brothers and sisters in Christ.  He was neither known for his extravagant faith, nor was he commended for any church service.  But, this man was sick in heart and the Lord loves His children, apart from our lip or hand service. 

Our Father’s love is not based on our performance, but based on His original love.  ‘We love because he first loved us.’ 1 John 4:19.  Just like Lazarus, when my friend needed God he called out and God was there.