Part 65

Verse 5. that “JESUS loved _Martha_ and her sister, and _Lazarus_.” Oh happy family! Three in it beloved of JESUS, with a peculiar, everlasting love. “Very often it so happens, (to use the words of the pious Bishop _Beveridge_) that there is but one in a city, and two in a country of this stamp.” But here are two sisters and a brother, all lovers of, and beloved by the glorious JESUS. What shall we say to these things? Why, that our Saviour’s grace is free and sovereign, and he may do what he will with his own. They who are thus so highly favoured as to have so many converted in one house, ought to be doubly thankful! Such a blessing have not all his saints. No; many, very many, go mourning over their perverse and graceless relations all their lives long; and find, even to their dying day, that their greatest foes are those of their own houshold. Surely these three relations lived a heaven upon earth. For what can they want, what could make them miserable, who are assured of JESU’s love? But surely if JESUS loves this dear little family, the next news one might think we should hear, would be, that he went immediately and healed _Lazarus_; or at least cured him at a distance. But instead of that, we are told, verse 6. “When he had heard that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was.” A strange way this, in the eye of natural reason, of expressing love; but not so strange in the eye of faith: for the LORD JESUS very often sheweth his love, by deferring to give immediate answers to our prayers. Hereby he tries our faith and patience, and exercises all our passive graces. We have a proof of this in the _Syrophenician_ woman, upon whom the blessed JESUS frowned, and spake roughly to at first, only that he might afterwards turn unto her and say, “O woman, great is thy faith.” Let not those then who believe, make too much haste; or immediately in their hearts repine against the LORD, because he may not answer their requests, in their own time and way. GOD’s time and way is best. And we shall find it to be so in the end. _Martha_ and _Mary_ experienced the truth of this, though undoubtedly our LORD’s seeming delay, to come and heal their brother, cost them great searchings of heart. But will the LORD JESUS forget his dear _Lazarus_, whom his soul loveth? “Can a woman forget her sucking child?” Indeed she may; but the LORD never faileth those that fear him. Neither is he slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness: for his very delays are answers. The vision is for an appointed time; in the end it will speak and not lie.