John 11:5-10 - Daylight

11:5,6

This is an odd couple of verses, look at what it says. Because Jesus loved Mary, Martha and Lazarus He stayed a couple of days. Now when we pray to God we want an answer now, and preferably sooner. So how on earth does this demonstrate love? Well even if Jesus had left immediately Lazarus would still have died. Now there was a common belief that the spirit of a dead person hovered around for three days after someone died, so Jesus’ waiting meant Lazarus had been dead four days, so everyone knew that he was well and truly dead. So the miracle was all the more clear.

When God doesn’t act in the way we want in our life it is because He has something greater planned for us (not necessarily easier!).

11:7,8

Jesus continues to act in a “strange” way, at least from a human perspective. He now leads them to Judea. The disciples are amazed at this suggestion as the Jews were clearly out to get Him, as previous incidents had repeatedly demonstrated.

11:9,10

The disciples saw danger and risk, Jesus saw that it was still time to do good. It was true that there was danger about, indeed a far more dangerous time than anything the disciples envisaged was about to happen. So the disciples were fearful and loathe to take risk. Jesus points out with a natural analogy how ridiculous an approach this was. There are twelve hours of daylight, and we know they will be followed by twelve hours of darkness. Now remember that we are in the middle-east, so day and night were more balanced than they are for most of the year here in Scotland. Also remember that they did not have electric lights! Dark was a far more serious thing than it is for us. However, knowing that darkness is coming soon does not mean that we do nothing during the daylight. Quite the opposite, we make the most of it and seek to get stuff done. So it is in the kingdom. Jesus knew far more clearly than the disciples did what was coming, but that was all the more reason to do good while He could.