I just read the about the death of Lazarus in NLT. I was intrigued because it said that Jesus was angry. As I read it I wondered why Jesus was angry. He knew Lazarus was going to die. In fact I believe he waited so long because he wanted to make sure that Lazarus was good and dead. He waited till everyone knew he was dead. The bible said that Jesus did this so that the power of God would be shown. So why was Jesus angry? I think it was because everyone thought that Jesus could keep Lazarus alive, but no one thought he had the power to raise the dead. I would think it would be frustrating doing miracle after miracle with the people who follow you and call you LORD forgetting how powerful you really are. He was mad and moved with compassion for his love for Lazarus. He raised him from the dead. This miracle pushed the religious leaders over the edge. They wanted him dead and fast. The religious leaders recognized Jesus power and were afraid of losing political control. Do we care more about power or control then we do about what Jesus is doing? I think sometimes in my life I forget how powerful God is and that he can do all that he said he can do. I live for control instead of giving Jesus all control.
The other thing that stuck out to me is that Jesus was not in a hurry to reach his friend. Everyone was mourning the fact that Jesus was late. But Jesus knew he was on time. I think sometimes we forget who the author of time is. We also forget who the keeper of time is. Jesus knows the end from the beginning. He knows the time. He is never late. Do we trust his timing? I have so much to learn.
I've often wondered about this myself. I've thought perhaps he was simply angered by the disbelief of the people around him. (That did seem to stick in his craw sometimes. "If only you had just a faith as small as a mustard seed ...")
ReplyDeleteBut I also wonder if Jesus may have also just been generally angry about death itself. Death wasn't something God designed, it is the sure result of sin. We understand that God hates sin, though I doubt any of us understands just how vehemently he truly does hate it. I wouldn't be surprised if seeing sin, and the results of sin, simply just make him mad.
Jesus loved Lazarus and considered him a friend. He must have felt his loss, even though he knew in the larger scheme of things it wasn't really a loss.
But if that's so, then why wasn't he angry about John the Baptist's beheading? Hmmm ...