Day 79 - If You Had Been There

John 11:21-23
“Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”

I am excellent at being passive aggressive. Whether it’s opening a window ostentatiously on the train when someone whips out a tuna sandwich, or, more recently, glaring at people who aren’t following the one-way system in Tesco, it’s something I do far too often.

Yesterday we looked at Mary and Martha waiting for Jesus and today we see the frustration that Jesus’ seemingly delayed arrival brought about. I like to imagine Martha saying verse 21 in a wonderfully passive aggressive tone (though maybe that’s just me and my nature). 

But what I love about this interaction is that Martha is taking her frustrations to Jesus. Honestly, I imagine we all have frustrations with Jesus (I certainly do) and I believe wholeheartedly that that’s OK! It’s not heretical or blasphemous or disrespectful, it’s a case of being human.

And we see this in Jesus’ response to Martha - he doesn’t shut her down or rebuke her, he reminds her of the promise he has made to her. He reminds her that her brother will rise again. 

We have no idea why Jesus waited to visit Mary and Martha. We can guess, but ultimately we don’t know. 

Sometimes with our own frustrations about Jesus’ timing it might become clear a bit further down the line, we might look back and be like, oh, that’s why I waited for so long. But it’s also likely that we may never know this side of heaven.

What we see in this interaction between Martha and Jesus is that Jesus can take our frustrations, our confusion and our doubts about his timing. He knows what he’s up to, he knows the promises he’s made to us and he knows what he’s going to do. 

Prayer - Jesus, I’m frustrated and I don’t understand… Come and gently remind me of the promises you have made to me today. 

Martha Goshawk
Gas Street Team