While it used to be that people rejoiced to see Job, sought
him out for counsel and companionship, admired his wisdom, generosity,
righteousness and justice, now they laugh at him and mock him. He seems a bit bitter about that doesn't
he? Job has every reason in the world to
lament his situation, no one should begrudge him that and we shouldn't judge
him for it. In such pain men are apt to
turn to God and ask why and to bemoan their lot. There is nothing particularly wrong with that
reaction so long as we continue to look for answers from Him rather than recite
our answers and conclusions to Him. Job
sees God now as his enemy, not because Job has rebelled or declared war with
God but for some unknown reason that makes no sense given their history. The pain of God's silence in suffering makes
the pain ever more acute. If we know He
hears and is with us we can bear pain.
If we know it will end, that there are better days ahead, we can bear
it. If He is silent, we lose hope, but
we are to wait, just as the people waited in Egypt for deliverance, just as
they waited in Babylon. As Tom Petty
sang, the waiting is the hardest part.
The sisters of Lazarus, Mary and Martha, send word to Jesus
that their brother is ill. Surely their
expectation was that because Jesus loved Lazarus He who had healed so many
would come and make things right but their expectations weren't met, Jesus delayed
His coming. As in the story of Job, we
know that Jesus did love this family, John tells us that, but the next sentence
doesn’t logically follow that declaration, "So, when he heard that Lazarus
was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was." If someone you love is sick and there is
something you can do about it do you stay where you are two more days or do you
go immediately to help? In John's Gospel
this is now the third time Jesus has refused to do what someone asked. The first time was when Mary asked him to
help at the wedding feast in John 2 and He said it wasn't His time. The second was when His brothers urged Jesus
to go to Jerusalem in John 5 and He said it wasn't His time. Here, Jesus explains Himself in much the same
way. In all three cases He ultimately
does something but only on His own time.
In the mean time, the sisters wait and watch their brother die. He was their hope and their hope is
disappointed.
The people who come to Lystra and stone Paul are those from
the last two cities he has visited. This
is truly an amazing story of perseverance.
They stone him, drag him out of the city and leave him for dead but Paul
rises up and goes back into the city.
There is something in this story that feels like a Clint Eastwood
western or a professional wrestling plot line.
I love this story because it tells of Paul's commitment to the work he
was given to do. Why does he go back to
Lystra? It also tells us something of
truth that one day he was worshipped as a god and the next (whether literally
or no) he is being stoned as a heretic.
Jesus experienced that. How in
the world would you react if you were new in the faith and saw this man's faith
and perseverance? Waiting on God to make
things perfect for you to do ministry is nothing more than an excuse. Paul never waited to do mission, never made
an excuse not to do it.
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