- Setting up our passage for today:
- In Luke 10:41-42 there is an encounter between Jesus, Mary and her sister, Martha.
- Martha is upset because Mary isn’t helping and she asks Jesus to intervene. Jesus responds by saying; “Martha, you worry about so much, but only one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, and I’m not taking it away from her.”
- How would you have responded to Jesus’ rebuke? Keep that in mind as we look at our passage for today.
- John 11:28- When Martha had said this, she went and said to her sister Mary, in private; “The teacher is here and is calling for you.”
- It’s just speculation to try and understand what motivated Martha when she said this.
- But keeping in mind the story from Luke, and what Martha said to Jesus in verses 21-22, is it fair to speculate that Mary may have been thinking this:
- “Jesus thinks Mary’s more holy than me. Maybe he’ll listen to her?!”
- Putting aside all this speculation, let’s focus on some facts:
- Jesus loved Mary and Martha, both, with every fiber of His being. Just as He loves us!
- When Jesus answers a request, He does it according to what’s BEST!
- Jesus is not immune to the pain that His answers to our request may cause.
- Three times in this passage we find evidence of this:
- Verse 33- Jesus was deeply troubled…
- Verse 35- Jesus wept…
- Verse 38- Jesus was deeply moved…
- You can trust that the pain and the suffering you’re experiencing has a purpose, too… IF… you will put your trust in Jesus!
Message: Purpose in our pain
Scripture: John 11:28-44
Simple. Authentic. Jesus.
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