Read John 11:1-3. Circle the words that stand out to you. What is the Lord saying to you?
1 Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.) 3 So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.”
Digging Deeper
Flashing red lights. Blaring sirens. Patrol car, ambulance, and fire trucks. It’s a critical situation. Those vehicles with its drivers are going to a critical scene or taking a critical patient to the hospital.
When we hear that our loved one is in ICU or in ER, what do we do? We rush to the hospital or home. We rush to see what is happening and want to know what can be done to avert a disaster. When my wife had a stroke, my son rushed to the hospital from his meeting. Dear friends rushed to comfort us and to pray for her. I was comforted by their presence.
Mary and Martha’s brother, Lazarus didn’t a common cold. He was laying in bed with the doctors unable to do anything to make him better. Neither Mary or Martha wanted to leave their dying brother. They sent a messenger to Jesus. Their words to Him were, “Lord, the one you love is sick.” I am absolutely certain the servants conveyed the seriousness of the situation to Jesus.
What would you do if you heard that someone whom you didn’t know very well in the church was in ICU? Would you see it as information that someone is in the hospital and just ignore the news? Would you feel sorry that they are in the hospital? Would you stop and pray for that person? Would you send a text message to that person’s family? What will you do if you heard someone in the church is in ICU? Would your response be different if it was a family member or a dear friend?
The next time you hear of someone is in the hospital, what would you do or better yet, what should you do? What does our Lord wants us to do when we hear that someone is sick?
-Kingston