01/12/2025
WEEKLY DEVOTION (Mondays)
By: Sis. Bernadette Sannoh
Today: 1st Dec. 2025
Topic: EVEN NOW
TEXT:JOHN 11:21&22
āMartha said to Jesus, āLord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died. But EVEN NOW I know that God will give you whatever you ask.āā
This is a very popular scripture of how Jesus had a very salient conversation with Martha and Mary, on their brother Lazarusā death, and how Jesus finally raised him from the dead.
As I was reading my Bible, I got caught up with these two verses, but especially the verse 21, when Martha was lamenting to Jesus, that if He had been at their place, Lazarus would not have died. I examined that verse, and noticed that Martha didnāt mention that if Jesus had been there EARLIER, their brother wouldnāt have died. Knowing how the Holy Spirit is meticulous in giving important details in scriptures, I got curious over the wording of this verse by Martha, which was also repeated by her sister Mary in verse 32. matter.
The popular understanding of this story of Lazarus was that, his sisters, Martha and Mary had sent to Jesus that Lazarus their brother was sick, and Jesus decided to stay two more days before leaving to go see Lazarus, and because of that delay Lazarus died before He arrived. By the time Jesus arrived, Lazarus had been buried for four days. The general understanding about this incident is that because Jesus did not leave immediately He was told Lazarus was sick, that caused Lazarus to die. What caught my attention when I was reading the scripture, was that when the sisters saw Jesus, none of them said to Jesus, āLord, if only You had come EARLIER, our brother would not have diedā. Or, āLord, why did You come late, we sent for You one week ago, but You delayed to come!ā Instead, they both said, āLord, if only You had been here, my brother would not have died.ā I got curious as to why none of the two sisters mentioned that Jesus should have come earlier, or his tardiness was the reason their brother died, rather they said, if He had been there, their brother would not have died. I know you may be thinking that these two statements have the same meaning, but you too will catch the revelation soon!
I asked the Holy Spirit, did Jesusā delay caused Lazarusā death? These are my findings-Jesus arrived at Bethany on the fourth day of Lazarusā burial, being that He left two days after He got the message that Lazarus was sick. For us to determine whether Jesusā delay caused Lazarus to die, we have to know where was Jesus when the message met Him about Lazarusā illness, and how long did it take Him to get to Bethany, where Lazarus lived. As I ponder on these things, the Holy Spirit told me to do my research, and so I did! Follow me through it.
In John 10:39-40, scripture tells us that the Jews wanted to kill Jesus, as a result of Him healing the man born blind in chapter 9, and later telling the Jews He was the Son of God; something the Jews would never accept! So Jesus left Jerusalem and went down to River Jordan, where John was baptizing people. I found out that, from Jerusalem to River Jordan, it is 140km, approximately 87 miles, a 4-5 days journey. Jerusalem is on top of a hill, and the River Jordan is below. In Jesusā days there were no cars, so He and His disciples walked most of the time, together with the multitude that usually followed Him about.
We also read that Bethany, the town or village that Lazarus and his sisters lived was two miles from the city of Jerusalem. Knowing that Jesus had a very close relationship with Lazarusā family, I believe He must have passed by their house to tell them He was leaving the city, and going beyond the River Jordan for a break. Because there was no electronic method of communication in those days, He decided to let them know His whereabouts, so that in case they needed Him, they would know where to find Him. This was how the sisters knew where to find Him. I assume that the time that Jesus left their house, Lazarus wasnāt sick by then. We donāt know when Lazarus became sick, and for how long was he sick until his death. I developed this scenario, that when his sickness started, his sisters thought it was just an ordinary malaria; then he started having typhoid symptoms, and it seemed he wasnāt getting better even with medications. Lazarus was getting weaker by the day, with continuous vomiting and stooling. His sisters then realized this sickness was getting worse, and their brother wouldnāt make it without a divine touch. They had no choice than to send for Jesus, even though they knew the Jews were seeking to kill Him, and Bethany is just one hour walk from Jerusalem; but the way their brotherās condition was, they had no choice but to send for Jesus. So they did.
The distance between Bethany and the place where Jesus was, at River Jordan was 17 miles, which is approximately a dayās journey. In those days people travel 2-3 miles an hour, and approximately 20 miles a day. But from Jordan to Bethany, Jesus and His people would have to climb a 4,000 feet hill, which might slow them down a little, yet it will still be a dayās journey.
Now, letās assume that Martha sent the messengers to Jesus on Sunday morning, and by the evening time, they met Jesus and gave Him the message that His friend, Lazarus was sick. Jesus gave them word that He was coming after them. The messengers returned that same day in the evening. Scripture says that Jesus stayed where He was for two days after receiving the news. So let us assume that Jesus stayed at that place on Monday and Tuesday. Then on Wednesday morning He decided to leave. When they arrived in the afternoon on Wednesday, He was told Lazarus had died for four days. From my analysis, when do you think Lazarus died? I believe he died the same Sunday the news met Jesus! Lazarus must have died around the the same time the messengers arrived to Jesus. But Jesus didnāt reveal it to them, instead He told them to go ahead, that He was coming after them. When they had left, He later told His disciples that Lazarus was sleeping. His disciples didnāt understand He was telling them that Lazarus had died. So they said it was good for him to sleep. After two days, He told them plainly that Lazarus was dead. And that unbelieving Thomas, sarcastically said they should go and die with him! When I read that part I laughed, because I have studied Thomasā personality, and I know those statements he was capable of!
Letās continue the journey with Jesus Christ. He left River Jordan early Wednesday morning, probably around 6am, after their morning devotion. The average walking time in those days is 2-3 miles per hour. Since it was an uphill journey, they might have walked 2miles per 1hour. They arrived Bethany around 2 to 3pm on Wednesday afternoon. The conclusion on this matter is this: Jesus did not wait for Lazarus to die before leaving. By the time the message met Him that Lazarus was sick, he had died already. In fact the messengers themselves met Lazarus dead and buried already. Jesus knowing that He had a good relationship with Lazarus and his family, He decided not to leave immediately, so that the unbelieving Jews would not say that Lazarus did not die, he just fainted, it was an āarrangeeā, as the Nigerians would say. Therefore, Jesus waited to arrive when everyone agreed that Lazarus was dead, and his body was already rotting.
The book of John gave us details of Jesus doing unexpected things; in chapter 2, He turned water into wine, something that wasnāt expected. In verse 11, this miracle made His disciples to believed in Him, as it was His first miracle He did at that time. In chapter 4, Jesus, being a Jew, went to the extent of speaking to a Samaritan woman; Jews donāt relate with Samaritans, and more so a woman! But we see the outcome of that encounter; in verse 39, many Samaritans believed in Jesus. In chapter 9, He healed the man that was born blind, saying in verse 3, that, it for Godās glory to be manifested. Now in chapter 11, He waited until Lazarus had been buried for four days before going to raise him up, also saying in verse 4 that it was for the glory of God. And we see that many of the Jews believed in Jesus Christ because of the miracle of raising Lazarus to life. (see John 12:11).
From all these examples we see that God usually shows up when He wants to do something totally beyond our strength or ability, so that His name will be glorified, and many will come to the saving knowledge of Christ.
Martha and Mary tried all they could to heal their brother, but he was not getting better. When all their efforts had failed, then they sent for Jesusā help. They knew He could heal the sick, but they did not know He could raise the dead. They believed if Jesus was around their brother would not have died. (John 11:21). But verse 22 says this: EVEN NOW, whatsoever you ask God, He will give you! This is your Word! Yes, you may think Jesus has been late in fulfilling His promises, but if you still believe, EVEN NOW, He can still do it! Marthaās belief was for an alternative; now that her brother had died, Jesus could pray that their brother inherit Paradise, but Jesus was referring to bringing back the same dead brother to life! She expected Jesus to pray for the soul of her brother, but Jesus instead raised up the soul back to life! Martha prophetically spoke these words in verse 22, but she didnāt know they were words of power- āEVEN NOW, WHATSOEVER YOU ASK OF GOD, HE WOULD GIVE IT TO YOU!ā
Jesus said that Lazarusā sickness would not end in death, yet Lazarus died; did God lie? God and man do not see things the same way; for His thoughts and ways are not the same with ours.(Isaiah 55:8-9). Physical death to man, is sleeping to God. Martha and Mary went ahead and buried their dead, a person God said was sleeping! To man, death is the end, thereās no hope left when something has died, so man buries his dead. Burying their dead did not stop Jesus from waking him up, because to Him Lazarus was just sleeping! Even after four days in the grave, and the sisterās warning, āby now he stinksā, yet Jesus insisted on seeing where he was laid, because His mission was to wake him up!
Sometimes the challenges in life put us in a place, where weāre stuck in between the fantastic promise of abundant life, and the painful reality of living life in this wicked world! In confusion, we hope that God would show up to make things right, but He didnāt show up when weāre expecting, and we ask, why is He waiting? Jesus waited for Lazarus to be in the grave for four days before He showed up. The sisters knew Jesus as the healer, so their regret was that Jesus was not around when their brother was sick. So now that heās dead, if Jesus could pray for his soul to have smooth travels through the kingdom of the dead, it would be fine. But that was not Godās plan.
Abraham, thinking that Godās promise to give him and Sarah his wife a child was a dead promise, being that they were very old, so he decided to ask God to accept the child of the bond woman, Ishmael. He pleaded on God to make Ishmael the promise child, but God said no, His Word must come to pass. (See Genesis 17:15-19).
Many of us have given up on the promises of God, because they have delayed, so weāve changed our prayer points to compromising requests. āIf marriage is not coming, let me have a child out of wedlock, so I wonāt reach menopause. If we canāt have our own child, letās get a woman that can get pregnant for my husband.ā Because of our unbelief weāre on the lookout for alternative ways of getting Godās blessings, or letting His promises come to pass in our lives.
Joseph believed that the visions he saw in his dreams were going to manifest. Even in prison, he believed and had hope that God would show up for him. He did not lose his dream.
What about David who was anointed king of Israel. David was made a king while there was King Saul on the throne. And God didnāt remove Saul immediately for David to reign. David had to run for his life several times, and King Saul chased after him, up to the point of David running out of the country, into the land of his enemies. Yet David did not relent, He held on to the Word of God, until it manifested.
The nation of Israel, while in captivity in Egypt did not relent in crying out to God, even now after 430 years, God still showed up for them. His promises are yea and amen. His Word will not return to Him void, it will definitely accomplish that which it is sent to do.
Are you in dispair; you had hoped that the situation was going to change, but it has gotten worse? You think it is too late for God to change things around; I come to tell you that, Even Now that everything looks bad, if only you believe, God will make it work. Have you been told by doctors that your sickness is terminal, meaning youāre going to die of it? Even Now, whatsoever you believe and ask God, He will do it for you. Have you reached your menopause like Sarah and Elizabeth, thereās no hope left, you have buried your Lazarus; you have no womb, so thereās no hope for you. Your Lazarus is dead. If only Jesus had showed up when you were young, and newly married, but now that your Lazarus has been buried, what hope is left! I came to tell you this morning that, EVEN NOW, God can still move and change your situation. Your Lazarus shall live again! You may think God is late to show up, but whenever God waits to show up, He is preparing to show Himself in such a way that He alone will receive the maximum glory! Even if you have buried your Lazarus, God will raise him up to life! Just believe; for anything is possible to those who believe. Amen.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I trust in Your promises for my life. Though I find myself in an uncomfortable place right now, I believe You will beautify me again. Amen (Psalm 68:13)
