"But when Jesus heard it he said, 'This illness does not lead to death.
It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified
through it.'" - John 11:4
This is easily one of my favorite verses in the Bible. So much truth and hope packed into it. Jesus has just escaped the crowd who wishes to stone him, and fled Judea for a bit of a breather. It is at this time that he receives word - a dear friend, Lazarus, is sick and not doing well. Jesus responds with this odd, but confident statement. I wonder what the disciples were thinking several days later when they arrived to find Lazarus dead. "But Jesus said it wouldn't end this way. How does that work?"
There are two points to notice here. The first is the ending, what the illness does lead to. Considering this scenario on the surface-level, Lazarus does die but only temporarily. At the risk of spoiling the rest of the story for you (I, at least, won't tell you how it happens), Jesus ends up raising his friend from the dead and God is glorified. This is how Jesus said it would end - with God and the Son being glorified.
The second is the next level of meaning. When Jesus refers here to sickness and death, he's digging deeper too. He's speaking of spiritual things. In fact, it's even in the etymology. He uses a word for sickness which refers to the physical aspect, but also the condition of the soul. And his word for death is not just the end of a mortal life, but implications of eternal hell and torment. Jesus isn't just saying, "This guy won't die, and God will be glorified because of it." He is declaring that Satan has no power here! Death, where is your sting now? This illness -this infection called sin- will not end in death -Satan's claim to victory. The whole thing is in God's hands and He will use it, the good and bad parts alike, to glorify His name and His Son.
Isn't this a comfort in an otherwise dying world? We see sin and death running rampant, accept, embraced, and even taught in our society today. It feels like we're choking on it, the noxious disease, and there seems to be no hope. But Jesus stands, surveys the whole of it from beginning to end, and says, "This will end well." Jesus knew, when he heard of Lazarus' sickness, that he would soon call a friend to come up from the grave. When sin entered the heart of man, Jesus knew he'd come and die. And when he hung on that cross, he knew he'd return in three days time. And when he ascended into Heaven, he knew he'd come again to claim his prize. He's knew before time began how things would be when time ended at last. No matter how bad things get right now, this will not end in death. No, the end is in place and it is much greater than that - God reigns on high, what a day it is and shall be! with His Son at His right hand and His people singing praises. Hallelujah and Amen!
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