David Bahn – Reflections

John 11:17-27

Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. ¹⁸ Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, ¹⁹ and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. ²⁰  So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. ²¹ Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. ²² But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” ²³ Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” ²⁴  Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” ²⁵ Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, ²⁶ and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” ²⁷ She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”

The song, “I Can Only Imagine” is a beautiful expression of wonder at the bliss of heaven. The chorus goes:

Surrounded by Your glory, what will my heart feel
Will I dance for you Jesus or in awe of you be still
Will I stand in your presence or to my knees will I fall
Will I sing hallelujah, will I be able to speak at all
I can only imagine

It strikes me that she is speaking truth in faith when Martha says to Jesus, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.” But I also believe she has no idea of the glory of which she speaks. In fact that is our lot here on earth. Even at our best, we cannot even imagine the glory and bliss that will be ours in the resurrection and the life of the world to come.

Put another way, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.” (1 Corinthians 2:9) In the midst of our grief and struggles we may reach out to Christ for help, hope, and comfort. When we do we reach to the One who will truly help. But our comprehension of the reality of his help, the majesty of his glory, and the incredible power of his redeeming love grasps only the corner of its essence.

We may think that God is late, or that he has failed us. We can conclude that the time for hope is past. But the love, faithfulness, goodness, and power of God reaches past our limited comprehension and points us toward an eternal experience of the One who is the resurrection and the life. I wonder when we’ve spoken truth from faith and only barely recognized the splendor of which we have spoken.