In our suffering, we want an explanation. But Jesus wants to give us a revelation … of Himself.

Every crisis in our lives is an opportunity to broaden, deepen, and heighten our revelation of Christ.

In Bethany, we discover a God who is willing to wait until it’s too late.

Jesus showed up four days after Lazarus died. When the Lord received the message from Mary and Martha, He did not act. He deliberately stalled, waiting two days in Perea before heading off to Bethany. Perea was where John the Baptist originally preached and baptized. It sat a little over twenty miles away from Bethany, a one-day journey.

Take note. Jesus rarely responds on a human level and in a way that fits human expectations. But He always acts according to His Father’s clock.

While Jesus’ delay appears cold and callous at first blush, it was simply a response to the Father’s direction rather than a response to the human pressure to meet an external need. All who put their hands to the plow of God’s work would be wise to remember this principle.

Jesus’ deliberate delay did not suggest that He didn’t love the Bethany family. John is careful to repeat how much Christ loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus.16

Indeed, Jesus ultimately met the need. He just did it in a way that no one expected, which is a common characteristic of our Lord.

Written by Frank Viola, author