John 11:1-44

Visiting Pastor Szeto gave a short "sermonette" about this passage, the death and resurrection of Lazarus. The main point of the message was very simple: God cares.

Thinking about the things I see happening to me, my friends, my church, and the world, sometimes I really have my doubts. It's hard to trust that God's doing something, even if I can't see it... just like Mary and Martha crying out to Jesus, "Why didn't you come to Bethany sooner? Why didn't you come in time to save our brother?"

It's not that Jesus didn't care about Lazarus, because in the passage, the Bible's shortest (and also one of the most profound verses) is written "Jesus wept." The Creator of the Universe, 100% God and 100% Man, in all in his power, still felt sadness at seeing a friend dead and the grief around him.

But God had a greater plan - Lazarus died so Jesus could demonstrate truly that he was God and able to perform something as miraculous as raising the dead. People probably didn't understand that until it happened... and if I have faith, I need to trust that God can work in a similar way again.