What is the meaning of John 11:3? So the sisters sent word to Jesus • Mary and Martha respond to crisis by immediately reaching out to the Savior. Their first impulse is prayerful communication, echoing, “Call upon Me in the day of trouble” (Psalm 50:15). • They do not rely on their own resources; they trust that a spoken request can move the hand of God, just as believers are urged to “present your requests to God” (Philippians 4:6). • This simple message reminds us that the Lord invites us to cast every care on Him without delay (1 Peter 5:7). • The sisters model the healthy pattern of turning to Jesus first, not last, much like they had welcomed Him into their home earlier (Luke 10:38-42). Lord • Their address, “Lord,” confesses Jesus’ sovereign authority. It aligns with the disciples’ later affirmation, “You call Me Teacher and Lord, and rightly so, for that is what I am” (John 13:13). • By choosing this title, Mary and Martha proclaim His power over life and death before any miracle occurs, much as the leper did when he knelt and said, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean” (Matthew 8:2). • In our own requests, recognizing Christ’s lordship positions our hearts to rely on His wisdom and timing (Colossians 1:18). the one You love • Lazarus is described not by merit, but by relationship: he is loved by Jesus. Scripture confirms, “Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus” (John 11:5). • This phrase underlines a personal, covenant love that prefigures, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son” (John 3:16). • It reassures every believer that Christ’s affection is particular and personal—He “loved me and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). • The sisters appeal to that love, confident it will move Jesus to act, mirroring the assurance that “nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:38-39). is sick • The stark realism of illness confronts every household. Suffering is acknowledged, not minimized: “Many are the afflictions of the righteous” (Psalm 34:19). • Yet the sickness is reported to the Savior who will later explain, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory” (John 11:4). • Physical frailty becomes an arena for divine power, echoing, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). • The verse reminds us that bringing our ailments to Jesus is never futile; He is still the One who “heals all your diseases” (Psalm 103:3), whether through immediate restoration or ultimate resurrection. summary John 11:3 captures a whole theology of prayer in one sentence. Two devoted sisters, facing a desperate need, reach out to their sovereign Lord on the basis of His personal love for their brother. They expect Him to care, to hear, and to act. Their example invites us to do likewise—run to Jesus first, honor Him as Lord, trust His love, and lay every sickness or sorrow at His feet, assured that even our hardest moments can showcase His glory. |
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