Jesus Hears Us

Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick. When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby John 11: 3-4

I want us to think for a moment about this person. We don’t know their name, age or sex. We do not know their title. But we do know that this person is extremely important. Their significance is not in who they are because we don’t know who they are. They are significant because of what they did. They went to Jesus on behalf of a friend in need.

You see, Mary and Martha’s brother was very sick. They needed somebody to go to Jesus for them. They believed that Jesus could somehow help them even at such a late hour as this.

No doubt there were many people there. Some were relatives and some were friends. Some brought food and some helped with cleaning. Some likely helped with the sick person while others offered encouraging words. Each person was helpful; each role was critical.

But there was something about this person that caused the sisters to choose him/her to go to Jesus on their behalf. There was something that made those sisters trust this person to take an urgent life changing need message to Jesus at their most pressing time. There was something so special that the sisters called this person aside and told them to go to Jesus on my behalf and tell Him that the "one whom you love is sick."

First of all, this person had to know who Jesus was. He had to be familiar with the relationship of Jesus and the family, and comfortable enough to approach Jesus without doubt or hesitation. He had to be mature enough to reach Jesus wherever He was, and not get distracted.

These sisters could not leave their brother’s bedside. He was too sick. They would have gone themselves, but the situation was too critical. So they needed someone they could trust; someone that would agree with them without doubt or hesitation. They needed an ambassador who would not quit until they got the message to Jesus; someone who was just as convinced as the sisters that Jesus could do anything.

It is good to have someone who can go to Jesus for you. It’s good to have someone to carry that special request. It may be a mother for her child, a doctor for his patient, or a pastor for his congregation. It must be someone with a burden for your hurt; some who appreciates your pain. And because this person went to Jesus, Jesus received the request.

When that person found Jesus, there was no hesitation. They told him exactly what the sisters requested ("The one you love is sick"). Not the one that I love or the one who loves you. But the one whom "You" love. I am sure that Lazarus loved Jesus and so did Mary and Martha. But their love has no merit. Jesus has the perfect love in a class all by itself. And because He loves us, we have hope for deliverance regardless to what we face.

When you go to Jesus, tell Him "the one You love is sick"; "the one You love is lonely"; "the one You love is unhappy, depressed and needs direction." Jesus will hear that request just like He heard this one.

Our world is a busy place. There are cell phones ringing, beepers beeping, computer mouse clinking and e-mails flashing. It is difficult to get anyone attention at all. In general, most people are unlikely to turn off the television, pause the music, close the book or put down the phone. In order to really get a person’s attention, we have to silence everything. If we can get someone’s uninterrupted attention for ten minutes, it’s a privilege. Yet Jesus stopped what He was doing and listened to every word. Jesus will listen if we can just get to Him.

When we talk to God, He listens to everything we say. He takes us serious because our concerns really matter to Him. We may not be poetic but He listens. We may speak bad English but He listens. We may stutter and stammer but He listens. We may be a high school dropout or even dropped out of life, but Jesus hears us.

Jesus hears the groan of the nursing home patient; He hears the cries of the alcoholic and crack addict; He hears the troubled teen, the divorcee and the single parent. Jesus is engrossed in our every word; He is completed occupied and absorbed in all our needs.

Jesus needs us to believe that He hears us. If we cannot believe, we cannot have strong faith. If we cannot have strong faith, we cannot do strong works.

According to verse 40, Jesus was beyond Jordan. It would have taken a messenger a full day of travel to reach Jesus. When he tells Jesus that Lazarus is sick, Jesus sent him back the next morning to tell the sisters that the their brother would not die. By the time Jesus finally arrived, Lazarus had been dead for four days. That means that Lazarus was probably dying the day the messenger left, or died shortly thereafter. He was for sure dead when the messenger returned with the good news.

But since Lazarus was already dead, do you think he told the sisters what Jesus said? Probably not. The family was grieving and their brother was buried. The message did not seem to be any good.

Listen. The Word of God is good all the time. But sometimes in life, we just don’t know what to do with it. The Word doesn’t keep bad times from coming, and it doesn’t shelter us from pain. Jesus Himself had to deal with our pain and suffering on the cross. Pain doesn’t separate us from Jesus, it unites us to Him.

When we find ourselves confronted by sickness, disappointment, uncertainty, distress and perplexity, we can encourage ourselves in the Word of God. We walk by faith and not by sight. Where we are headed may seem to be hopeless, but Jesus hears us. The journey may appear impossible and our need may seem incapable of occurring, but we should trust Jesus anyway.

At one time the two sisters had something to hope for; they had a desire and they expected something in return. But that was before their brother died. Afterwards, they didn’t really expect anything. You may have nothing to hope for, but I know someone that has a promise for your future, and He is listening.

Call upon me in the day of trouble, I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me Psalms 50:15. Many of us have experienced all kinds of trials and suffering. Each time that God delivers us should make us stronger. But this doesn’t happen automatically. It depends on what we do with the Word. Jesus sent Mary and Martha a word of encouragement that they did not receive. So Jesus came to them personally to reveal the truth to their heart.

The first thing that Martha said was "If". She expressed how different things could have been. At one time I felt our ministry would have been much stronger "if" we had gotten the help of others. Then Lindia and I went to a gathering and saw these Christians drinking wine and dancing just like the sinner. They did not have enough respect to wait until we left; they turned it on. Sunday morning, they will be preaching, but Saturday night, they were partying.

Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life Romans 6:4.

I am crucified with Christ nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me. And the life that I now live in the flesh I live by faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me Galatians 2:20.

Do you believe that Jesus hears you when you pray? Are you willing to trust Him even through the turmoil’s you face? I want to encourage you to hold on and don’t give up. He will come through for you just like He did for the sisters.

By: Edmund Brown