Did He Hear Clearly?

 

John 11:1 Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. 3 So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” 4 But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

We have seen that Jesus heard and responded to things, even when they were said to someone else, or were not even spoken, but only said in men's hearts.  Here, however, the message is sent to, intended for, and delivered directly to Jesus: Lazarus was very sick.  Jesus shows that He received by message by responding that it was not a fatal illness, but it was.  Was Jesus wrong? Had he heard incorrectly? This well-known passage goes on to say that Lazarus indeed did die.  Jesus heard very clearly, and He also saw very clearly what lie ahead.  He knew that God would use this event to proclaim the power of God to raise the dead, a power brought about by and administered by Christ - exactly the message they needed to see and we need to hear.  Sometimes we think God doesn't hear, or maybe mis-hears our prayers by the way He answers. The reality is that He does hear us clearly and also sees clearly what to truly best answer is.