Recently, one of my lifelong and best friends passed into eternity. By the time the cancer was discovered, he was diagnosed as terminal. When we spoke by phone, he invited me to join him in prayer for a miraculous healing, and he told me something I’ll never forget. He said he was in “a win-win situation.”
That unexpected statement startled me, and I was unsure how to respond at first. But as I considered it, I began to understand what he meant. My friend was referring to a joyous juxtaposition. His was the privilege of looking forward with glad anticipation to either the blessing of a miraculous healing or the even greater thrill of entering the eternal presence of his Savior.
It wasn’t a fatalistic expression of unbelief. He was describing the powerfully soul-securing state of every believer encountering life’s challenges. We are never victims at the mercy of our circumstances. We are victors in Christ no matter the outcome. His cross and resurrection have so completely overcome the dark intentions of any strategy of hell formed against us that we are always in “a win-win situation.” And although the circumstances we face are not always a matter of life and death, God’s will and ways can always be fully trusted without fear. That’s the glory behind 1 Corinthians 15:54: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”
And that truth connects directly to the amazing events described in John 11 which opens with an introduction to a set of siblings – Lazarus and his two sisters, Mary and Martha. This trio was new to John’s Gospel but not to his audience. Those early believers would’ve already been aware of them through both oral accounts and earlier-written Gospels. That’s why in verse 2 he could identify this Mary as the one who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil taking for granted his readers were aware of that event even though he hadn’t recounted that part of the story yet.
Although we’re not given the backstory, it’s clear that this family enjoyed a close relationship with Jesus. So, when Lazarus became seriously ill, his sisters sent word to let him know, indirectly pleading with him, on the basis of their friendship, to come and heal their brother. The response Jesus sent back in verse 4 assured them that this sickness would not result in death and that God would be glorified through it.
Then, we’re told something so striking that every time I read this passage I pause, shake my head, and contemplate its impact. Verses 5 and 6 state that because Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, he remained where he was for two more days.
This is completely unexpected. I always come to this section subconsciously anticipating it will say that because he loved them, he rushed to gather his belongings and raced to be with them in their time of need. But that’s not what happened. And although there is much more to come in this amazing and miraculous episode, let’s not miss the fact that it began with what seemed for all the world to be a heartless lack of action by the Savior.
I know what that feels like. There have been several times in my life when it seemed that God was unresponsive to my needs and I’d been left to wonder if he really loved me after all. And I’ll bet you’ve been there too. Maybe you’re there right now. If so, please let me encourage you that no matter what it may have seemed like at the moment of my disappointment when Jesus wasn’t responding in the way I’d hoped, he’s always proven himself loving, faithful, and powerful on my behalf in the end even when things turned out differently than I expected. Rest assured, that will be true for you as well. As followers of Christ, secure in his love and power, we are always in a “win-win situation.”