No one wants a half-popped bag of popcorn. When we put the popcorn bag into the microwave envisioning a bowl full of the glorious buttery golden snack that future lies in mystery. With the wide variety of popcorn bag sizes and microwave wattages, we are often left wondering whether the amount of time we programmed on the microwave screen will give us a glorious buttery golden snack, half-popped bag of kernels or bag of charcoal. When we find the correct amount of time to cook a particular size bag for our microwave’s wattage, it means many happy days ahead.
God understands the joy good food gives us. In fact, God used a glorious display of food to describe heaven in our Old Testament reading from Isaiah 25, 6 On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine—the best of meats and the finest of wines. To convey the joys of heaven along with his power to give us life, God has us picture a banquet. Imagine your favorite restaurant preparing your favorite dishes and all your friends and family, even strangers being invited to eat, and the tab being covered by the owner.
This is what we look forward to as God’s people because God has done what Isaiah wrote next in Isaiah 25, 7 On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations; 8 he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove his people’s disgrace from all the earth. The Lord has spoken. Through Jesus’ resurrection, death has been swallowed up like a bowl of bitter burnt popcorn on movie night that your best friend eats so that you get to eat from the glorious full buttery golden bowl. Our response to what Jesus has done is recorded next, 9 In that day they will say, “Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us. This is the Lord, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.” Joy will be ours once we are seated at the banquet table in heaven, but for now we still live in the house filled with the smell of bitter burnt popcorn because of sin and death.
Martha and Mary had tasted the glorious but were smelling the bitter. In our Gospel reading from John 11, we pick up with Martha and Mary mourning the loss of their brother, Lazarus. Before his death, the sisters had sent word to Jesus about Lazarus’ sickness, and 4 When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” 5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, 7 and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”
A few verses later in John 11, we read that with Jesus delayed arrival, Lazarus had been laid to rest in his tomb for four days. Before he reached their home, Martha met Jesus and expressed how she was struggling with her brother’s death. As she talked with Jesus, she shared her confidence that Lazarus would be raised to life on the Last Day, the end of the world or Judgment Day. She also shared her confidence that Jesus could ask God for anything to which, 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
Jesus’ question was not a test or insult, but a loving call to open her eyes to see the power and timing of the one in whom she believed. Then, Martha went to tell her sister Mary that Jesus was there. When Mary heard he was there, she went immediately to Jesus and 32 When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. 34 “Where have you laid him?” he asked.
Mary was struggling with the death of her brother too. She also wanted to see Jesus more than anyone else. Jesus’ response was anger at death and the pain it was causing his friends. Those who were there saw Jesus’ tears, and like the sisters wondered what Jesus might have been able to do if he had arrived before Lazarus died. Those mourning for Lazarus had tasted Jesus’ glorious power to heal, but the bitter smell of death left them shaken.
Our unanswered prayers lead us to see situations as a half-popped or burnt bag of popcorn. Mary and Martha shared their situation with Jesus because they believed in him. They also had expectations for Jesus’ response. Not seeing the outcome that they hoped for left them shaken, but still holding on to Jesus. We like Mary and Martha go to Jesus in prayer explaining our situation along with our thoughts and feelings about it, and the outcome we hope would happen. We may not be so formal with all our prayers to him, but God hears us. We go to God believing he knows our situation, but we still have moments like Mary and Martha when the “What if’s” run wild through our minds. Like Mary and Martha, there are times when we feel like God’s timing and power are off leaving our lives like a half-popped or burnt bag of popcorn. In these moments, God wants us to keep our eyes on him, even if it is through tears. Otherwise, we might lose what is already ours.
Our great comfort in prayer, even tearful struggling to get the words out prayers, remains the one we believe in, Jesus. For all the tears you have cried, even the anger you have felt, Jesus is there with you as he was with Mary and Martha in John 11, 38 Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. When Jesus was deeply moved, there was a sense of anger. His love for what is good also meant hate for what is bad.
Sin broke this world bringing sickness and death and hurt and fear. Jesus would not stand for this, and in this particular situation, he was not going to wait until the Last Day to raise Lazarus back to life. So, we read what happened as they all stood at the entrance of the tomb, 39 “Take away the stone,” he said. “But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.” 40 Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”
Again, Jesus did not say this to test or insult Martha, but to give a loving call to show her his power and timing. 41 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.” Jesus spoke his prayer out loud so there would be many to testify that God listened to Jesus’ prayer and affirmed Jesus’ words that he was the “I AM”, God, the LORD, the promised Messiah, the resurrection and the life. Then, Jesus called to life what was dead using the same power that in the beginning created the heavens and the earth as recorded in Genesis 1, and 43 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”
Jesus knew his timing and power would be for his glory. He kept his word that this situation would not end in death. After this, Jesus soon went to Jerusalem to accomplish what we hear in Romans 4, 25 He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification. So, as with Mary, Martha and Lazarus, our belief in Jesus means we will see the glory of God because of the glorious work he has done in his resurrection that means our resurrection.
As Jesus listens to our prayers, there will be darker days ahead and there will absolutely be brighter days ahead. We do not hear what Lazarus’ prayers were as his sickness took his life, but they were dark days. We get a summary of Mary and Martha’s prayers that they hoped Jesus might come before Lazarus died so that Jesus would heal him. We do know they saw the glory of God in Jesus’ response to their situation. Shortly after though, they all faced darker days as they and other believers huddled together afraid that they would be crucified like Jesus. Then their belief in him again was affirmed and encouraged by Jesus’ resurrection.
Shortly after this, persecution broke out against the believers again in Jerusalem scattering the believers across the Mediterranean and East, which brought brighter days as they shared Jesus with many people. Fast forward to us, and again we find ourselves caught in a cycle of dark days and brighter days. When your prayers seem like they are going unanswered believe in who you are praying to so that your eyes are on Jesus, even through tears. He has walked in the darkness, and he has been angry at the effects of sin that causes sickness, death, worry, hurt, etc. to his friends.
The book of Revelation gives us a glimpse of both the darkness and the light as it pits the devil and his forces against God and his people. The overarching good news of Revelation is that God wins. Our New Testament reading from Revelation 20, describes who you are through Jesus, 6 Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. God first raised you to life with his gift of belief in Jesus as your Savior as we read in Ephesians 2, 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus. You have joy that the world cannot take away and you are good in the eyes of God through faith in Jesus. Continue to pray through whatever situations you are going through. God’s timing and power are at work for you.
No one wants a half-popped bag of popcorn, but with the wide variety of popcorn bag sizes and microwave wattages, we may not get a glorious buttery golden snack, but a half-popped or burnt bag of charcoal. Our prayers to Jesus for good and godly things may seem unanswered, but we continue to pray to him because he is the resurrection and the life. His power and timing have given us eternal life in heaven. When your prayers go unanswered, continue to pray to God and you will see his glory. Amen.
Gunnar Ledermann, Pastor Divine Peace Church
Gunnar Ledermann
I’m passionate about Rockwall’s vibrant community and actively engage with local non-profits and community organizations, including the Rockwall Chamber of Commerce, the City of Rockwall, and the Downtown Rockwall Association. My background includes a bachelor’s degree in Classical Languages and a master’s degree in divinity. Currently serving as a pastor at Divine Peace Church in Rockwall, I also enjoy spending time with my wife, Marinda, and our three children.
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