• Setting up our passage for today:
  
  • In Luke 10:41-42 there is an encounter between Jesus, Mary and her sister, Martha.
    • Martha is upset because Mary isn’t helping and she asks Jesus to intervene. Jesus responds by saying; “Martha, you worry about so much, but only one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, and I’m not taking it away from her.”
      
      • How would you have responded to Jesus’ rebuke? Keep that in mind as we look at our passage for today.
• John 11:28- When Martha had said this, she went and said to her sister Mary, in private; “The teacher is here and is calling for you.”
  
  • It’s just speculation to try and understand what motivated Martha when she said this.
    • But keeping in mind the story from Luke, and what Martha said to Jesus in verses 21-22, is it fair to speculate that Mary may have been thinking this:
      
      • “Jesus thinks Mary’s more holy than me. Maybe he’ll listen to her?!”
• Putting aside all this speculation, let’s focus on some facts:
  
  • Jesus loved Mary and Martha, both, with every fiber of His being. Just as He loves us!
    
    • When Jesus answers a request, He does it according to what’s BEST!
• Jesus is not immune to the pain that His answers to our request may cause.
  
  • Three times in this passage we find evidence of this:
    
    • Verse 33- Jesus was deeply troubled…
  • Verse 35- Jesus wept…
  • Verse 38- Jesus was deeply moved…

• You can trust that the pain and the suffering you’re experiencing has a purpose, too… IF… you will put your trust in Jesus!

Message: Purpose in our pain

Scripture: John 11:28-44

Simple. Authentic. Jesus.

Prairiebible.org