Beyond Belief

Is there a limit to what we believe is possible with God?

When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, some two miles away, and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them about their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary stayed at home. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” She said to him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world.” Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, “Father, I thank you for having heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.” When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.” - John 11:17-27,38-44

Mary and Martha were upset that Jesus didn't come while their brother was still alive.  He was sick and dying, but they believed Jesus could heal him.

Now that Lazarus is dead, they have reached the limit of their belief.  Surely, Jesus can do nothing now.

What is the limit we hold to be true?

Do we accept what we are told is true, or do we push our faith beyond what we know?

Nothing is impossible with God.  We know that, and yet we may not truly believe our prayers will be answered, and like the sisters, we may believe some things are just not possible.

They wanted Lazarus not to die, but once he was dead, they could not imagine that he could come back to life.  The reality of his condition, in the tomb already decomposing, horrified them.

So, we are the ones who impose the limits.  We define what is possible and what is beyond belief.

The lesson of this story may be to show us we should push the limits of our belief, expecting the unexpected, imagining the impossible, and then go forth with faith.

It can come to pass, if we truly believe.

All we need is to be eager and willing to push ourselves.

More to come...