“Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick. When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby” (John 11:1, 3-4).
Don’t misunderstand Jesus’ comment about Lazarus’ sickness. He was not saying, “Lazarus’ sickness isn’t unto death; nevertheless, he’s suffering with this sickness to bring God glory.”
If we’re not careful, we can get confused because we don’t study the Word enough to rightly divide it. Jesus wasn’t talking about the problem; He was talking about the end result. Jesus always talked about the end result.
He was saying here, “The end result of this sickness will not be death but the glory of God.”
Again in John 11:40, Jesus told Martha, “I told you if you’d believe, you’d see the glory of God.” The sickness took Lazarus’ life for awhile, but his life was given back to him when Jesus raised him from the dead. Thus, Lazarus’ sickness wasn’t for God’s glory; it was his resurrection from the dead that brought God glory. That was the end result.
God is glorified when I am healed and walking in health. The end result of my life will be to God’s glory. I walk in health and run my race, and I will finish my course with joy!
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers
For over 40 years, Pastors Mark and Janet Brazee have traveled throughout the world sharing the Word of God and the Spirit of God. Together they've shared the powerful truths of faith and healing in more than 50 nations.
Today Mark and Janet pastor World Outreach Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where they base their ongoing outreach to the world. The Brazees still travel as the Lord leads, and they are raising up a congregation who share their passion to reach Tulsa and the world.