A Homily on John 11:1-45, Lazarus : The God Who Surprises: Trusting Divine Delay (22-3-26)

 

A deep Lenten reflection on John 11:1–45 showing how God’s delay is never denial but a surprising path to new life.

Praise be to Jesus Christ 

There was a young child who waited for her birthday with one simple hope. Her father was far away and had not come home for a long time, yet she believed he would call her at midnight. She stayed awake, watching the clock, but the phone did not ring. Morning came with gifts and greetings, yet her heart remained empty. By evening, when her hope had almost faded, there was a knock at the door. She opened it and found her father standing there. In that moment, everything changed. His presence became the greatest gift, far beyond the call she had expected.

This simple story opens our hearts to the Gospel of today. In John 11:1–45, Martha and Mary also experience silence and delay. They send word to Jesus, trusting that he will come quickly. Yet Jesus remains where he is. Lazarus falls sick and dies. Their hearts carry both faith and sorrow. Martha says, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died” John 11:21.

We can hear our own voice in these words. In our day to day lives, when there is sickness, misunderstanding, or struggle, we pray and expect God to act immediately. When our efforts seem fruitless, we begin to wonder whether God is listening. Our human nature is instinctive. We pray and in the very next moment we want to receive the answer. Sometimes we are not even ready to wait until the evening. Yet that may not be the plan of God.

Yet this Gospel gently reveals a deeper truth. Our God is a God of surprise. His delay is never denial. His silence is never absence. Jesus himself says, “This illness does not lead to death, it is for the glory of God” John 11:4. What looks like an end is actually the beginning of something greater.

This truth is not new. It runs through the whole of Scripture. Think of Abraham, who received the promise of a child yet had to wait for years in hope and uncertainty, and still “he believed the Lord” Genesis 15:6. His waiting became the place where faith matured. Think also of Joseph, who was sold by his own brothers and left in a foreign land. For years he lived in confusion and suffering. Yet at the right moment, God raised him up, and Joseph himself could say, “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good” Genesis 50:20. What seemed like abandonment became God’s surprising plan of salvation.

Think also of Daniel, thrown into the lions’ den. It appeared that everything was over. Yet God acted in a hidden way. When morning came, Daniel was found alive, untouched, and the king was filled with wonder Daniel 6:22. God had prepared a surprise where no human hope remained.

Even in the lives of the saints, we see this same pattern. Saint Teresa of Avila once struggled with many delays, misunderstandings, and opposition in her mission of reform. At times, she felt that God was not acting as she expected. Yet she learned to trust deeply and expressed that God writes straight with crooked lines. What seemed like obstacles became the very path through which God accomplished his work.

In the Gospel, before performing the miracle, we see the heart of Jesus. “Jesus wept” John 11:35. He is not distant from our waiting. He enters into it. He shares our tears. He stands with us in our confusion.

At the same time, Martha gives us a beautiful example. Even though Jesus came late, she did not remain inside with disappointment. She did not refuse to meet him. She did not say that she would not go because he had not come on time. Instead, she went immediately to welcome him John 11:20. Her heart remained open, even in pain. This teaches us something very important. When God delays, we should not close our hearts or stop praying. We are called to continue trusting, to continue praying, and to surrender without complaint.

Then comes the moment of surprise. Standing before the tomb, Jesus cries out, “Lazarus, come out” John 11:43. Life breaks through death. Hope rises where everything seemed lost. This is our God. He does not always give what we expect, but he always gives something greater.

This Lent, we are invited to trust in this God of surprise. In our families, when prayers seem unanswered and when the path ahead looks unclear, we are called not to give up but to hold on more firmly. Let us keep on praying, even when we do not see any change. Let us keep on knocking, even when the door seems closed. Let us keep on asking, even when the answer feels delayed. For in that waiting, something sacred is happening within us. God is not absent. He is quietly working, shaping our hearts, deepening our faith, and preparing a gift greater than what we first desired. His delays are not empty. They carry his love. And often, when he finally comes, he does not come with a small answer, but with his own presence, which alone can fill the longing of our hearts.

Lord, when your answers delay and your ways surprise us, teach us to trust your loving plan with a patient and surrendered heart.