3 So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill” (John 11:3)
What motivates you today? I typically have a melancholy demeanor if I’m not careful and that can easily make me feel very. . . Ecclesiastic (“All is meaningless”). On these days, I attempt to ask what my motivation is. Why am I alive, why am I in this role, and what does life demand of me? I tell our students at Western Reserve that the best lived life is the one lived for others. I find when I struggle most with meaning and purpose, I have turned inward and forgot my surroundings. Such is our humanity.
When the motivations of Jesus are explored in the story of Lazarus, his sisters implore for healing, not because of what Lazarus has done but on the basis that our Lord is motivated by love. No religious resume would impress Jesus in this moment. No church attendance record or tithing receipt but a simple plea; “Jesus, the one whom you love is sick”. It’s good for us to remember that Jesus’ motivation is love. Always has been. Even the proclamation of His glory is done for the love of his friends. Make no mistake though, you do not deserve this love. Only by realizing our total unworthiness can we begin to grasp his holiness. He knows you and chooses to love you anyways.
Today, let this love change you. May it tear down the walls we construct and compel us to love those around us. Rest in the motivation of a Holy God who reigns amidst our struggle.
Matt simon blog 