“Jesus said, ‘Take away the stone.’ Martha, the sister of [Lazarus], said to Him, Lord, by this time he stinks: for he has been dead four days.” – John 11:39

“Why does God always tell His people to do difficult and unreasonable things and demand absolute obedience?” Someone once asked me.

“Because He is Lord,” I replied, not sure of what to say.

That sister’s question and my inadvertent answer would later lead me into a season of deep soul-searching and consecration.

That was when I was led to the verse in our meditation today.

It comes from the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead.

After repeatedly addressing Jesus as “Lord” and leading Jesus to the tomb of Lazarus, Martha heard Jesus give the instruction to remove the stone from the tomb.

I liked how the New Living Translation version renders that verse:

“Roll the stone aside,” Jesus told them. But Martha, the dead man’s sister, protested, “Lord, he has been dead for four days. The smell will be terrible.”

The idea of Martha “protesting” while addressing Christ as “Lord” is called an ‘oxymoron’ – a figure of speech in which two contradictory terms appear side by side.

Surely, you can’t call Him “Lord” while you’re actively protesting His instructions at the same time!

To borrow terms from the military, just imagine a private protesting an instruction from his Commander in Chief – however irrational or unreasonable the order might be.

Maybe it looked unreasonable for the ‘concerned’ Martha to have the stone removed from the tomb, but it was the “Lord of Lords” who had given the command, not man!

“So, why do you keep calling me ‘Lord, Lord’ when you don’t do what I say?”

LUKE 6:46

In the Old Testament, the term ‘LORD’ is used to describe El Shaddai, a combination of the Hebrew words el (God) and shaddai (Almighty) see Genesis 17:1-8; 28:2-3.

‘Adon,’ the Hebrew word for ‘Lord,’ describes the one who occupies the position of a ‘master’ or ‘lord’ over a slave or servant and who thus receives absolute submission from him/her.

When applied to God, adon signifies His position as the one who has overall authority over His people and indeed the universe – the sovereign Ruler and almighty Master (Joshua 3:11).

In the New Testament, one of the two Greek words for ‘Lord’ is ‘kurios,’ which means one having power (kuros) or authority.

That is why Jesus is described as “Lord of all” (Acts 10:36).

Jude verse 4, speaks of “the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Mark the key word “only,” which implies there’s no other.        

The other Greek word for ‘Lord’ is despotes, from which we get our English word ‘despot’ (supreme leader).

Despotes means “one who possesses supreme authority.”

Jesus showed up at Lazarus’ tomb as one who possesses supreme authority.

In contrast, Martha was humanly describing her own brother as “stinking” yet he was going to be a living miracle that would bring glory to God.

Well, it’s a mistake people still make today, calling certain cases beyond repair.

But in the presence of the Master, no one and no situation is beyond redemption. Hallelujah!

Martha and Mary should have known better, given their prior closeness to the Lord.

In Luke 6:46, Jesus asked: “So, why do you keep calling me ‘Lord, Lord’ when you don’t do what I say?”

Is Christ the Lord of your life? Is He the only Lord you know?

Are you going to do what the Lord told you to do or you are protesting?

Prayer:                                    

Almighty God, thank you because You’re Lord over all. You’re my only Lord. Help me to always obey and comply with every one of Your commands, especially when it does not make sense. For the glory of Your Name, Amen!