Waiting on Jesus

Introduction

Am I the only one who hates waiting?

It’s not that I think of myself as impatient… it’s just that waiting is terrible. Waiting on people. Waiting on circumstances. Waiting on answers.

But waiting is inevitable. If you haven’t experienced it yet… just wait. You will.

It’s inevitable — but it’s also important.

I learned this recently in a completely unexpected place: stainless steel pans.

At our wedding, almost 20 years ago, we received a nice set of stainless steel cookware. And for nearly two decades, I barely used them — because everything stuck. Eggs stuck. Chicken stuck. Everything stuck. So I just went back to my cheap non-stick pan.

Then recently I discovered what I had been doing wrong.

I wasn’t waiting.

With stainless steel, you have to let the pan fully heat before adding oil or food. There’s actually a test. You drop a little water on the surface, and if it’s ready, the water doesn’t evaporate — it forms little beads and rolls around like tiny marbles.

So I tried it.

It felt like I was waiting too long. I dripped some water — it vanished. Too soon. So I waited a little longer. Tried again. Still not ready. Finally, after what felt like forever, the water formed those little rolling beads.

Then I added oil. Cooked the food.

And it was amazing.

A completely different experience. My “terrible” pan became my favorite pan — all because I waited.

In the kitchen, waiting isn’t that hard.

But in life?

In grief?

In sickness?

In unanswered prayer?

Waiting on God feels very different.

In today’s passage from Gospel of John 11, Jesus deliberately keeps His friends waiting. And it wasn’t any easier for them than it is for us.

But in their waiting, everything gets worse before it gets better. Which raises some uncomfortable questions:

Why would Jesus delay when He loves them?

What is God doing when nothing seems to be happening?

And can you still trust Him when the waiting turns into grief?

Prayer

Heavenly Father we confess we all struggle with impatience. We aren’t good oat waiting on you. We pray that your Spirit guides our minds in understanding this passage and guides are heart in being still and comforted in times of waiting. Amen

1. We wait because Jesus is working for greater glory and deeper faith (John 11:1-16)

Transition: I invite you to open your Bibles to John 11:1. Jesus has left Jerusalem and traveled a few days away to the Judean wilderness, and he’s about to make his friends back in Bethany, near Jerusalem wait on him. Let’s see why.

Read John 11:1-16

John 11:1–16 NKJV

1 Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. 3 Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.” 4 When Jesus heard that, He said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” 5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was. 7 Then after this He said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” 8 The disciples said to Him, “Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone You, and are You going there again?” 9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. 10 But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” 11 These things He said, and after that He said to them, “Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.” 12 Then His disciples said, “Lord, if he sleeps he will get well.” 13 However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep. 14 Then Jesus said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. 15 And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe. Nevertheless let us go to him.” 16 Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with Him.”

Why Would Jesus Want us to Wait?

Why would Jesus want us to wait on Him? Wouldn’t it be better for him to answer right away?

I’m sure that’s what Mary and and Martha thought when they sent word that their brother Lazarus was sick.

Sure, coming back to Bethany, near Jerusalem where the religious leaders were trying to kill Jesus might be too dangerous. But Jesus could heal from a distance. They had already heard about how Jesus had healed a nobleman’s son from a distance, and on another occasion a centurion's servant.

Couldn't Jesus do the same for their brother?

Why would Jesus intentionally delay?

When we pause and reflect on why God doesn’t always answer our prayers right away there are quite a few answers.

Sometimes it’s because God knows that what we are asking for is not good for us right now.

Sometimes it’s because we ask with the wrong motives.

Sometimes our prayers are hindered by our own sin.

There are a lot of biblical reasons why God may say no, or not right now to our prayers.

But here in this passage we don’t need to guess what Jesus is thinking because he tell us plainly.

God’s Glory

In verse 4 Jesus tells us:

John 11:4 NKJV

4 When Jesus heard that, He said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

The sickness itself, and Jesus’ intentional delay have a purpose. That purpose is the glory of God and the glorification of Jesus.

Maybe that doesn’t sound that great though. I can imagine Mary and Martha thinking: Yeah, that’s nice for God to get glory and all, but doesn’t He have lots of that already and we only have one brother.

It’s easy to think that way. Our needs and desires usually come in as much more important to us than God’s glory.

It’s easy to talk about God’s glory when it’s not your family, your friend who is sick. But what if it’s someone you love?

But wait.… it WAS someone Jesus loved. Verse 3 doesn’t call Lazarus by name but says “he whom You love is sick.” In verse 5 we are told plainly:

John 11:5 NKJV

5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.

So why would Jesus wait? What exactly makes God’s glory more important? What makes Jesus being glorified more important?

It’s because God’s glory is much more than God looking good.

It’s not like the glory of winning a gold medal in the Olympics.

It’s not the glory of getting millions of likes on Instagram.

It is the glory of a holy and loving God rescuing the world he loves. Jesus’ glorification is the recognition that he is the Messiah who offers everlasting life. He will be glorified through this sickness of his dear friend, and will be fully glorified when he is raised up on the cross bearing the sins of the world.

When we struggle in this life, rather than seeing God’s glory as an abstract way for God to get recognized, we are reminded that the temporary hardships are part of God’s glory that involves defeating sin and death and that God’s goodness and glory guarantees our eternal security.

Deeper Faith

But greater glory was not the only reason Jesus delayed. He also cared about deeper faith. Look at verse 15:

John 11:15 NKJV

15 And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe. Nevertheless let us go to him.”

Jesus supernaturally knew that Lazarus was dead and tells the disciples. He knows that his delay has led to Lazarus’ death, but he is glad that this hardship will grow his disciple’s faith.

It is often in the fires of hardship that our faith is forged.

We can’t always see it while we are waiting. We can’t alway see it in the midst of suffering. But God uses waiting and hardship to grow our faith and trust in Him.

I have had opportunities to speak with many faithful believers facing hardships I thought would break me. But they still had such strong faith. Why? How is this circumstance not leading to bitterness and doubt?

Can you guess how many of them had their faith built by an easy life full of quickly answered prayers

No, the answer to that question is always that God has used previous experiences of waiting, of grieving, of enduring hardship to deepen their faith.

Waiting on Jesus is not always easy, but we wait because Jesus is working for greater glory and deeper faith.

2. We wait by bringing our sorrow to Him and trusting Him anyway (John 11:17-22)

Transition: We’ve seen WHY waiting matters, but Martha offers an excellent example of HOW to wait on Jesus. Continuing in verse 17 we read:

Read John 11:17-22

John 11:17–22 NKJV

17 So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days. 18 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away. 19 And many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother. 20 Now Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house. 21 Now Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.”

You’ll notice that Martha brought two things to Jesus.

Bringing Our Sorrows

The first thing she brings is sorrow. She bring grief and even some honest questioning.

John 11:21 NKJV

21 Now Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.

We don’t see here a picture of caring about God’s glory and skating through life unaffected by challenges. Next week as we move to Mary’s interaction with Jesus we will even see Jesus weeping with Mary.

No, what we see here is a grieving sister facing the difficult question- where was Jesus, why did he let this happen?

If you’ve ever felt like that, you are not alone. But Martha didn’t keep that in, she brought her sorrow to Jesus. It might be easy to bottle that up, to put on a show for Jesus, but she didn’t. Because she trusted him, she loved, him. So she brought her sorrow to him.

Trusting Him Anyway

But sorrow is not all she brought. She also brought her trust. She didn’t understand it all, she knew she was struggling with waiting on Jesus but look what she said in verse 22:

John 11:22 NKJV

22 But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.”

She’s grieving, but grief looks different when you have Jesus.

When Paul writes to the Thessalonian believers about Christians mourning the loss of loved ones, he wanted them to not grieve like those who have no hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13).

As Christians, waiting on God still isn’t easy. Loss still isn’t easy. But in seasons of waiting when we bring our mourning to Jesus and continue to trust Him anyway, we find a ray of light in the dark: hope.

3. We wait with hope in the life Jesus gives (John 11:23-27)

Transition: We see that hope pictured in verse 23.

John 11:23–27 NKJV

23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. 26 And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She said to Him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”

Jesus makes a promise for Lazarus. He will rise again.

He makes a promise for you: If you believe in Jesus you will never truly die. If you die physically, you will live on eternally through Jesus.

Martha’s hope, our hope is one of resurrection. That death does not have the final say.

But do you see where that hope is located. Firmly and exclusively in Jesus Christ.

He tells us plainly in verse 25:” I am the resurrection and the Life.”

If this claim is true that changes everything! Christian hope is not centered on our desires or wishes, no our hope is securely placed in the source of resurrection and life.

This means phrases like “too far gone, lost beyond saving, hopeless,” and even “death” lose their sting (1 Corinthians 15:55).

Because Jesus is the resurrection and the life.

He can rescue sinners, he can redeem the broken, he can raise those who are dead in sin to life in Him. And this life is not the life of our fallen world, it is the life found in the eternal son of God- it is eternal life.

Conclusion

You’ll notice Jesus didn’t answer Martha’s question about where he was or what would of happened if he had been there. Instead he offers her hope in Himself. And he asks her a question in verse 26: Do you believe this?

Soon Jesus will bring glory to Father. Soon Jesus will be glorified. Soon, everyone will see visible proof of His claim when Lazarus walks out of that grave.

But for now He waits. And waiting on Jesus may not be easy, but:

We’ve seen how Jesus uses waiting for His glory and to deepen our faith.

We’ve seen that we can bring our questions and our grief to Jesus — without abandoning our trust in Him.

And we’ve seen the hope found in Christ for all who believe.

But His question still rings out to us in our seasons of waiting:

Not, “Do you understand?” Not, “Can you explain it?” Not, “Are you satisfied?”

But —

Do you believe?

Invitation

Invitation song: In His Time

John Reading Plan

Week 9 (March 1–7, 2026)

John 11 – Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead, the climactic sign that points forward to His own resurrection. This miracle reveals Him as the resurrection and the life, even as it intensifies opposition from the authorities. The chapter draws us to trust Jesus in the face of death and believe His promise of eternal life.

☐ Day 1 – John 11:1-15 + Psalm 31:9–16

☐ Day 2 – John 11:16-27 + Job 19:23–27

☐ Day 3 – John 11:28–37 + Isaiah 53:4–6

☐ Day 4 – John 11:38–44 + Ezekiel 37:1–10

☐ Day 5 – John 11:45–57 + Psalm 2:2-3

Sermon Notes & Further Study

1. Quotes & Illustrations

How to Use a Stainless Steel Pan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5XcN3AyITY

Life Application Commentary

11:5–7 This statement of Jesus’ love for the family explains that it was not lack of love that kept Jesus from going to them. Humanly speaking, Jesus would have wanted to go to them immediately. But he was constrained by the Father’s timing. When God’s time came, Jesus headed back into Judea to be with his dear friends in their sorrow. God’s timing is always perfect, whether in guiding his Son through his ministry on earth, or in guiding us today and answering our prayers.

Bruce Barton et al., Life Application New Testament Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale, 2001), 422.

11:8–10 The disciples couldn’t understand why Jesus would want to go into Judea, when the Jewish leaders there just recently had been seeking to kill him (see 10:31ff.). Why leave a place where people believe in you and welcome you (10:42) to go back to certain death? But Jesus was not afraid, for he knew that he had to die and that his death would only occur in the Father’s timing.

The disciples worried about what the Jewish leaders might do. Jesus pointed to an unlimited sphere—the sovereignty of God, who transcends the limits of time and over whom people have no control. As Jesus obeyed his Father, he was as confident about the victorious outcome as he was that every day contained twelve hours of daylight. We should remember that God’s sovereignty extends to each moment of our life; otherwise, our trust in him will be limited to only those times when he meets our expectations. We will repeat the disciples’ mistake—attempting to limit God to the sphere of human effort.

Jesus’ answer mentioned an expected number of “hours” during which people can walk safely. It also clearly implied that time would run out. After twelve hours of daylight the night comes. Our Lord’s “day” (his time on earth) was approaching its final hour. But Jesus still had tasks to accomplish, and he would not be sidetracked from his mission. The simple lesson of using daylight to walk safely illustrates our deeper need to trust in the “light” of Jesus’ presence and God’s guidance. Jesus had already used the phrase “the light of the world” to refer to his own presence among people. While he was among them, he was their light (see 1:4; 8:12; 9:5). As long as they did their work in the light of Christ’s presence they would not stumble. Sadly, those who live in the dark, without the presence of Jesus’ light in them, will stumble.

Bruce Barton et al., Life Application New Testament Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale, 2001), 422–423.

2. Additional Scriptures

Scriptures Referenced in the Sermon

1 Thessalonians 4:13

1 Corinthians 15:55

Other Gospel accounts of Jesus raising people from the dead:

Jairus’s daughter (Matthew 9:18-26, Mark 5:41-42, Luke 8:40-56)

A widow’s son (Luke 7:11-17)

Lazarus, Mary, and Martha

This family is close friends with Jesus.

John 11 (this passage)

John 12:1-8 (Mary anoints Jesus feet)

John 12:9-11 (Pharisees plot to kill Lazarus)

Luke 10:38-42 (Mary sits at Jesus feet, Martha is distracted with serving)

3. Additional Questions (Using Logos Study Assistant✨)

Why does John mention that Lazarus has been dead four days?

John emphasizes the four-day interval to establish that Lazarus’s death was beyond any doubt irreversible—a crucial detail for his original audience. Jewish belief held that the deceased’s spirit lingered near the body for three days, hoping to return, but on the third day the body lost its color and the spirit was permanently locked out.[1] By the fourth day, decomposition became visible, signaling that the soul had finally abandoned all hope of reentry.[2]

This timing transforms the miracle’s significance. By delaying his arrival until the fourth day, Jesus performs a resurrection that cannot be dismissed as mere resuscitation or mistaken reports of death. The four-day period marks a threshold where only divine power could restore life.[2] The specificity of this detail would have resonated powerfully with John’s readers, eliminating any possibility that Lazarus had merely appeared dead or recovered naturally.

Beyond the cultural context, John uses the four-day notation to reinforce his theological purpose. The passage teaches that Jesus’s work through death brings life.[3] The extended timeline—with its journey delays and the irreversibility of death by the fourth day—creates narrative tension that heightens the miraculous character of what follows. The notation was extremely important to those familiar with Jewish burial customs[1], serving as a bridge between John’s Jewish audience and the universal claim he makes about Jesus’s power over death itself. The four days thus function not merely as historical fact but as theological argument: Jesus does not heal illness or revive the merely unconscious, but conquers death when it is most final.

[1] Gerald L. Borchert, John 1–11, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996), 25a:354. [2] Leon Morris, The Gospel according to John, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1995), 485. [3] Andrew Paterson, Opening Up John’s Gospel, Opening Up Commentary (Leominster: Day One Publications, 2010), 90.

4. Bible Translation

I’m choosing the NKJV for preaching because I believe it offers the strongest balance of faithfulness to the historic text of Scripture, clarity for modern readers, and continuity with the church’s worshiping tradition.

At the same time, I deeply value other faithful translations—such as the NASB, ESV, CSB, and NIV—which also serve the church well and can enrich our understanding of God’s Word.

5. Commentary Recommendation's

I have found the following commentaries helpful in my study of John.

Introductory

Explore the book in greater depth. Ideal for curious church members, Bible study leaders, and Sunday School teachers who want a clearer understanding of the text without being overwhelmed by technical detail.

1. Holman New Testament Commentary: John by Kenneth O. Gangel

2. Christ-Centered Exposition: Exalting Jesus in John by Matt Chandler and Josh Wredberg

3. Be Alive (John 1-12) and Be Transformed (John 13-21) by Warren Wiresbe

4. The Life Application Bible Commentary: John Editor: Grant Osborne

Intermediate

More advanced, with increased attention to historical context, theological nuances, and interpretive questions. Best for teachers or small group leaders seeking a scholarly yet accessible examination of passages.

1. Signs of the Messiah: An Introduction to John’s Gospel by Andreas J. Köstenberger

2. Cornerstone Biblical Commentary: The Gospel of John by Grant Osborne

3. ESV Expository Commentary: John by James M. Hamilton Jr.

In-Depth Study

These are a bit more advanced than the previous recommendations and go into more depth. These resources are ideal for those preparing lessons or sermons and looking to engage more deeply with the biblical text.

1. New American Commentary: John 1-11 and John 12-21 by Gerald L. Borchert

2. Pillar New Testament Commentary: The Gospel According to John by D.A. Carson

3. New International Commentary on the New Testament: The Gospel According to John by Leon Morris