Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.  So when he heard that he [Lazarus] was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.  (Jn 11.5-6)

I can’t tell you how many times I have read those two lines, and still I am jolted when I get to the “So” at the beginning of the second verse.  Your mind kind of goes: “Huh?”  Was that word translated correctly? That is, unless you know the “rest of the story.”  Unless you remember that Jesus knew the terrible death He was going to undergo and He wanted to prepare His friends for it.  That’s how much He loved them. He only allowed them to go through such a hard experience because when He died, He wanted them to remember what He did for their brother and therefore have hope.  So I am reminding myself of that today and everyday when I might question why God is allowing certain things to happen.  You see, Jesus loved Dorcee . . . So . . .