Taking it to the Brink and Beyond

John 11:14-15
14So then he told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead, 15and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him."

Jesus was frank with the disciples that He had to let Lazarus die. It may sound harsh because it's a man's life that was at stake and a lot of people who cared about Lazarus suffered grief. It was for the sake of the disciples faith that it happened. Remember, Jesus told the disciples He wouldn't be there forever. Jesus had to get them to a place where their faith was strong because He knew what they would encounter during His crucifixion and beyond. Jesus wanted the disciples "to know that they know" without a shadow of a doubt who Jesus is and what He can do. So sometimes the only way to do it is to take it to the brink or even past it. Yes, Jesus had to do it with someone's life. What a way to increase faith by letting someone die! But Jesus knew they would believe more in Him and that's what He needed. Taking it to the extreme is sometimes the only way the Lord gets our attention. He will allow a situation to get so bad that it appears from all angles to be hopeless. Ah but Jesus said in John 10 that He had the authority to lay down His life and pick it back up. So Jesus also has the authority to allow someone to die and to bring them back. Jesus can do it with anything. But it's for your sake. Is your faith at stake? Is Jesus taking it to the brink with you? How much else does He need to do to prove who He is and what He can do?