Not Till It Stinks

About this episode

This episode explores the confusion surrounding Jesus' actions in the story of Lazarus as described in John 11.

Day 79 Today’s Reading: John 11 Has God ever been confusing to you? Have you ever asked Him, “What are You doing? I don’t understand?” Our 260 Journey brings us to John 11 and to one of those moments. It’s the story of Lazarus—a man who went from health to sickness and from sickness to death. And here is where the confusion starts. This all happened with Jesus close enough to prevent his death but doesn’t. What makes it confusing are two things Jesus does from the outset. Let’s read the story: A certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. It was the Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. So the sisters sent word to Him, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.” But when Jesus heard this, He said, “This sickness is not to end in death, but for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when He heard that he was sick, He then stayed two days longer in the place where He was. (John 11:1-6) Here is where Jesus becomes confusing: we are told very clearly that Lazarus is sick, and Jesus loves…

People in this episode

Host: The 260 Journey

Topics covered

• faith
• suffering
• understanding God
• Lazarus
• Christianity
• spiritual confusion

Keywords

• Lazarus
• John 11
• suffering
• C. S. Lewis
• faith
• spirituality
• Christianity

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: John 11

Places: Bethany

More episodes of The 260 Journey

• Forty-Three-Mile Friends · June 12, 2026 · 5 min
• The Day the Convict Became a Captain · June 11, 2026 · 5 min
• Something We Never Heard Before · June 10, 2026 · 5 min
• Overrated · June 9, 2026 · 6 min
• A Sermon That Made a King Tell the Preacher to Stop · June 8, 2026 · 4 min
• Losing It: Christian Cursing · June 5, 2026 · 7 min