Time crept by. There was still no sign of Jesus. I had fallen ill. The eastern fever raged through me, roasting my body from the inside out.
It had been two weeks since the onset of the disease. And my condition worsened by the day.
When I could no longer walk, my sisters sent word to Jesus through a messenger. They knew the Teacher was staying on the east side of the Jordan River in the region of Perea, and they sent the following word to Him:
“Teacher, the one whom You love is seriously ill.”
That same evening my fever worsened. My limbs refused to obey my feeble commands. I could scarcely sit up. The bed became a prison for my failing body.
My sisters were overwhelmed with the bitter prospect that I would not recover. Martha complained, “If the Teacher were here, Lazarus would be healed.”
I heard Mary mutter, “Jesus has to come.”
My father continued to encourage me. Jesus had healed him; surely He would heal me also.
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Adapted from Frank Viola author’s book God’s Favorite Place on Earth.