From the Saturday morning session of April 2023 general conference, Elder Mark W. Basset taught:
, , , , These four days were significant to Mary and Martha. According to some rabbinic schools of thought, it was believed that the spirit of someone who died would remain with the body for three days, offering hope that life was still possible. However, by the fourth day that hope was lost, perhaps because the body would begin to decay and “stinketh.”6
Mary and Martha were in a state of despair. “When Jesus therefore saw [Mary] weeping, … he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled,
“And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see.”7
It is at this moment that we see one of the great miracles during the Savior’s mortal ministry. First the Lord said, “Take ye away the stone.”8 Then, after thanking His Father, “he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.
“And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.”9
Like Mary and Martha, we have the opportunity to experience all of mortality, even sorrow10 and weakness.11 Each of us will experience the heartache that accompanies the loss of someone we love. Our mortal journey might include personal illness or the debilitating illness of a loved one; depression, anxiety, or other mental health challenges; financial hardship; betrayal; sin. And sometimes these are accompanied by feelings of hopelessness. I am no different. Like you, I have experienced a myriad of challenges that are expected in this life. I am drawn to this account about the Savior and what it teaches me about our relationship with Him.
During our greatest worries, we, like Mary and Martha, seek the Savior or ask the Father for His divine intervention. The story of Lazarus teaches us principles that can be applied to our own lives as we face our individual challenges.
When the Savior arrived in Bethany, all had lost hope that Lazarus could be saved—it had been four days, and he was gone. Sometimes during our own challenges, we might feel like Christ is too late, and our hope and faith might even feel challenged. My witness and testimony are that as we move forward with faith in Jesus Christ, the fourth day will always come. He will always come to our aid or to raise our hopes back to life. He has promised:
“Let not your heart be troubled.”12
“I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.”13
Sometimes it may seem like He doesn’t come to us until the figurative fourth day, after all hope seems lost. But why so late? President Thomas S. Monson taught, “Our Heavenly Father, who gives us so much to delight in, also knows that we learn and grow and become stronger as we face and survive the trials through which we must pass.”14
Even the Prophet Joseph Smith faced an enormous fourth-day experience. Remember his pleading? “O God, where art thou? And where is the pavilion that covereth thy hiding place?”15 As we trust in Him, we can expect a like answer: “My son [or daughter], peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment.”16
Another message we can learn from the story of Lazarus is what our own role might be in the divine intervention we seek. When Jesus approached the tomb, He first said to those who were there, “Take ye away the stone.”17 With the power that the Savior had, could not He have miraculously moved the stone without effort? This would have been impressive to see and an unforgettable experience, yet He said to the others, “Take ye away the stone.”
Second, the Lord “cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.”18 Wouldn’t it have been more impressive if the Lord had Himself miraculously placed Lazarus at the opening so he would be immediately visible to the crowd when the stone was removed?
Third, when Lazarus did come forth, he was “bound hand and foot with grave clothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.”19
For Elder Bassett’s complete talk click ‘After the Fourth Day’.
