Jesus loved these friends of His. He wanted them happy. And with that in mind He brought them into a very painful situation, the worst. Lazarus must die. But He brought them into this experience because He loved them, because there are important things to be learned in the midst of that painful experience. And not merely learned in the mind, but learned in the heart. The mind, the will and the affections all need to learn. One of the things to learn when Jesus brings you into one of those painful situations is that your happiness is not the priority of the universe. The honor of the God who runs this universe is the priority. But as you learn that, and live that way, you find that that is the route to happiness. The route to your happiness is not by making it the most important goal of your life. The route to your happiness is pursuing the honor of God as the priority it actually is.
from 'Honor and Happiness'