“Jesus wept.” (RSV and KJV John 11:35)
“Now Jesus wept.” (THE MESSAGE John 11:35)
“Jesus began to weep.” (NRSV John 11:35)
This verse is often remembered as the shortest verse in the Bible. Short, but not necessarily sweet, a depth of meaning begs us to listen whole heartedly. The emotions of compassion and grief are not foreign to God. God not only gets this, but gives us the privilege, permission and even honor to express them fully in our broken and sinful existence on earth where death ends every human life. Jesus was fully human and loved Lazarus. It was okay to cry. He missed the funeral. He did not get a chance to say goodbye. It is always ok to cry. God’s compassion is real.
The setting is after the funeral of Lazarus. In God’s timing, Jesus arrives to Lazarus’ family and friends still in grief and joins them. God is with them now. God, perhaps through Jesus’ humanity understands on some level, the feelings of loss and the needs of community to come to terms with that loss. Jesus did nothing on his own on earth, he coordinated everything with the other persons of the Triune God. We see God’s power over death as Jesus raises Lazarus out of death and back to life with his family. But Lazarus, while restored to his family (even though he had decayed) will later in life still have to die. That is the circle of life/death for our earthly existence. It was a temporary fix out of Jesus’ compassion. It proves God’s loves for humanity.
However, God was totally about a permanent fix: Jesus did not come back from death to die again. He went through death to the other side, to new life with God. And he gave ample promise that new life exists within the realm and reality of God’s existence. Death is not the final answer to those who believe in God’s promises and cultivate their relationship with God now on earth.
I am reminded of a question posed to Corrie Ten Boom by someone who challenged the very existence of God during the Holocaust. He asked her, “Where was God when the Holocaust happened?” How could God allow such atrocities? She answered: God was right there with those who died, with arms outstretched hanging on a cross.
The point is that the ball is in our court. God has done what was needed to prove Divine love to us. God does not intervene directly because we have to make a choice. God wants our devotion and a relationship of mutual trust and partnership with God in the work of this world. God asks us to trust in the possibilities of new life because God gets it and has created another realm with a closer relationship to God and each other. The lessons we learn in this life will probably impact that new life too. I sometimes consider my life on earth as boot camp for eternity.
The NRSV translates this passage as “Jesus began to weep.” In God’s timing here on earth there is room for weeping. We are also promised that there are no more tears in God’s realm. Now that is something a am committed to seeing!
Jesus began to weep:
When he anticipated the pain of dying on a cross in the Garden of Gethsemane even when his disciples fell asleep and failed to support him in the night watch.
When we forget to follow God’s teachings and stop caring for one another, Jesus begins to weep.
When we seek power over service to God, Jesus begins to weep.
When we rely on anything other than God for purpose and meaning in our lives, Jesus begins to weep.
When one ruler on earth invades another nation and attempts to destroy their land, Jesus begins to weep.
When refugees flee for fear of their lives, Jesus begins to weep.
When nuclear war becomes possible again, Jesus begins to weep.
God honors us with the privilege of joining with God in working for the good of ourselves, our neighbors and all life on this planet. Do WE get it yet?
We have been through a tough 2 years with Covid-19 restrictions and adjustments and now with the military intervention in Ukraine. It is okay to grieve. It is okay to cry. It is okay to serve each other. We see unprecedented servant leadership in Ukraine as NATO and the world considers their sacrifice on the world stage of national power. God is with them. Yes, weep and then act to do what would be pleasing to God in any small way that you can.
For Your Conisderation:
Pick one:
1. Support someone else who is struggling to adapt to a new normalcy. Cry with them. Hug them. Listen to their frustrations and remind them that God loves them and that it was only two years and not 40 in the wilderness or 70 in the diaspora.
2. Adopt a willingness to be open to new life with God, not just going back to the old way of doing things. Ask yourself what new thing is God up to and how can you be a part of it.
3. Pray for all parties in power on the world stage, that God would soften hearts to work toward peace with each other and survival on the planet God gave us to tend.
4. Pray for a revival for Christianity to sweep the world by the power of the Holy Spirit.
5. Pray for and support ALL refugees and immigrants with supplies to meet their immediate needs, with care and comfort.
6. Vote. Be active in politics in your local community so that just policies and laws can flourish, and representative democracy can be renewed and strengthened above the schisms of cultural wars and partisanship.
I chose #2
Thanks for the timely message 🙏