Jesus Wept

How many of us parents have experienced it?--Our child walks in with a "more than usual angelic" look about him, proclaiming that he has been in his room memorizing scripture. Feeling quite triumphant in our parenting skills, we settle down to hear the results of our child's great spiritual initiative, only to be met with five words: "Jesus wept. John 11:35." Of course, after seeing the slightly disappointed frown on our faces, our child retreats to his "sacred study" in hilarious laughter. Okay, so REALLY, were we expecting a ten minute rendition of Psalm 119 or WHAT? Hey, at least he knew the "address" of the verse, which means he must have looked it up in his concordance, right? Okay, so we're groping for straws here, or are we?

That shortest of all verses is actually packed with powerful meaning. Of course Jesus was sad that Lazarus had died, but did not Jesus purposefully wait for that very event before he traveled to Bethany? The message was sent from Lazarus' sisters, "Come, Jesus! Lazarus is very sick." Jesus had plenty of time to get to his dear friend before his death. It was the hope of his sisters that Jesus arrive and heal their brother--Did Jesus not have that power? So why did he wait?... Jesus had a higher purpose that could only be accomplished in the death of his dear friend. His purpose would be realized only in the presence of great pain and sorrow. His life mission was to show the world His deity-His power, so that through that belief of WHO He is, we might grasp the hope and promises He offers. His dear friend must die so that Jesus could raise him from the dead, demonstrating His power over death. (Now THERE'S an object lesson for you!!!)

Even though Jesus knew his friend would live again (not only spiritually, but physically), he still wept. Why did he weep? He knew the outcome. He knew Lazarus would walk the earth again. He knew he would again feel the embrace of his sisters, his friends, his Lord. So why the troubled tears, Jesus?... I believe Jesus wept because He witnessed the pain and sorrow that results from living in a fallen world. Jesus created perfection; sin brought a spiraling downward fall from that perfection. Sin brought guilt, fear, self-sufficiency, problems, pain, sorrow, and death. Jesus looked around Him and wept for what could have been-what was meant to be.

This week I have been given a glimpse of what Jesus might have felt that caused Him to weep.
Tuesday was especially full of spending time with hurting people-hurt caused by personal sin-hurt caused by others' sin. The spectrum went from broken marriages, Christian couples living in sin, babies being born out of wedlock, childhood rape and death. Reflecting on all the pain and sorrow, tears streamed down my face as I thought of what could have been-what was meant to be. Jesus created us to be in relationship with Him. He created us to be His crown and glory. But, what do we do? We mess up everything that was created to be good through our own thinking and desires--our sin. We ignore the One who loves us most, while grabbing at the lies of the enemy. No wonder Jesus wept!

Working among damaged and hurting people (That's all of us, by the way.), Bernard and I have learned that we cannot take on the responsibility of solving people's problems. We ask God to use us as His instruments to direct people to our Master, but we have no power within us to straighten out the mess into which we humans get ourselves--that's the Holy Spirit's work. However, even with that personal boundary in place, it burdens my heart to see God's beloved creations groping for "band-aids" when the real cure points to a "heart transplant". Indeed, Jesus wept; no doubt, he continues to weep as his precious loved ones succumb to the devastating consequences of sin in our lives and world. Yet, in His weeping, He proclaims that the victory is His. He extends His arms, beckoning us to leave our old ways behind, and try His road for awhile. How much pain and damage must we endure before we realize that His yoke truly is easy and His burden is light?...sigh...

Until the next blog,
Alicia, for the Krogsgaards