As Jesus Wept
Dearest J,
I attended an incredible Bible study this evening with a group of 20s-30s, and we went over John 11, which was incredible. It was detailing the story of Lazarus, and in it, Jesus wept.
Not only because Jesus knew that Lazarus was sick days before then, and waited there with his disciples, but because Martha and Mary, as well as a bunch of other Jews that were there, were pretty disappointed that Jesus didn’t come a few days sooner.
Something deeper tugged on my heart though, which was that Jesus actually WEPT.
Coming from a past of spiritual bypassing, this is profound.
Coming by way of the New Age / New Thought / Christian science movement
The fact that men can indeed cry
We as Christians shouldn’t be ashamed to MOURN the death of someone, even if they’ve passed into Heaven
It gives the very real example that yes, even JESUS HIMSELF mourned the loss of his friend Lazarus, but also because it was in direct proportion to the upsetness of those around him.
How often have I found myself crying out that something is taking so long, or how upset I am at something that makes no sense and is taking forever to solve. How often have I been upset by the sins I’ve committed, or the injustice I see in the world all around me? How is it that we live in such a fallen world, and why isn’t Jesus there to save the day?
And right there, Jesus wept.
As if to say, yeah I hear you. No, things are not ok right now, and I’m crying too.
It just really moved me at not only the humility of Christ, but that he also understands injustice. That things suck sometimes. Though he did raise Lazarus from the dead, he also allowed Lazarus to die. He allowed Martha and Mary to cry, as well as all the local townspeople.
Which also gets at the heart … how can a loving God allow pain, if only to reveal a loving God post punishment? Is it punishment at all, or was God trying to show us a lesson? That we can find some kind of beauty through the hardship?
Nowadays, we don’t see people rising from the dead. In the Old Testament, 3 people were raised from the dead. And Jesus himself raised 3 people to life. But ever since then, I’m not so sure if we see people coming back alive.
Until the second coming, as written per the Bible, we will face a LOT of hardships and tribulations.
I think this is what’s simultaneously pushing me away from fundamentalist ideologies into a more personable relationship with Jesus.
I can even be disappointed in God, and he’ll STILL love me. He might let me suffer, this is a fallen world, and he might not even save me through the tough time. But I just have to believe, I just somehow HAVE to have faith. Because it’s in my faith that I’m healed.
