Jesus Wept

Jesus wept. So the Jews said, "See how he loved him!" But some of them said, "Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?"
(John 11:35-37)

It has been a particularly difficult week. Some of my readers find themselves in the midst of the tragedy that has taken an emotional toll on me, and are probably struggling themselves to make sense of it. For those who do not know the circumstances that I am alluding to, I will only say that a dear friend of mine died this week. The circumstances of his death are uniquely tragic and I will leave it at that.

Death, due to sin, is a necessary part of life. It is painful and destructive. It grieves us and causes us to weep. It causes sorrow, remorse, and fear to grip us. Biblically, God did not create man with a predisposition to death, but rather the curse of death was added to man's reality after Adam disobeyed God and caused all of humanity to fall into sin with him. Coping with death doesn't come naturally to us.

And the LORD God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.
(Genesis 3:21)

Many times, we just gloss over this verse and imagine that God created garments of skin for Adam and Eve ex nihilo (out of nothing) because we've just finished reading about the creation of the heavens and earth. God actually took a living creature, killed it, butchered it, skinned it, and made garments made of animal skins to clothe Adam and Eve. I am sure that God did not perform this "sacrifice" behind a shrubbery to spare Adam and Eve the pain of watching another creature bear the punishment for their sin. The animal was brought before them, slaughtered before them, and skinned before them so that they would know that their punishment would be borne by another in their place. I cannot imagine the horror and shock that Adam and Eve went through in the events outlined in this single verse. They were not created to know death and evil, but they sinned against the Lord and received a crash course in death and substitutionary atonement whether they wanted to or not. Although it was only an animal, I am sure that the anguish and sorrow that Adam and Eve experienced in Genesis 3:21 was very deep and all too real.

Thousands of years pass, and Jesus of Nazareth, the Lamb of God typified by the animal slain to cover Adam and Eve's nakedness, finds Himself at the tomb of His dear friend, Lazarus. Jesus loved Lazarus and his two sisters, Mary and Martha. Mary and Martha sent for Jesus shortly before Lazarus died from his illness, and Jesus sent them back a message:

"This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it."
(John 11:4)

Following this verse we find a peculiar rendition of events. John tells us that Jesus loves Lazarus, Mary, and Martha, and then he tells us that Jesus stayed where He was for two more days because He loved them. He is going to let Lazarus die because he loves them?

After two days pass, Jesus tells His disciples that they are going back to Judea. The disciples are astonished, because they just escaped from the wrath of the Jews who wished to stone Jesus. Jesus reaffirms to His disciples the necessity of walking in the light of this world (i.e. obeying the revealed will of God). Jesus once more must tell His disciples that He was sent to "do the will of Him who sent me and to accomplish His work" (John 4:34). Jesus then explains to His disciples that Lazarus has fallen asleep and that He must go awaken him. The disciples, like you and I would probably react, thought that Jesus was talking crazy talk, not grasping Jesus' teachings and meaning. If he is asleep, then he will just wake up. Why are we about to risk our own necks to wake up someone who is sleeping? Is He crazy?

Jesus calmly speaks to them plainly: "Lazarus has died, and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him" (John 11:14-15).

I'm glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. Take the name of a dearly loved brother or sister in Christ that has died, and insert it where Lazarus' name is. Their name has died, and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. We know that God will be glorified through every event that takes place. Although, at the time, this promise is hard to believe and the reasons behind tragedy are nebulous and outside the grasp of our finite minds stuck in a fallen world, "we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose" (Rom. 8:28). We may never see reason behind the actions of men, but we can always believe that every action of man has a God-glorifying purpose, and that we must cling to Him by faith. We may never know God's purpose in allowing certain men to perform certain actions, but the promise remains the same, nevertheless: all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose. When a tragedy strikes that we cannot fathom any good resulting from it, when we cannot wrap our heads around any purpose to sinful human actions, we need to believe by faith!

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
(Hebrews 11:1)

We hope God has a purpose for our dear friend's death, but we just can't seem to see any. Have faith, brother and sister. Rest assured that the good you hope to come out of this tragedy will be worked out by God. Be convicted that even this tragedy will work together with all other things for good, despite the pain, the anguish, the sorrow, and the destruction you see. I'm glad that I was not there, so that you may believe.

By the time Jesus arrives in Bethany, Lazarus has been dead and buried for four days. Martha and Mary hear that Jesus has arrived, and Martha leaves the house to confront Jesus. Contrasting the account of Martha and Mary in Luke 10, this time Martha seems to demonstrate greater faith than Mary, who remained seated in her house, surrounded by those who traveled from Jerusalem to try to console her.

Martha approaches Jesus and says, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you" (vv. 21-22).

In the midst of certain tragedies, we often try to look at ways the tragedy could have been avoided. Lord, if you had only been here, none of this would have happened! Tragically, this is the thought going through many of our minds when terrible things in our lives happen. Where were you, God? You obviously weren't here because look what has happened! Then, to our amazement, God answers: I'm glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. That is not to say that God is not present when tragedy strikes. He allows certain tragedies to take place in our lives that our faith in Him, His promises, and His good purpose might grow stronger than our doubts and unbelief. As verses 5-6 teach us, it is because God loves us that He allows us to be shaken, tried, tested, and made fragile. Jesus loved Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, so He stayed put for two more days so that Lazarus could die and He could demonstrate His love for all three of His friends by raising Lazarus.

Perhaps we get mad at God because He did not prevent a tragedy in our life. God is patient, merciful, and gracious. Despite our weakness and inability to cling to His promises by faith, He still loves us, comforts us, and upholds us lest we strike our foot upon a rock (Ps. 91). Tragedy does not strike because God is absent but because sin is present. Men commit heinous crimes, and according to God's good purpose and will, He allows such sins to take place. If God is good, then how could He allow this? The answer is plainly given to us in Genesis 50: "As for you,  you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today" (v. 20).

How glorious is the resurrection?!

For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.
(1 Corinthians 15:21-22)

The Pharisees, Caiaphas, Pontius Pilot, Herod, and an angry mob of Jews meant evil against Christ. They tortured Him, they ridiculed Him, they spit on Him, they mocked Him, and they murdered Him by brutally crucifying Him on a cross like a common criminal and a slave. He had committed no crimes against the state. He had committed no sin against His Father in heaven. God was not absent when the Son of God hung upon the cross. Christ was not forsaken by God in the sense that God abandoned Him, but in the sense that the eternal love of the Father towards the Son was overpowered by the holy wrath of the Father towards the sinfulness of man. Every sin of yours and mine, every evil we meant against God and our neighbor, was poured out upon the Son of God, Jesus Christ, on the cross. Jesus died the death of sinners, bearing the curse of death due to our sin in our place.

This great evil, this great tragedy perpetrated by sinful men is the greatest example of how God can take evil and use it for good. If Christ did not die, then He could not have risen from the dead. There must be death so that there can be a resurrection from the dead. The only begotten Son of God had to die on the cross so that we might be resurrected to life in Him.

I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory." "O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
(1 Corinthians 15:50-58)

God gives us the victory over the sinful sting of death through the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. What great evil was perpetrated against Jesus Christ on Calvary, but what great good God meant by it: to bring it about that many should be kept alive. God is not absent when tragedy occurs, nor is He passive, but He actively allows men to commit great evil against Him and His image bearers so that good might come out of the midst of tragedy. Should we ever doubt this, we must once again fix our eyes upon the hands that He actively allowed to be laid upon His only begotten Son that we might have everlasting life.

Returning to the narrative surrounding Lazarus' death, we return to Martha's words to Jesus when she confronts Him. First, she tells Jesus that this could have all been avoided if He came when He heard that Lazarus was ill. Secondly, after demonstrating a lack of faith in the power of God to save, she seems to testify of her faith in the power of God to save. Martha seems to say, I don't believe you have the power to save from a distance, but now that you are here, whatever you ask God, God will grant you. Calvin also points out that Martha presumes that Jesus would have saved Lazarus if He were present before he died, but no such promise was ever given.

Surely, Martha understood God's power to save her brother, and presumed upon God's love that such power would be used to heal her brother's ailment. Yes, God can heal every ailment we suffer from, and He can do so nearby and far away (i.e. God's omnipresence). However, God never promises that He will heal our every sickness, illness, and wound. We shall always have faith that God can hear our prayers and can answer them by healing whatever ails us, but we must also have faith that however God answers, good will come of it. If you pray for healing and healing does not come, do not assume that God is too far away or that God did not hear your prayer. He is near, He did hear, and He figuratively stayed behind for two days so that you might truly know His power and love and that you would believe in Him by faith.

Jesus responds to Martha's confrontation, "Your brother will rise again."
Martha responds, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day."
Jesus then gives Martha this great hope:

"I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?"
(John 11:25-26)

What a comfort in the midst of the death of a brother in Christ. Though he die, yet shall he live. Do you believe this? Yes, Lord! I believe that you are the Christ! I believe you are the Son of God who is coming into the world! Martha, despite some human doubts, believed by faith in the resurrection on the last day, and lest her doubts linger, Jesus reaffirms that He is the Christ, the Son of God, who came into this world to die and raise from the dead so that whosoever believes in Him shall never perish but have everlasting life.

After answering Jesus' question, confirming her faith in Him, she sends someone to bring her sister, Mary. Upon getting word that Jesus is in Bethany, Mary quickly jumps from her seat and goes to where Jesus and her sister are. The Jews from Jerusalem that were there consoling Mary follow her, supposing she is going to Lazarus' tomb to weep. Remember, the first time Mary received word that Jesus was in Bethany, she remained seated. However, upon receiving word from her sister, she quickly seeks after her beloved Lord.

When she arrives to where Jesus and Martha are, Mary falls to Jesus' feet and expresses a similar regret that her sister did: Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. Like Martha, Mary too expresses a lack of faith and a presumptuous notion. She too does not seem to believe that Jesus can heal from a distance, and she too presumes that Jesus would have healed Lazarus if He were only nearby. Again, no such promise has ever been given to those that Jesus loves. There is no promise that every illness and wound we suffer will be met with a miraculous healing on God's part. Oftentimes, we suffer so that we may rely all the more upon God's grace and love towards us. It is in the midst of affliction when we feel most vulnerable and human and God appears most powerful and divine!

When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. And he said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to him, "Lord, come and see." Jesus wept.
(John 11:33-35)

Jesus wept. The shortest verse in the Bible. Two words. A beautiful contrast is set before us in these verses. We have Jesus reaffirming the resurrection of the dead to Martha, but we also have Jesus moved to tears at the death of His dear friend and the sorrow it brought to others. There is certainly a false dichotomy prevalent in the church today that this passage sheds tremendous light upon. When many Christians die today, funerals and memorials are replaced with celebrations of life. To many believers, they feel that the resurrection of the dead nullifies any sorrow and grief that we should feel towards the passing of a brother or sister in Christ. Either you rejoice in their life, or you wallow in sorrow at their passing. However, here we see Jesus both comforting those who have lost a beloved brother with the hope of the resurrection but we also see Him moved to tears by their sorrow over their brother's death. There is no dichotomy.

Jesus knew that he was moments away from raising Lazarus from the grave. He knew that Mary's tears and the tears of the Jews who had come with her would all be replaced with tears of joy momentarily when He told Lazarus to come out of his tomb. He knew that Lazarus, Mary, and Martha would be reunited and would live together as a family for a while longer just as soon as He said a few words. And yet, Jesus wept. He was deeply moved in His Spirit and greatly trouble, nonetheless.

Brothers and sisters, rest assured that those who die while resting by faith in Jesus Christ for salvation shall not perish, but will be resurrected at the last day. Nevertheless, weep. Jesus wept, and there is nothing wrong with being overcome with sadness when a loved one dies, even if there is a sure hope of seeing them once more on the last day. If Jesus wept and was deeply moved moments before He raised Lazarus from the grave, then surely we can weep and be deeply moved as we try to imagine the rest of our lives without our loved ones. Surely, in light of eternity, we are only moments away from being reunited with our brothers and sisters in Christ who have died before us, too. Nevertheless, weep.

So the Jews said, "See how he loved him!"
But some of them said, "Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?"
Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. Jesus said, "Take away the stone."
Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, "Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days."
Jesus said to her, "Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?"
So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me."
When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out."
The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Unbind him, and let him go."
Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what he did, believed in him, but some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done.
(John 11:36-46)

Could not he who raised Lazarus from the dead have kept our dear brother from dying? Yes, He could have. But our dear brother is dead so that we and those who do not yet believe might see the glory of God! We are amazed when a physician helps cure a patient of a disease when the prognosis is death. However, we never see a physician cure a patient that has already succumbed to death. The greater the destruction the greater the restoration! If you chip a clay pot and mend it with glue, that is a wonderful thing. However, what if someone completely shattered the mended clay pot and refurbished it so that it was better than it was before it was chipped? We would say, This is no ordinary potter.

Lazarus died so that Jesus could restore his life before the people standing around his tomb (v. 42). Lazarus died for the disciples' sake, that they might believe (v. 15). Lazarus died, but his death did not lead to death but to life. His death was for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it (v. 4). Such is the death of a saint. Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints (Ps. 116:15). If Lazarus had not died, those surrounding his tomb when Jesus raised him from the grave would not have believed in the resurrection and would not have witnessed the glory of God. If Lazarus has not died, Martha, Mary, and the disciples might not have believed in the resurrection of the dead.

Death is destructive, and we should mourn and grieve over those who die. The wages of sin are death, and we shall all die once. When a beloved brother or sister in Christ dies, we should remember Jesus' tears. Jesus wept, and we certainly have reason to weep too. Yes, we will see them again, but not for a time. Death is destructive, and there is nothing to rejoice about when we see death.

Death, however, is not the end. Jesus is the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Him, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in Christ shall never die. Do you believe this? In the midst of our tremendous grief and sorrow is a beautiful promise to cling to. Death is ugly, but God is glorious! Death is destructive, but God is gracious! Death has a sting, but "When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: 'Death is swallowed up in victory.' 'O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?'"

We hate to see our beloved brothers and sisters in Christ die. There is nothing about death to rejoice in. However, their death will be worked together with all things by God for good. God has a good purpose behind this sinful tragedy. The death of a saint is the beginning of  their incorruptible life in Christ. The death of a saint is a wonderful opportunity for those that loved him to come together, grieve his death, and rejoice in his resurrection on the last day. It presents many opportunities to "make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you" (1 Pet. 3:15). Saints must first die before they can be resurrected in Christ. Death is the last evil before incorruptible glory in Christ Jesus.

This week has been hard. Like Martha and Mary, I lost a brother in the Lord. Like Martha and Mary, I wondered myself why God seemed distant when my brother was ill. Like the disciples, I was too earthly minded, walking in the dark, when I should have been heavenly minded, walking in the light of this world. Like the disciples, Jesus used my brother's death to strengthen my faith in Him. Like Martha and Mary, I struggled with the fact that this whole tragedy seemingly could have been avoided, and I didn't recognize that God could use this evil for good. Like Martha and Mary, I believed in the resurrection of the dead, but I failed to see the goodness of God's plan in allowing my brother's death. Like Jesus, I wept because I lost a dear friend and I was moved to tears by the weeping of my brother's family and friends. Like those standing around, I believe that Jesus is my Lord and Savior.

This week has reminded me of Jesus' words:
"I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?"

Like Martha, I should answer, "Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world."

In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
(1 John 4:9-10)

Then Jesus told them plainly, "Lazarus has died, and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him."
(John 11:14-15)

The death of our brothers and sisters in Christ is grievous, but it also a wonderful time to reaffirm our faith in Christ and our new life in Him. It is a wonderful time to encourage and edify one another in the hope we have in Christ and the resurrection of the dead. It is an opportunity to give an account to the non-believers "standing around" why we have hope in everlasting life despite death in this life. It is a time to remember that God works death and sin for good, and that if there should be any doubt, we only need to remember the greatest tragedy of all and the greatest good of all: the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is a time to weep, but it is a time to rejoice. It is a time to mourn death, but a time to rejoice in the resurrection. There is no dichotomy. It is time to do both, not either/or. I mourn my brother's death, but I rejoice that he is more alive in Christ this moment then he ever was here on earth. I mourn the sinfulness that surrounds his death, but I rejoice knowing that what was meant for evil God will work together for good. Amen.