Do you remember what happened when Jesus came to the tomb where Lazarus was buried? Jesus, who had delayed coming because the faith of his disciples was very important. You remember what he did when he came to the tomb. He wept. Jesus wasn’t stoic or unfeeling. He didn’t immediately set about strengthening the faith of the disciples. Jesus stood and he wept.
First off:
Lazarus was a friend, and now his friend was dead. It’s not small wonder that Jesus wept is it? Not only was his friend dead, but his friend’s sisters were heartbroken as well. Jesus was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. You know what this means for us right? It’s not a sign of lack of faith when we are heart broken, or if we are moved to tears, or if we troubled in our spirits. Jesus went through this, why should we be surprised if we also have moments like this as well. No one can question Jesus’ faith eh? So if Jesus can take a moment (or three) for sadness, heart break and tears… SO CAN WE.
Next:
Not only that, do you see that part of Jesus’ sorrow was the heart break he felt at his friends’ sorrow. Mary and Martha were sad and full of tears. They wept. Jesus wept. This tells us that when we weep, Jesus weeps with us. Oh, isn’t that a lovely thing? That tenderness that he shows us in our vulnerable moments?
This is our Jesus, the one who shows us the tenderness of faith. Showing us how to care for the sad and tearful among us. That ability to weep with those who weep. The ability to sit with those who mourn. To talk memories and hope. To shake together through fear and remember promises. This example Christ gave us, we do well to emulate it yes? .
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