Jesus Weeps for Me - Study 6/6/13
Jesus weeps for me
Why are there sufferings and pain in this world? Many people are born deformed from birth. Serious sickness strikes us such as incurable cancer. People are murdering each other and crime such as rape and abuse reign all over the world. It just seems like nothing works and finally there is death for everyone. Why is everything in your life and mine not working perfectly? There seem to be one thing or the other we are dealing with. There are all these natural disasters, earthquakes, tornados, hurricanes, that are causing their own troubles. It is a messed up and a fallen world.
Is this the world God made from the beginning? God had said that everything He made was “good”. In other words, it was perfect including humans. In John 11, Jesus, being fully God and human experienced firsthand the pain of this messed up of world. In the shortest verse of the Bible, it is recorded, 35 “Jesus wept”. Why did Jesus weep? He wept while he was standing in front of the grave of his friend Lazarus who had died, buried and now stinking after 4 days. I believe Jesus wept because He experienced a different world than He had created from the beginning. He did not create death and all the evils of this world, so He weeps for His friend and for all of us. He has felt the sting of death at that time. I believe it even gave Him more resolve/determination to finish the purpose of His coming to the world – to permanently remove the sting of death through His own death and resurrection.
There is real pain and suffering in this world. Our hearts and prayers go out to Margaret of Babcock University who lost 8 members of her family this week. They were on their way to her graduation and died in a car crash. Jesus weeps for Margaret and for all who are in deep hurt, depression, anguish or mourning even right now. He is acquainted with our grief and sorrows.
Jesus weeps for you and me because were dead and dying without Him. Can you see and hear the heart of God. People even expressed it. 36 “Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him!” Jesus loved Lazarus, but He also loves you and me. 16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life”. This is why Jesus wept and weeps even now for people to have eternal life and not temporary fixes.
Let’s not forget that Lazarus though rose from dead eventually died again. So the resurrection Jesus is after is the one that lasts forever. It does not matter how much healing we receive from any disease here, we will eventually die but we will live again and forever if we have the life of Jesus in us. To Martha, 25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?
Can we weep with Jesus for what he wept for? You see, the miracle of John 11 is not that Lazarus was raised but that people realized for the first time that a dead person has no other life except through Jesus. If you don’t believe that you are dead (in sin), then you have no need for Christ the Savior. Sin messed up the world and brought death and pain as consequence.
At the end of the miracle it is recorded: 45 “Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him”. Have you believed in Jesus – The Resurrection and the Life? You can cry all you want because of the pain on earth but without believing in Christ you will have no permanent and lasting comfort. “God himself shall be with them, and be their God.4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away (Revelation 21:3-4). He is with us now but I am looking forward to that day to be face to face with God my Father. Are you? Read on the Good News below. Let’s weep with Jesus and tell people about His love and unearned gift for eternal life.
John 11:1-7, 17-46
1Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. 2It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. 3Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick." 4When Jesus heard that, He said, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it."
5Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was. 7Then after this He said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again."
17So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days. 18Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away. 19And many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother. 20Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house. 21Then Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. 22But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You." 23Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."
24Martha said to Him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." 25Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. 26And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?" 27She said to Him, "Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world."
28And when she had said these things, she went her way and secretly called Mary her sister, saying, "The Teacher has come and is calling for you." 29As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly and came to Him. 30Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him. 31Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, "She is going to the tomb to weep there." 32Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died."
33Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled. 34And He said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to Him, "Lord, come and see."
35Jesus wept. 36Then the Jews said, "See how He loved him!" 37And some of them said, "Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?" 38Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. 39Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, "Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days." 40Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?" 41Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying.
And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. 42And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me." 43Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!" 44And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with grave clothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go." 45Then many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him. 46But some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the things Jesus did.
Why are there sufferings and pain in this world? Many people are born deformed from birth. Serious sickness strikes us such as incurable cancer. People are murdering each other and crime such as rape and abuse reign all over the world. It just seems like nothing works and finally there is death for everyone. Why is everything in your life and mine not working perfectly? There seem to be one thing or the other we are dealing with. There are all these natural disasters, earthquakes, tornados, hurricanes, that are causing their own troubles. It is a messed up and a fallen world.
Is this the world God made from the beginning? God had said that everything He made was “good”. In other words, it was perfect including humans. In John 11, Jesus, being fully God and human experienced firsthand the pain of this messed up of world. In the shortest verse of the Bible, it is recorded, 35 “Jesus wept”. Why did Jesus weep? He wept while he was standing in front of the grave of his friend Lazarus who had died, buried and now stinking after 4 days. I believe Jesus wept because He experienced a different world than He had created from the beginning. He did not create death and all the evils of this world, so He weeps for His friend and for all of us. He has felt the sting of death at that time. I believe it even gave Him more resolve/determination to finish the purpose of His coming to the world – to permanently remove the sting of death through His own death and resurrection.
There is real pain and suffering in this world. Our hearts and prayers go out to Margaret of Babcock University who lost 8 members of her family this week. They were on their way to her graduation and died in a car crash. Jesus weeps for Margaret and for all who are in deep hurt, depression, anguish or mourning even right now. He is acquainted with our grief and sorrows.
Jesus weeps for you and me because were dead and dying without Him. Can you see and hear the heart of God. People even expressed it. 36 “Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him!” Jesus loved Lazarus, but He also loves you and me. 16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life”. This is why Jesus wept and weeps even now for people to have eternal life and not temporary fixes.
Let’s not forget that Lazarus though rose from dead eventually died again. So the resurrection Jesus is after is the one that lasts forever. It does not matter how much healing we receive from any disease here, we will eventually die but we will live again and forever if we have the life of Jesus in us. To Martha, 25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?
Can we weep with Jesus for what he wept for? You see, the miracle of John 11 is not that Lazarus was raised but that people realized for the first time that a dead person has no other life except through Jesus. If you don’t believe that you are dead (in sin), then you have no need for Christ the Savior. Sin messed up the world and brought death and pain as consequence.
At the end of the miracle it is recorded: 45 “Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him”. Have you believed in Jesus – The Resurrection and the Life? You can cry all you want because of the pain on earth but without believing in Christ you will have no permanent and lasting comfort. “God himself shall be with them, and be their God.4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away (Revelation 21:3-4). He is with us now but I am looking forward to that day to be face to face with God my Father. Are you? Read on the Good News below. Let’s weep with Jesus and tell people about His love and unearned gift for eternal life.
John 11:1-7, 17-46
1Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. 2It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. 3Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick." 4When Jesus heard that, He said, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it."
5Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was. 7Then after this He said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again."
17So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days. 18Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away. 19And many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother. 20Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house. 21Then Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. 22But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You." 23Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."
24Martha said to Him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." 25Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. 26And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?" 27She said to Him, "Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world."
28And when she had said these things, she went her way and secretly called Mary her sister, saying, "The Teacher has come and is calling for you." 29As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly and came to Him. 30Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him. 31Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, "She is going to the tomb to weep there." 32Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died."
33Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled. 34And He said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to Him, "Lord, come and see."
35Jesus wept. 36Then the Jews said, "See how He loved him!" 37And some of them said, "Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?" 38Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. 39Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, "Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days." 40Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?" 41Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying.
And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. 42And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me." 43Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!" 44And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with grave clothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go." 45Then many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him. 46But some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the things Jesus did.
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