Whoever founded the Wiley B . Faw Chapter of R.A.’s at Baptist High School, Jos in Nigeria, had the very good idea to encourage the boys to memorize scripture by having them answer roll call by reciting a scripture verse. But by the time I arrived in 1982 the process had become a series of often repeated, half-hearted recitations of John 3:16 and John 11:35 (Jesus Wept.) It seems it is far too easy to turn powerful words in Scripture into trite and meaningless phrases that pass our lips but never enter our hearts. When we look inside Jesus’ heart and contemplate why He wept at Lazarus’ tomb, we begin to realize that those two words (Jesus wept.) capture for us the very heart of Jesus’ mission on this earth. He came to live among us as a man who dealt with all of our emotions, pleasant and unpleasant. Here, in the lead-up to this profound miracle He reveals just how real His human emotions were. He demonstrates His personal sense of grief over the death of a dear friend who was also the brother to two dear friends. What Jesus felt for Lazarus as a friend is clear. What Jesus felt for Martha and for Mary as friends is also clear. He is deeply moved by his grief; but not only for the loss suffered by these dear friends, but for the human loss of what is beautiful and lovely in the face of ugly death. So, most surely, Jesus knows our sorrows and He cares about our pain. And in the end, He has the power as the Son of God to take redemptive and liberating action. He has Resurrection Power to use in the life of any among us who put their faith in Him. Praise God! Praise God! Praise God!

Jesus wept and revealed to both His followers
and His friends—He was fully God and fully man—
He could not help but join in weeping with
His dear friend Mary and those who came to mourn
with her—consider this—He who calmed the winds
and stopped the rains—He who straightened withered
limbs and open eyes and ears and fed the crowds
and cleansed the lepers and the possessed—Jesus,
Savior, Healer, Teacher and Redeemer, wept—
He felt the sadness and the overwhelming grief
when sin and death take away another friend—
Jesus wept though He knew the Father would
provide the power bringing back to Lazarus
life once more upon this earth snatching Him,
as it were, through Heaven’s Gates and back to
Earth—Jesus wept as He sensed the seething
hatred in the hearts of desperate men terrified
their hold on earthly power was threatened
by His undeniable Heavenly power unanswerably
greater—but most of all Jesus wept because He
had lost his dear and bosom friend, He had to
watch as Martha and now Mary dealt with the
cruelty of separation caused by sin and death—
He wept because He knew sin ran so deep in
human hearts Lazarus’ resurrection would not
be enough to open up those too locked up to see
how deeply they were treasured by the
Father who would surrender for them His only Son.

M.S.
August 7, 2021

” . . . yet for us there is one God,
the Father. from whom are all things
and for whom we all exist,
and one Lord, Jesus Christ,
through whom are all things
and through whom we exist.”

I Corinthians 8:6