D
DonKeesee
Guest
Jesus has come to raise a friend from death. He comes and sees the grief and is moved. But it appears that what He sees also is something very much bigger: the grief that death brought to the whole human race, His prize creation, the little ones He loves.
Why did Jesus cry? (John 11:33-35) I believe it would be good to consider this question. First of all, Mary, who seemed to have a special place in His heart, echos to Jesus Martha's statement about His not being there when Lazarus died. Then he sees the other people weeping. John says that then Jesus groaned in the Spirit and was troubled. A little later John says that Jesus wept. Again, why? He knew he would raise Lazarus, so why be troubled or grieving?
Well, I think Jesus' grief must have been of a more expansive kind than grief for the loss of a loved one alone (though that is, to be sure, a huge grief). He groaned in the Spirit. It was an intercessory groan, a groan of God. Yes, Jesus loved these friends, and He was human as well as divine, so there could be sadness for them, even though He knew Lazarus would soon rise. But, again, there is something deeper here.
Jesus has come to raise a friend from death. He comes and sees the grief and is moved. But it appears that what He sees also is something very much bigger: the grief that death brought to the whole human race, His prize creation, the little ones He loves. Adam's actions in the Garden plunged humankind into spiritual and physical death for milennia, forever unless . . . unless something was done about it. The heart of God was moved deeply beyond description about this loss. I believe the grief lasted for thousands of years. And here in the city where Lazarus died, we see it sounding out in the deep intercessory groans of God the Son. It was a grief that would lead the Father to send Jesus to the cross and lead Jesus to obey and go there.
Why did Jesus cry? (John 11:33-35) I believe it would be good to consider this question. First of all, Mary, who seemed to have a special place in His heart, echos to Jesus Martha's statement about His not being there when Lazarus died. Then he sees the other people weeping. John says that then Jesus groaned in the Spirit and was troubled. A little later John says that Jesus wept. Again, why? He knew he would raise Lazarus, so why be troubled or grieving?
Well, I think Jesus' grief must have been of a more expansive kind than grief for the loss of a loved one alone (though that is, to be sure, a huge grief). He groaned in the Spirit. It was an intercessory groan, a groan of God. Yes, Jesus loved these friends, and He was human as well as divine, so there could be sadness for them, even though He knew Lazarus would soon rise. But, again, there is something deeper here.
Jesus has come to raise a friend from death. He comes and sees the grief and is moved. But it appears that what He sees also is something very much bigger: the grief that death brought to the whole human race, His prize creation, the little ones He loves. Adam's actions in the Garden plunged humankind into spiritual and physical death for milennia, forever unless . . . unless something was done about it. The heart of God was moved deeply beyond description about this loss. I believe the grief lasted for thousands of years. And here in the city where Lazarus died, we see it sounding out in the deep intercessory groans of God the Son. It was a grief that would lead the Father to send Jesus to the cross and lead Jesus to obey and go there.
