In Luke 11, we find Mary and Martha at their wit’s end. They were broken-hearted, distraught and hopeless, to say the least. They had sent for Jesus to come in haste as their brother lay dying. And Jesus did show up, but just a little too late.. or was He?
“Lord, if you had only been here!” They cried in hopelessness. Their expectations were very reasonable. This man, Jesus, was not only their Savior, but their personal friend and He had the power to heal Lazarus with just one touch! Why would He linger in another city and not come in haste when there was such a grave need?
How confused and hopeless they must have felt to be so close, within a touch of a miracle, and yet they lost their brother in death. At that moment in time, to Mary and Martha, timing was everything and it was just too late.
The story doesn’t stop here and we all know the end that was far greater than their expectations, and far more than they could have ever imagined. But, I want to point you to how Jesus responded to these broken-hearted, frustrated, probably even a little angry women, when He finally did appear on the scene.
He wept…
with them, for them, over the death of Lazarus. He felt their hopelessness and despair.
Not only was He touched by their broken hearts, He hurt inwardly Himself in brokenness (humanly speaking). The Bible says He groaned in spirit.
Have you ever groaned in spirit in such a way you felt it deep within your soul? The kind of pain that feels like your literal heart is breaking in two, physically?
He wept, not as a show, not out of sympathy, but because HE felt and experienced what THEY were experiencing.
So, why would Jesus (knowing He was about to defeat death itself, and raise Lazarus from the grave), weep and allow Himself to grieve with Mary and Martha, as they grieved? Why didn’t He just show up and say, “Have no fear! Lazarus come forth!”?
I’m of the opinion that God wanted a proclamation penned in His Word in John 11, that “He wept”! It would be a lasting example of how humanly real He was, and how, still today, He relates to a human mind, body and soul with fleshly feelings and emotions.
God describes perfectly in Isaiah 53 why Jesus came and what He experienced in His human mind, body and flesh. Take the time to read Isaiah 53. It will serve you well.
Lastly, speaking of Jesus, our Savior, I leave you with this beautiful verse:
“For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” ~Hebrews 4:15
Cindy Danenhower
Christ Fellowship