JOHN 11:17-35
17 On His arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days.18 Now Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem,19 and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother.20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet Him, but Mary stayed at home.
21 “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died.22 But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
24 Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in Me will live, even though they die;26 and whoever lives by believing in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”
27 “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”
28 After she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. “The Teacher is here,” she said, “and is asking for you.”29 When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to Him.30 Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met Him.31 When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there.
32 When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw Him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and troubled.34 “Where have you laid him?” He asked.
“Come and see, Lord,” they replied.
35 Jesus wept.
JOHN 11:17-35 JESUS IS MOVED TO TEARS
Springford Baptist Church: August 6, 2023.
Some people cry often and some people rarely cry.
Tears are an overflow of what is in our hearts.
Bob Pierce, the man who founded both World Vision and Samaritan’s Purse, wrote these words inside his Bible, “Let my heart be broken with the things that break the heart of God.”
When that is our sincere prayer that our hearts be moved as the heart of God is moved then we can expect to be moved to tears.
In keeping with our question for this summer sermon series, “WHAT WOULD JESUS DO”?, we will need to ask what would move Jesus to tears and what would He be moved to do from there?
Here in Scripture we have an account of Jesus with His friends Martha and Mary. Their brother Lazarus has died and they are overcome with grief.
We are not surprised that Martha and Mary experience deep sadness at the death of their brother Lazarus.
We too have experienced deep sadness at the death of those we love.
Jesus does not hold Himself apart from the grief of His friends. He cries with them.
John 11:21 has recorded the words of Martha when she goes out to meet Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
This was a difficult conversation for Jesus. He knows what will happen with God’s miracle that will raise Lazarus back to life, yet at this time there is the heavy burden of sorrow.
Jesus speaks the truth in the words of hope, “Your brother will rise again.” (John 11:22)
Martha does believe in the resurrection that will bring new life in heaven.
We also believe this, but knowing that we will be reunited with loved ones in heaven does not diminish the present pain of separation caused by death. (John 11:24)
Jesus affirms that life not death has the final say when He says to Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die;26 and whoever lives by believing in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11 25,26)
Jesus knows what is going to happen in Lazarus being restored to life here on earth, but this does not remove the present heart break that His friends are experiencing and that Jesus is also experiencing.
Jesus chooses to be with people in the moment of what they are experiencing right now and we are invited to make this same choice.
When Lazarus’s other sister Mary hears that Jesus has arrived, she also goes out to meet Him and says the same words that Martha had said, “Lord if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” (John 11:32)
These words reveal the anguish of a broken heart. It is like saying, “Where were you when we needed you?”
It is a desperate feeling in grief to look for God and to wonder where is He?
We can know that Jesus is with us always and never leaves us for a moment. His heart is touched by our grief.
Jesus’ heart is touched by the grief of Martha and Mary and we recognize that Jesus is moved to tears by His own grief at the sadness of the death of His friend. Jesus heart is broken and we read, “Jesus wept.” (John 11:35)
The people witnessing all this conclude, “See how he loved him.”! But some of them said, “Could not He who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?” (John 1136,37)
And of course the answer is, “Yes”. Yes, Jesus could have come earlier and healed Lazarus or Jesus could have spoken miracle working words from a distance and prevented Lazarus’s death.
When things that happen here trouble and disturb us, God is also troubled and disturbed. We do not fully understand God’s bigger plan, but it is a plan to bring life and hope.
The ways that you and I respond to the heartache and heart break of others have the potential to convey the love of God to them. When we understand that Jesus does weep with those who weep, then we know that we will be doing what Jesus would do when we are moved to tears by the pain and sorrow of others. We are also moved to tears by the sorrow that we ourselves feel.
We can pray that our hearts will be broken by the things that break the heart of God, but then what?
In the life of Bob Pierce, he was moved to found the international organizations of World Vision and Samaritan’s Purse. These have been practical means of relieving suffering and providing food and education and support literally all around our world.
Today, we recognize that identifying with Jesus in His heartbreak for humankind compels us wherever we are to do what we can to bring comfort and compassion to the broken hearted in the name of Jesus.
Our Lord Jesus raised Lazarus back to life (John 11:43,44) and this anticipated Jesus’ own powerful resurrection from death to life that gives hope for every sorrow in our broken world.
Again today, we will declare today that Jesus is the resurrection and the life as we share in Communion and remind ourselves that in remembering Jesus, we are remembering the depth of His love for everyone who is broken hearted!