Dark Side 5

John 11:35-36

As much as we may not want to face the facts, death is part of life. We are all put on this earth for a limited time. At one point or another we must each perish, the old life giving way for the new lives that follow. We are not always spared times of loss.

In times of grief and sorrow, in times of loss, there is little that can be said that provides comfort. Sometimes the only thing we can do is to cry along with others who are crying. We share in the sadness.

In the story of the death and resurrection of Lazarus Jesus shows his compassion. What does Jesus do? What do others realize?

The story of Lazarus in John 11 is a tremendous reminder of what we can expect during the dark times in life. We will not always be spared our grief. We will not always have days of happiness and delight. There will be times when we lose loved ones or we face our own troubles. What we can rely on is the fact that we will not be alone in the dark times.

In John 11 Jesus is summoned to the home of his friends – Mary, Martha and Lazarus – because Lazarus is sick. But Jesus delays his arrival, and when he finally comes he discovers that Lazarus has died.

Although Jesus did eventually bring Lazarus up out of the tomb, a reminder I believe that Jesus gives us eternal life, at first he simply grieved with the family. Verse 35 is known as the shortest verse in the Bible. Yet in these two words we have a message of God’s compassion.

Jesus loved Lazarus just as he loves each of us. And Jesus wept along with the family, just as he weeps with us when we face troubles.

There are times when we wish that we will never die and that no one we love will ever perish. There are times when we wish that no bad thing will ever happen to us. But that is not the way of the world.

There will always be sorrow and loss. But we must remember that God is the Lord through the dark and the light. He is with us in the days when we are blessed with joy and gladness. He is with us when we have pain and sadness. Let us take comfort in knowing that we are never alone.

DAILY CHALLENGE: How do you know you are not alone, even in the worst times?

The Carpenter's Son 4

John 11:35-36

A very early childhood memory of mine is the morning I awoke to the sounds of my mother in the kitchen crying. I went out into the kitchen. My father sat at the table silently and my mother was trying to keep busy at the sink and stove, all the while weeping and sobbing. Without a word I began crying too.

It wasn’t until several minutes later that I was told my mother’s friend had passed away. I simply knew that my mother was sad and I joined in with the grieving.

When grief and distress enters into our lives there is often very little another person can do to help resolve the situation and make the sorrow go away. Sometimes the only thing that can be done, and the only thing that really helps, is to join in the grieving. Such is the situation for Jesus when he discovers that his friend Lazarus is dead. What does Jesus do? What does that say about Jesus?

I have often made jokes about John 11:35. It is the shortest verse in the Bible and I have made comments and claims that it is the only verse in the Bible I am able to memorize.

In truth, however, the tiny verse is very significant. Even though it is the shortest verse in the Bible, I believe the two words speak volumes. They indeed tell us that Jesus loved his friend, Lazarus. But I feel they say more than that. They show us that Jesus – even though he is God – has the very deep and real ability to have sympathy and tenderness for each of us.

Jesus wept for the loss of his friend. I believe Jesus joins us in our weeping as well. When we suffer a loss, when we experience pain, when we feel sorrows, we can turn to our Lord and know that he completely understands what we are going through. He joins in our sorrows, and that is a great comfort to us.

DAILY CHALLENGE: How can you grieve with those who are grieving?