Bible League: Living His Word Jesus wept.— John 11:35 NIV "Jesus wept." It's the shortest verse in the Bible. I picture His weeping different than those mourning the death of Lazarus; I picture Him bursting into tears, a sudden outburst of emotion from deep pain within the heart. On two occasions in the Bible, Jesus weeps. The other is found in Luke 19:41 when Jesus burst into tears, an audible sobbing in another sudden outburst of deep emotion from the heart, as He wept over the city of Jerusalem. A city whose leaders and people have and will continue to reject Him and His words of salvation. On both occasions, Jesus weeps over death. He anticipates the death of His beloved city that will come in A.D. 70, at the hands of Roman Emperor Titus and his soldiers, prophesied in Micah. "Therefore because of you, Zion will be plowed like a field, Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble" (Micah 3:12). Here in John 11, Jesus is weeping over the grave of Lazarus, knowing that God's creation was never meant to suffer the pain and sting of death. Death was not meant to be part of life, but the fall of man brought it to this world and all in it. I recall years ago when I arrived on east coast from California, having answered the call to plant a new church. As I was driving to work one day, watching the faces of the drivers in the cars going by the other way, I was overwhelmed with the despair and sorrow for how many of them need Jesus in their life. I burst out crying in my car, knowing that many will die in their sin rather than in the grace of God. The good news is that although we see so much death in this life, so much pain, and we are prone to sorrowful and tearful outbursts, our sorrow still has hope attached. It is the hope that comes with abiding in faith and God's love. Paul says, you sorrow not as others who know no hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13). This is the simple faith believers are to share to the world. There is hope in Jesus Christ. Death is not the end game to life for the professing Christian. There is no tragedy of death to those in Christ. To go to heaven is to live forever in joy and peace. "O death where is your sting? O grave where is your victory? The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 15:55-56). Rather than invite us into the sorrow of death, Jesus invites us out of the grave—turn from sin and rejection and come to Him. Come into the saving grace and knowledge of Him. And then He says ,"Go." Go into the world and declare the Good News of life in Christ. Go declare your life of hope and love, your death to sin, and show how you are now living in the new life of grace and peace. Jesus wept. But He rejoices in the life-giving power of the resurrection. As with Lazarus who became a living witness to this life-giving power of Christ, so too, beloved, are you to be witnesses of Christ's resurrection power over death unto eternal life. By Pastor David Massie, Bible League International staff, California Bible in a Year Old Testament ReadingPsalm 132-135 Psalm 132 -- O Lord, remember David and all his affliction, NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Psalm 133 -- See how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to live together in unity! NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Psalm 134 -- Look! Praise the Lord, all you servants of the Lord NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Psalm 135 -- Psalms of Solomon (2Ch 7) NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading 1 Corinthians 8 1 Corinthians 8 -- Take Care with your Freedom in Christ NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn over what is going to happen to me, but the world will rejoice. You will grieve, but your grief will suddenly turn to wonderful joy.Insight What a contrast between the disciples and the world! The world rejoiced as the disciples wept, but the disciples would see him again (in three days) and rejoice. The world's values are often the opposite of God's values. Challenge This can cause Christians to feel like misfits. But even if life is difficult now, one day we will rejoice. Keep your eye on the future and on God's promises! Morning and Evening by Spurgeon Numbers 14:11 How long will it be ere they believe me?Strive with all diligence to keep out that monster unbelief. It so dishonors Christ, that he will withdraw his visible presence if we insult him by indulging it. It is true it is a weed, the seeds of which we can never entirely extract from the soil, but we must aim at its root with zeal and perseverance. Among hateful things it is the most to be abhorred. Its injurious nature is so venomous that he that exerciseth it and he upon whom it is exercised are both hurt thereby. In thy case, O believer! it is most wicked, for the mercies of thy Lord in the past, increase thy guilt in doubting him now. When thou dost distrust the Lord Jesus, he may well cry out, "Behold I am pressed under you, as a cart is pressed that is full of sheaves." This is crowning his head with thorns of the sharpest kind. It is very cruel for a well-beloved wife to mistrust a kind and faithful husband. The sin is needless, foolish, and unwarranted. Jesus has never given the slightest ground for suspicion, and it is hard to be doubted by those to whom our conduct is uniformly affectionate and true. Jesus is the Son of the Highest, and has unbounded wealth; it is shameful to doubt Omnipotence and distrust all-sufficiency. The cattle on a thousand hills will suffice for our most hungry feeding, and the granaries of heaven are not likely to be emptied by our eating. If Christ were only a cistern, we might soon exhaust his fulness, but who can drain a fountain? Myriads of spirits have drawn their supplies from him, and not one of them has murmured at the scantiness of his resources. Away, then, with this lying traitor unbelief, for his only errand is to cut the bonds of communion and make us mourn an absent Saviour. Bunyan tells us that unbelief has "as many lives as a cat:" if so, let us kill one life now, and continue the work till the whole nine are gone. Down with thee, thou traitor, my heart abhors thee. Daily Light on the Daily Path Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.Psalm 17:4,5 As for the deeds of men, by the word of Your lips I have kept from the paths of the violent. • My steps have held fast to Your paths. My feet have not slipped. Proverbs 6:22,23 When you walk about, they will guide you; When you sleep, they will watch over you; And when you awake, they will talk to you. • For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching is light; And reproofs for discipline are the way of life Isaiah 30:21 Your ears will hear a word behind you, "This is the way, walk in it," whenever you turn to the right or to the left. John 8:12 Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, "I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life." 2 Peter 1:19 So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts. 1 Corinthians 13:12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known. Revelation 22:5 And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them; and they will reign forever and ever. New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org. |
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