Jesus Was Acquainted With Grief Series

In the last post, I concentrated on Jesus being a man of sorrows, so this post will concentrate on Jesus being acquainted with grief. First of all, as always, I check to see what the Old Testament Hebrew words are to make sure that I am interpreting the prophet's words correctly. In this verse, the Hebrew word used is “holi” which means grief, but also sickness, and disease. It’s interesting (to me at least) that this word means sickness twelve times, diseases seven times, and grief only four times in the Old Testament. And so with a quick scan of the four gospels, we can say that the Suffering Servant, Jesus Christ, was acquainted with grief. But we also agree that he was acquainted with sickness and diseases.

Jesus Christ was acquainted with grief. Every day in Roman-occupied Judea there would have been executions, and crucifixions just as Jesus suffered. Grief would have been all around. But in this dark time, Jesus brought some light. Death was all around but Jesus brought life. Specifically, we know that Jesus raised the boy from Nain back to life. He brought Jairus’s daughter back to life and he brought his friend Lazarus back to life. “Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out—the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her. When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, “Don’t cry.” Then he went up and touched the bier they were carrying him on, and the bearers stood still. He said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.” (Luke 7:11-14, NIV) “Jesus was still speaking, some people came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” they said. “Why bother the teacher anymore?” Overhearing what they said, Jesus told him, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James. When they came to the home of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly. He went in and said to them, “Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep.” But they laughed at him. After he put them all out, he took the child’s father and mother and the disciples who were with him and went in where the child was. He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum!” (which means “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”). Immediately the girl stood up and began to walk around.” (Mark 5:35-41, NIV) “They took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.” When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.” (John 11: 41-43, NIV)

Jesus turned the verse in the Book of Lamentations upside down. Joy returned to their hearts; dancing returned instead of mourning. The words of King David would have been ringing in the ears of those who were grieving; “You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent. Lord my God, I will praise you forever.” This is our Jesus. Jesus brought life where there was only death. Jesus' disciples saw what he was doing and sometime after the Day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came down, we see Peter, the man who denied Jesus three times, raise Dorcas from the dead. The Bible records that; “Peter went with them, and when he arrived he was taken upstairs to the room. All the widows stood around him, crying and showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them. Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, “Tabitha, get up.” She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up.” (Acts 9: 39-40, NIV) Next Paul also raised a man from the dead. “Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead. Paul went down, threw himself on the young man, and put his arms around him. “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “He’s alive!” (Acts 20: 9-10, NIV) The Apostles Peter and Paul raised the dead back to life. Down through the ages, we know of examples of people praying and people have been brought back to life. Today in our medical age, there are plenty of examples of people dying, their heart stopping, but because of medical interventions, they are brought back to life.