I know that there are many people that will tell you not to cry because you have to be strong for everybody else, but I’m here to tell my family that it’s alright to cry, it’s alright to shed some tears, and it’s alright to groan in your spirit because if Jesus cried and we are no where near in the same league as Christ, then it’s alright for you to cry.
In this message prayerfully, I can shine some light on why Jesus cried, and why it’s ok for us to cry.
?There are two verses in the Bible that deals with the ultimate aspects of life. One of these verses deals with the subject of life, and the other verse deals with the subject of death. Also, there are only two words phrases that are found within both of these verses that caught my attention within the scripture. These same two words phrases that should penetrate our hearts. These two familiar phrases are: “Remember Me”, and “Jesus wept.”??As the canopy of this text is lifted, Jesus was summoned to a friend’s house where he was confronted with the fact that his friend had died. His response to them was a simple, yet powerful response. His response was natural. His response was of a human emotion. The Bible says that “Jesus wept.”??This morning I must admit that this response puzzles me. I stood in wonder when I read that verse, also I must admit that I asked the question why. Why is it that the King of kings, and the Lord of lords breaking down and crying at a moment like this? Why is He who holds the power of life and death in His hands weeping? I wondered why is He’s crying, at the situation of death. “Jesus wept.”??Well as I examine the story of the death of Lazarus, it seems like to me one of the reasons that he wept was for the family.
Because when you read the story in chapter 11 beginning with verse 1 you will see that it read. Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 (It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.) 3 Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick. 4 When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby. 5 Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus. 6 When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he stayed two days still in the same place where he was.
He said our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep. 12 Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead. 15 And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him.
?33 When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled, 34 And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see. 35 Jesus wept.
You see Lazarus, the friend of Jesus, had two sisters and whenever Jesus came to town he would stay at their house, so Jesus knew this family, he was not just a friend but he was a close friend.
As a matter of fact one of the first person that they thought to call when Lazarus got sick was Jesus. And when Jesus came to meet with them he could see their pain and he could see their suffering and the effects of losing a love one and that it had filled their eyes with tears. If fact when he showed up on the scene, Martha said to Jesus, if you would have been here my brother would not had died.
I don’t know, but I believe that because of the sympathy and empathy which Jesus had for them that He was moved to share in the loss of one of their family members. And so the scripture tells us that: “Jesus wept.”
So my family I am here to tell you that we also feel the effect of a lost of one of our family member, and being Christ like that why we see all of them weeping with us.
You see, I believe that they had some memories of Lazarus, that they just couldn’t shake, I believe that they looked back in retrospect and remember the days of old, the days that they laughed together, cried together, suffered together, or even fought together just as we did with our brother Deacon Vincent Spies.
In fact if we were too to reminisce on the life of Vincent as they did their brother, we would remember his as:
Vincent the servant. He was a servant of the Most High God. I know this because there were three things that you almost would never catch Vincent without. A bible, pen and paper and his coloring books. Vincent loved cruising through his bible, then he loved writing the information down to the best of his understanding, and then in his down time, he loved his coloring books. (Some of us don’t even carry a bible anymore). This tells me of the loved that he had for the Lord. Vincent loved his DVD’s of the preaching and teaching of the Word of God, which he would listen to day and night.
If we were to remember Deacon Vincent, we would remember Vincent as the lover of people. Why is this so important Spies? Because you can’t love God without loving people. Vincent loved every body, even when everybody did love him back.
Vincent had as many wives as Solomon, my wife was his wife, your wife was his wife and they wife was his wife. Vincent loved people so much that would go to the hospital just so he could see the nurses, because he loved everybody. Vincent loved his Pastor. In fact, some of the greatest fight that we had was about someone he loved and that was his Pastor, pastor Skinner many days he threatened to call my pastor on me because of you.
We can remember how Vincent loved his family, In this family of 7 seven siblings and many nieces, nephews and cousins he loved on them.
Come on let’s talk about him!!!!!!
Vincent the twin: although he loved his other brothers and sisters, there was a special bond between him and Netta, they were almost inseparable, because regards of who house he may have went to, or what kind of trouble he had gotten into, I could always hear him holler Nettaaaaaaa, because there was a special bond between twins.
Vincent the uncle, when it came down to it he loved his Nieces and his nephew.
But then there was Vincent the cook, if you’ve never tasted the chicken of Vincent you don’t know the treat that you missed.
Then there was Vincent as the Man of God, he ministered to his family. Because Vincent would pray at anytime. He would pray so long and so hard that we would have to say amen to end the prayer.
Vincent as the Man of God, he took care of his family. Vincent would guard his nieces and nephews to the best of his abilities.
Vincent as the Man of God, he would praise God regardless of who else didn’t praise God. Jesus Wept.
?But perhaps Jesus cried not only for the family but perhaps he cried because he too had suffered a loss. Understand, Lazarus was His friend. It is possible that Jesus had traveled with him, eaten with him, shared common interest, and had a close friendship with him. However, the friend of Jesus was now gone. And that relationship had been broken, so, possibly Jesus felt the pain of losing a friend and, “Jesus wept.” Vincent had some friends that loved him dearly, so I see why you are weeping.
Maybe just maybe Jesus wept because he knew that he had to bring Lazarus back to this wicked world. This world where people will lie on you, back to this world where people will scandalize your name and do all matter of evil against you, back a world where he was continuing making doctors appointments, a world where bills were steadily stacking up. I don’t know but I do know this one thing and that is that he wept. In a world where people would lie on you. And what I have learned is when you are alive, people will lie on you, and when you are dead people will lie for you.
?But there maybe there was one other reason why Jesus cried. For Jesus knew that He Himself would soon face death.
And he knew that there would be so much pain and sorrow among his own family and friends. For you see, death is a conclusion to our lives in this world. And one day each one of us will face the reality of death eventually.
It may be that many of us will be orphaned by death before our time comes. But the reality is that loved ones will be left behind. And the pain and sorrow at each of our deaths will be present. And so, “Jesus wept.”
But maybe it wasn’t because of family, maybe it wasn’t because of lost, but maybe just maybe it was because of verse 33, because in verse 33 it say’s When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled.
But this is the verse that became intriguing to me because something miraculous was about to happen. In verse 34 He asked the question; Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see. 35 Jesus wept.
The Bible said that Jesus went to the tomb of his friend Lazarus, where he found Lazarus dead and buried. And he told them to roll back the stones.
This is where I began to shout, because it was at this point that the scriptures proclaim, that in Jesus there is the power of life. For I heard Inez Andrews says in her song (Oh Mary don’t you weep) that he called his name he said Lazarus (3) and then I can hear Lazarus saying hush, hush, hush somebody calling my name.
I heard that Jesus spoke the words and Lazarus rose from the grave. Bound hand and foot with crave cloths on, and Jesus spoken to the clothing and said loose him and let him go.
And that gives me hope because if Jesus can raise his friend Lazarus from the grave, then He can raise us as well. And so it is proclaimed by Jesus when he says, “He who believes in me will not be disappointed.”??Yes, today is a day of weeping: for the lost of our family member (our brother and a loss of your friend), but I’m here to tell you that there will be a day of rejoicing for those who know Jesus Christ.
And I stop by to tell you don’t worry about Vincent, because on the other day I heard that Jesus stop by his room the other days and he wept, but again that’s not how the story ends.
Since there were no stone I heard him said roll back the sheet and he called his name Vincent come on, I have another home that not built by mans hands, come on because in this new home, there will be no doctors, come because in this new home there will be not more lying, come on because up here the wicked shall cease from troubling and the wearied shall be at rest, and all of the Saints of the ages will sit at his feet and be blessed.
So, I came to tell you all, it alright to cry, but let them be tears of joy, because one of these old days we will see him again, in that great getting up morning. And I’ve got one question to ask you will you be there.
And while we are waiting the Lord will take good care of us. How do you know Spies?
I know because the Lord we serve:
They crucified him before lunch
He died before dinner
And he got up before breakfast
And declared that he has ALLLLLLL POWERRRRRR IN HANDS!!!!!!!!!!!
But there’s one more things about Vincent and that is Vincent loved to sing
And I can just hear my brother saying “Heaven is a beautiful place, because the Bible tells me so, where two rivers run through the middle, and the streets are paved with gold.”
So all I want to say my brother I’m not saying good bye I’m just saying I’ll see you later. Is there any one else looking to see him later.
