The World Trade Center...the Murrah building in
Oklahoma City...Columbine High school...
The list of names that fill the obituary columns daily...
We try not to notice. But sometimes you can’t help but
notice...when the tragedy is as big as the New York skyline
or as close as the passing of a loved one. There is always
that awkward “I don’t know what to say” feeling that
causes us to send flowers instead of placing a phone call.
But, as awkward as it is, perhaps I could entice you to join
me at yet another funeral this morning...
The air is arrid and dusty. You can’t help but notice how
unbearably hot the soles of your feet grow -- as we walk
together down this well-worn, heavily traveled highway
between Jericho and Jerusalem... It wouldn’t be so bad
except that the we are travelling up-hill. Climbing out of
sea-level with every tiring step.
The Jericho Road.
You hear someone pant, “Why doesn’t someone pave this
road...Would make for much easier walking..” Another
answers gruffly, “We don’t need no Roman Road.”
It seems as if we are going to walk all the way to Jerusalem
as we come to the foot of the Mount of Olives...
stopping at a crossroads.
You look up -- almost straight up --toward the top of the
mount -- . Your feet ache at the thought of climbing that
last leg to the top-- not sure if you’ll last. And even if you
make it to the refreshing decline on the other side that leads
into the Kidron Valley -- You don’t know if you’ll make it
up that last short climb to the great walled-city.
But here, at the crossroad, a cool wave of relief washes over
you.
While you’re shaking the sand and rocks from your
sandals-- you realize that the group leader is heading east
now-- away from that horrible climb...down...down to the
town of Bethany.
For the first time your mind is off your burning feet and and
aching calves -- and you can concentrate on what is going
on around you. Not as many Roman soldiers and foreigners
on this road... A lot more kinsmen...many
merchants...caravans of families...and several animals...but
even with these --traffic is not as heavy as it was on the
Jericho Road...
We are not even close enough to the town to hear the bustle
of the community when you notice a woman walking
quickly toward our company....As she nears -- you see her
face caked with soot and dust...Her clothes rent and torn in
the appropriate places at the appropriate lengths -- for a
person in mourning...
After a brief conversation with your group leader she
re-enters the town...only to return shortly with another
woman at her side...
A brief exchange of words and now we are heading into
Bethany...
As we near the tombs -- whitewashed in limestone -- you
can hear flutes and the sound of psalms pouring out from
the broken hearts of the grieving...you see faces you
recognize --friends, relatives, some
acquaintances...Everyone dotted with ash and dust from
head to foot... Everone wailing with strained voices and
tear-soaked faces...but the loudest are the ones you don’t
recognize... the professional mourners....
“O Lazarus! Blessed Lazarus! May you rest in Abraham’s
bosom! Blessed Lazarus! O Lazarus!”
It is sobering, to say the least, as you watch your own loved
ones covered in ash beating their chests... wailing in
gut-wrenching sorrow...broken in grief...especially Mary --
her torment gushes from within so powerfully -- her body
heaves with every draining wail -- trembles with every gasp
for air.
But your heart stops -- as you turn to one side -- turning
directly into the face of Jesus... Looking full into those
tear-drenched, swollen eyes of God... sobbing...
sobbing in uncontrollable heart-break as he looks on Mary.
A man of sorrow...acqainted with grief...The sorrowing --
suffering Savior...
Jesus wept.
Most of you will remember how the story goes -- for those
who are unfamiliar with it -- it has a wonderful ending.
Over top of all those other human voices crying out the
name of Lazarus -- only to the voice of one man do the
dead respond... Only one man...One voice...One authority.
“Lazarus! Come Forth!”
Lazarus lived again.
Thanks a lot Jesus! What am I supposed to do with this?
My friends....relatives....friends of my relatives are
grieving...heart-broken...
Lord, they’ve just lost their children to angry, bitter young
men with pipe-bombs and sub-machine guns...All within
the safety of a 10’ chain link fence...the parameters of
school zone signs...over watched by dozens of adult
supervisors and educators.
Lord, the tornado just ripped that 3 month old baby from its
mother’s arms...
Lord, she carried the child 9 months...the nursery is all
prepared...Noah’s Ark on the wall...Stuffed animals in the
crib..pretty pink trim and satin lace...But that precious little
still born baby girl never left the hospital...From maternity
to morgue...
Everything we are spiritually we find in the person of Jesus.
It is His spirit in us that enables us to bear the name--
Christian...
It is His church. He was its first and finest Teacher...first
and best Preacher...its greatest Pastor...everything we do is
wrapped up in His spirit...His direction...His word...His
action...
He is the model for every act worthy to be called Christian.
The World around us is suffering....It’s
crying....grieving...It’s falling apart in emotional
turmoil...the pain is everywhere you look and everywhere
you look is pain...
So we look to the Word of God --into the Gospel of John--
and say, Lord, how can I help the hurting all around
me...Where can I turn when I’m hurting...
We do our word search and cleverly find a passage that
addresses Jesus at a friend’s funeral.
AHA! THIS will help me! I’ll find some comfort there for
sure!
All seems attainable...believable...comforting...
until Jesus changes hands from the suffering savior to the
resurrecting Lord....
Lazarus lived again.
What am I supposed to do with this, Lord?
I have never raised a man, woman, or child from the dead...
I believe it is safe to assume none of you have either...
Did He leave us with no model for ministering to the
broken, grieving lives around us?
Or did he?
I believe if we look deeper into this passage we will find
the heart of Christian care bound up in the character of
Christ --
Companionship--Comfort-- and Compassion.
We don’t hear much about it these days. The concept of
someone who is the Son of God has been elavated to such a
lofty state that we forget he was also called the Son of Man.
That was Jesus’ prophetic title...It was the nickname he
picked for himself. He liked that name. Jesus was a man.
Human. And more than that --- he was a likable person.
Jesus was a man that people enjoyed being around.
More than just the life of the party...More than just the
Lawyer or Medical Doctor within a circle of friends who is
bombarded with calls for free advice...
Jesus wasn’t just the guy you wanted to be around -- he was
the guy you wanted around...
The friendships Jesus’ fostered kindled hot in the hearts of
those who loved Him...
Probably because HE loved them first -- and better than
they could ever hope to reciprocate.
If someone offered him bread -- He fed 5.000 to their fill...
If someone gave him honor -- He made them whole...
If someone granted him trust -- He gave them new life.
Is it any wonder we read in verses 3 and 7&8:
“Lord the one you love is sick...Then He said to His
disciples, ‘Let us go back to Judea.’
‘But Rabbi, they said, ‘a short while ago the Jews tried to
stone you, and yet you are going back there?’”
Jesus is saying, “I don’t care what harm might come to
me---
It doesn’t matter about me-- My friends are in need
My true friends are hurting -- and I’m going back there...
Verse 15: “...Let us go to him.”
I believe Jesus would have gone alone...I really believe
that...
Otherwise we wouldn’t see the remark of consensus made
by Thomas in verse 16 -- speaking to the rest of the
disciples:
“Let us go also, that we may die with Him.”
And this leads us to another interesting discovery.
In spite of the danger to his own life -- Jesus is headed back
toward Jerusalem -- going into harm’s way to the town of
Bethany...
Thomas says, “yeah, we’re all gonna die -- but if we’re
gonna die -- I want to die with you, Jesus... I want to die
with you.”
No one dies for an acquaintence...
You won’t hear a conversation like this among high school
kids
“You know Bill?”
“Who?”
“You know, the guy I introduced you to last night at the
party?”
“Oh yeah, red-hair, nice truck..”
“No--no...dark hair, little mustache..”
“Oh yeah!”
“Well he had an accident last night. Drinking and
driving...killed on impact...”
“Oh man...that’s horrible...It should’ve been me...”
No one dies for a teacher...
When someone reduces Jesus to a great teacher like
Confucious or Socrates--- I am quick to point out that Plato
never took that poison cup for Socrates. But every apostle--
to the man -- gave his life for Jesus.
You will forfeit your life for one that you love.
Built into the character of Christ was unconditional
companionship.
Faithful to His friends in the face of danger -- even to death
on a cross
So powerful that it forged new friendships faithful to
Himself -- even to a martyr’s death.
Jesus! It’s suicide! It’s foolish! You’re gonna get yourself
killed! But if you’re gonna go -- we’re going too...
Intentional friendship.
Intentional friendship is friendship forged in the fire of
commitment. Trustworthy...Loyal...Committed...Faithful to
a fault...A promise kept even to your own
hurt...disgrace...disrespect...
A vow honored to your own torment...
Intentional friendship.
Intentional friendship is companionship like Christ.
Of course there is more at work here than just good solid
friendship...
Thomas, you may remember, was the disciple who needed
to see the nailprints in His hands -- the wound in His side--
before he could believe Jesus was raised from the dead.
And before we jump into our tradition of Thomas-bashing
Remember that “Doubting Thomas” leads us to a very
important insight...
You see, not only was Thomas willing to follow Jesus into
a hail storm of spite, spit and stones from the pharisees
beause he loved him --
But because he knew -- just as he did in that upper room --
There is comfort in the presence of Jesus.
Martha knew it. She came running to meet Jesus before He
had even reached the town.
Mary knew it too...
Verse 28-31:
[Martha] went back and called her sister Mary aside. “The
Teacher is here,” she said, “and is asking for you.” When
Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him...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.”
Mary had remained in the house when Martha went out to
meet Jesus. Mary was the emotional one... After 4 days she
continued to weep...It is interesting to note the difference in
the two sisters...No one supposed anything about practical,
pragmatic Martha as she left the house -- just figured she
was going to take care of some business...But when a
sobbing, sorrowing scrambled to her feet and ran out the
door --- They supposed she was going to the grave-site.
Mary was a mess. She was taking it hard. For four days
she had tried to find comfort in her brothers’ final resting
place...For four days she mourned to the point of
despair...So when she ran out the door, they just assumed
where she was headed.
There is comfort for despair. Comfort for the hurting.
Mary knew where she had to go...
They supposed she was going to the tomb --- But she was
going to Jesus...
Never underestimate the power of presence. For the
hurting there is no answer...there are no solutions.
It is said, “Suffering, sometimes, is a mystery.”
You can no more fix a broken soul with good advice,
similar experience, or excellent intentions than you can
solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum.
But there is comfort in the presence of Jesus.
If that spirit of Christ is in you -- the most powerful thing
you can give to a person in emotional distress or crisis is
your support demonstrated in presence and empathy.
If Christ is in you and you are with them -- Christ is there
with them...
Comfort like Christ is a presence that brings peace.
True story:
A little girl was late coming home from school one day.
Her mother paced the floor until she finally arrived -- 15
minutes late--
How many times have I told you -- You come directly
home from school! I was worried sick! Don’t you ever
make me worry like that again!
--No mommy -- you don’t understand...”
What don’t I understand?
-- Today was Show and Tell and Jamie brought a china doll
her grandma gave her...
I don’t care how nice a doll Jamie had -- you don’t stay to
play-- you come straight home!
--No No mommy you don’t understand...
Understand what?
When we were walking home some boys were mean to us.
Jamie dropped the doll and it broke on the sidewalk...And I
stayed to help Jamie...”
“Oh honey -- that is so sweet that you stayed behind to help
Jamie fix her doll -- but you still need to come straight
home...”
No No No mommy! It was broke so bad we couldn’t fix it!
I stayed to help Jamie cry...”
O that we would have a heart like that --
That we would remember that God does not call us to raise
the dead or piece back together shattered china dolls --
but to be Christ in the presence of the broken...and to help
them cry.
Verse 33-35:
When Jesus saw her weeping...he was deeply moved in
spirit and troubled.
“Where have you laid him?” him asked. “Come and see
Lord,” they replied.
Jesus wept.
If there is comfort in the presence of Jesus there must also
certainly be compassion.
We can never be allowed to forget that it was the great
Divine compassion that motivated God to become a man ---
to offer Himself as the one final sacrifice for the sins of
man...To come as one who would redeem us from the high
cost of sin....To save us from death...to reconcile us back to
Him.
It is His will that none would perish but that everyone
would have eternal life..
The Great Divine Sympathy for the plight of mankind...
It is an act in two parts that played itself out on a cross...and
an empty tomb.
So that now we have a high priest who intercedes for us
before the throne of God.
A high priest able to sympathize with us -- to our most
human weakness and fear.
He has known hunger, anxiety, temptation...he even
experienced death...
And he even knows the broken heart that accompanies the
loss of a loved one.
But this show --this fantastic drama-- The Great Divine
Sympathy-- has gone on the road...
It has played in every city, every town, every rural
community -- everywhere there are human souls -- this
show has been seen for almost 2000 years.
It goes on...starring you and me...
What is it that makes your heart break for people you’ve
never known...
Sure. We can identify -- we’ve known suffering too...
What moves us out of ourselves--- out of our own
circumstances into their tragedy?
What is it that motivates us to remove ourselves from
places of comfort or prominence --
to places of despair to show compassion to the hurting?
Nothing but the Divine Sympathy of Jesus Christ igniting
our human empathies...
His spirit in us -- broken hearted...sobbing...tormented by
the torment of others...
Compassion like Christ is compassion that encompasses the
whole human race caring for every human concern.
If you cannot catch the implied meaning here...take it
directly from the letters of the Apostle Paul
In Galatians chapter 6: “Carry each other’s burdens, and in
this way you will fulfill the Law of Christ.”
Fulfill the Law of Christ by bearing each other’s burdens:
Foster new, strong friendships --- pour your whole self into
those relationships -- be faithful to a fault.
Get to know others....Let them know you.
Bring comfort. Be a peaceful presence. Calm...
Caring...Concerned...
But most of all be compassionate. Do not compare scars
with the wounded...Just remember the pain when you got
them...Bind the wounds of others like you wished someone
would have bound yours...
Leave the stone alone.
Don’t try to roll it away...or raise their dead...or glue shards
of broken promises back together...
Do only what Jesus did first ---
Jesus wept.
