October 4, 2023

John 11:28-37 (HCSB)
Jesus Shares the Sorrow of Death
28 Having said this, she went back and called her sister Mary, saying in private, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” 29 As soon as she heard this, she got up quickly and went to Him. 30 Jesus had not yet come into the village but was still in the place where Martha had met Him. 31 The Jews who were with her in the house consoling her saw that Mary got up quickly and went out. So they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to cry there. 32 When Mary came to where Jesus was and saw Him, she fell at His feet and told Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died!” 33 When Jesus saw her crying, and the Jews who had come with her crying, He was angry[b] in His spirit and deeply moved. 34 “Where have you put him?” He asked. “Lord,” they told Him, “come and see.” 35 Jesus wept. 36 So the Jews said, “See how He loved him!” 37 But some of them said, “Couldn’t He who opened the blind man’s eyes also have kept this man from dying?”

Nathan Putty
Here we have Jesus coming face to face with a reluctant Mary as she echoes the very same sentiment her sister Martha expressed. “Why weren’t you here?” In what is famously the shortest verse in the Bible (verse 35), Jesus shows just how much He cared for Lazarus, shedding tears of sorrow for His friend’s passing. Now, I know Jesus had a personal connection to Lazarus, but isn’t it comforting to know that our God is a God who loves His children enough to weep for them? I can only imagine He cries when we break His heart in our sin and rebellion. I suppose all we can do is try to be worthy of those tears even though we know we will always fall short. Of course, we can’t end this passage without another echo of humanity’s doubt –the townspeople asking, “Why weren’t you here?” If only they trusted in what we as Christians know: Jesus is always here! We just have to be willing to meet Him.