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October 29th

The bible reading today is from John chapter 11. This chapter is about many things and touches my heart on many levels. Such as...” the sickness of Lazarus”. Sickness was common then as it is in our day. Sickness afflicted even the friends of Jesus and their loved ones, even as it does in our lives today.

“The appeal to Jesus for help...” A friend reached out to friend...something in common...an otherworldly fellowship of the heart.

“The death of Lazarus” Death happened to the friend of Jesus, but it wasn't the end for him and it is not the end for us...from death unto life with our eternal Lord and friend.

“The heart brokenness of the family and Jesus...” Humanity and divinity on display in tears.

“Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead...” The “Omnipotent One”, Jesus, showed unequaled power over the last enemy of humankind.

“And the Jewish religious leaders came together to revisit the plot to kill Jesus...” They thought that was their plan...but they were only playing their part in God’s plan of redemption. The glory of God that they could not see or believe...in the death of the rabbi at their longing.

All of this chapter is God speaking right to me today. Especially the shortest in the text...“Jesus wept.”

‭‭John‬ ‭11:35‬ ‭

One of the pictures that God used to prepare me to believe Him for my eternal salvation was the picture of “baby Jesus” lying in a manger in Bethlehem. I had seen it in my nanny’s bible when I was a child. I saw it on many a Christmas card my mother sent to family and friends. I believed the sweet picture was real.

And then Beverly, my High School, and College sweetheart told me that Baby Jesus was “God and human” in the flesh. He suffered like a man...to save me like God.

I'm afraid that over the 50 years of my personal relationship with Jesus I have mostly related to Him as God and not human like me. But every now and then I have come across verses in scripture that dust the Christmas card off and warmly and brightly reveal to me again my Savior in all of his human glory.

Jesus was born of a woman. He grew up as a child. He was obedient to his parents. He increased in stature and wisdom. In manhood, he worked as a tekton, skilled as a mason with stone, and a carpenter, equally skilled in wood. Jesus walked...and he got tired. He hungered and he ate. He tired and he rested and slept.

I remembered today when I recognized his human disappointment in scripture. He was walking from Bethany to Jerusalem with a delightful expectation of eating a fig from a fig tree, only to see that it was not bearing fruit.

Jesus was prophesied to be human. He took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses. His humanity was our humanity to the full, yet without sin. Sin was never an essential to humanity. Remember the garden?

The fact that “Jesus wept” at the tomb of his friend, Lazarus, is one more proof of his absolute humanity. Friendship is normal to man. He wept because he had human friendships.

Men have made many an acquaintance on their life’s journey. But only a special few hold a place of esteem that warrant the descriptive word, friend.

Jesus delighted in the quiet little town of Bethany and his friends’ welcoming home. He loved Mary and Martha and their brother Lazarus.

Jesus retired there often because of their mutual respect and love in friendship that bloomed into sweet and strengthening fellowship. Jesus wept at the grave of his friend...not just for Lazarus’ absence, but for Mary and Marthas’ pain and loss as well.

Jesus was never more human in his emotional attachments than he was that day. Jesus was no unsuffering angel...he was no cherub incapable of grief. Jesus was bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh...doing life with the Father and the Spirit, as would His church one day.

No wonder He wept!

Have a great day