| I've come to respect people who can gracefully accept their mistakes. I think
that it is so difficult for people today to accept wrongdoing. Society places
so much emphasis on success—making the big bucks, living it large, splurging on
toys. Even in light of sin, people are so far removed from admitting sin and
actively pursuing holiness. As we've been studying various passages in college
bible study with PG, a familiar passage in John came up about Lazarus. The
verse that stood out to me was "Jesus wept." It’s such a powerful
verse. While it’s a common bible trivia answer I hadn't previously given it
much thought. Why did Jesus weep? Some say he wept because He loved Lazarus so
much and it pained him to see L dead. Others suggest that it was because Jesus
wept for Mary and Martha's faith. I see it more as the latter.
Jesus wept. Why? What would move him so to cry? I believe he cried for the
people. Why would he cry for Lazarus, knowing that he would raise L from the
dead? That seems superfluous.
32When Mary reached the place where Jesus was
and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, "Lord, if you had been here,
my brother would not have died."33When Jesus saw
her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was
deeply moved in spirit and troubled. 34"Where have
you laid him?" he asked. "Come and see, Lord," they replied.
35Jesus wept.
Mary, Martha
and the Jews all lacked genuine faith. They had the Messiah in their presence
and they were weeping. The people’s weeping was the result of their cry of
hopelessness, but hope was what Jesus was there to offer. How could they not
see it?
Their
religiousness was knowledgeable but it lacked basic faith. While Martha
exemplified her understanding of the rudimentary principles of Jesus'
resurrection, she missed out on the faith aspect of Jesus' gift.
23Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise
again."24Martha answered, "I know he will rise again in the
resurrection at the last day." 25Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection
and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; 26and
whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"
27"Yes, Lord," she told him, "I believe that you are the
Christ,[b] the Son of God, who was to come into the world."
Martha
completely missed out on Jesus’ point. Jesus wasn’t referring to the distant
future; he was referring to the present. God in this context is seen as the God of the
future, but if he is God shouldn’t he be the God of all time, present past and
future? Our God is unique. He is not a distant God who has vaguely given a promise that will be fulfilled in the future. People often see God like this. How do we perceive God? Do we simply trust in God’s future glory, or
only his past glory? Do we see God as a close, intimate God or as some remote example of hope?
We can know
the Bible through and through and we can use excellent rhetoric in presenting God's word,
but our lack of faith in God’s timeless power shines light on our lack of true
faith. I believe this brings the most hurt to Jesus. Each time we move away
from God in lacking genuine faith, I believe that it pains the Lord.
Martha, Mary
may have lacked faith, but if we look at society today we are no better, in fact much worse. I believe that man's actions have become so far extended from Jesus'
example. We are ensnared by pride, insensitivity and an inability to accept our
wrongdoing. Salvation is such a glorious gift. Since we are so feeble in faith,
God provided us a simplified way to come to him.
I too lack the ability to trust in God's eternal power; present, past and future. I too suffer from stubbornness in accepting wrongdoing. I'm trying though; let us all try harder!
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