John 11:28-35

John 11:28-35 And after she had said this, she 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. Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met 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. When 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.” When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. “Where have you laid him?” he asked. “Come and see, Lord,” they replied. Jesus wept.

Jesus wept with great sorrow for the scene around him. His beloved Lazarus lay in the grave, Mary and Martha placed their broken hearts at Jesus's feet, and friends and relatives who loved this family joined them in their grief. Prior to this event, Jesus probably viewed many other graveyard scenes. Did he cry at all of them? Perhaps, but the Word discloses that on this day, Jesus was deeply moved in spirit and troubled as He cried sorrowful tears. Did he cry from empathetic love for Mary and Martha or out of compassion for the despair of the people over Lazarus' death? Surely, Jesus understood the sisters' feeling that death would not have entered their household if He been there to save Lazarus. They possessed great faith in him. But Jesus knew death is the master of the sinful body of all people; yet even while weeping, Jesus understood God had a plan that would accomplish much more than free Lazarus from his grave clothes. Yes, Jesus wept! To reveal his godliness, He raised Lazarus from the dead, but only to succumb to death once more later on in his life. He knew Martha, Mary, and all the grieving relatives and friends would also take that journey to the grave. He knew the hopelessness of life without the hope of the Great Resurrection. He knew his own life would experience death and the grave for the salvation of all.

Jesus knew all of this; yet he persistently served people with all of his being, for within his breast dwelt a great hope: his Father would rescue him and all who would turn to him from eternal death. He knew an amazing reunion would take place someday, and heaven was the appointed place of meeting. In Acts 2 Peter said: David said about him: I saw the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will live in hope, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay. You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence. In the natural, death and sin reign over the body unless we have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus. Jesus knew what He faced in his journey to the cross and what his agonizing crucifixion required to bring victory over sin and death; yet He also knew He came to fulfill a wonderful salvation plan that would set mankind free for all time. Satan would no longer bind us to this contaminated Earth with all its pain and sorrow. All who would call upon the name of Jesus would be FREE AT LAST. WE WHO KNOW HIM THIS DAY ARE FREE! We who know who Christ is in us and who we are in him are not subject even to the laws of nature, no longer held down by gravity, For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17)

We represent God's holy ones; He will not abandon us in the grave. He has freed us to sit in heavenly places in Christ. There will be no more JESUS WEPT when we reign with him in glory. Jesus keeps his promises: He said, I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. (John 14:18-20) Given these precious promises, we can boldly stand upon the word of truth that says: I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed — in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” May we walk in truth and life of our Lord today!

Today our beloved daughter-in-law, Jennifer, our son, Doug, their precious children, and her dear parents and family are saying good-bye to a cherished grandma. Our hearts go out to them with love and prayers in their sorrow. We think of them as we send out this breakfast and pray that the God of all comfort will touch their hearts and minds as only He can and hold them close in his loving arms.