Jesus is there

"Jesus wept"

John 11The Message (MSG)

The Death of Lazarus

11 1-3 A man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. This was the same Mary who massaged the Lord’s feet with aromatic oils and then wiped them with her hair. It was her brother Lazarus who was sick. So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Master, the one you love so very much is sick....”

5-7 Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, but oddly, when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed on where he was for two more days. After the two days, he said to his disciples, “Let’s go back to Judea.”

8 They said, “Rabbi, you can’t do that. The Jews are out to kill you, and you’re going back?”

9-10 Jesus replied, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Anyone who walks in daylight doesn’t stumble because there’s plenty of light from the sun. Walking at night, he might very well stumble because he can’t see where he’s going.”

11 He said these things, and then announced, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep. I’m going to wake him up.”

12-13 The disciples said, “Master, if he’s gone to sleep, he’ll get a good rest and wake up feeling fine.” Jesus was talking about death, while his disciples thought he was talking about taking a nap.

14-15 Then Jesus became explicit: “Lazarus died. And I am glad for your sakes that I wasn’t there. You’re about to be given new grounds for believing. Now let’s go to him.”

16 That’s when Thomas, the one called the Twin, said to his companions, “Come along. We might as well die with him.”

17-20 When Jesus finally got there, he found Lazarus already four days dead. Bethany was near Jerusalem, only a couple of miles away, and many of the Jews were visiting Martha and Mary, sympathizing with them over their brother. Martha heard Jesus was coming and went out to meet him. Mary remained in the house.

21-22 Martha said, “Master, if you’d been here, my brother wouldn’t have died. Even now, I know that whatever you ask God he will give you.”

23 Jesus said, “Your brother will be raised up.”

24 Martha replied, “I know that he will be raised up in the resurrection at the end of time.”

25-26 “You don’t have to wait for the End. I am, right now, Resurrection and Life. The one who believes in me, even though he or she dies, will live. And everyone who lives believing in me does not ultimately die at all. Do you believe this?”

27 “Yes, Master. All along I have believed that you are the Messiah, the Son of God who comes into the world.”

28 After saying this, she went to her sister Mary and whispered in her ear, “The Teacher is here and is asking for you.”

29-32 The moment she heard that, she jumped up and ran out to him. Jesus had not yet entered the town but was still at the place where Martha had met him. When her sympathizing Jewish friends saw Mary run off, they followed her, thinking she was on her way to the tomb to weep there. Mary came to where Jesus was waiting and fell at his feet, saying, “Master, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

33-34 When Jesus saw her sobbing and the Jews with her sobbing, a deep anger welled up within him. He said, “Where did you put him?”

34-35 “Master, come and see,” they said. Now Jesus wept.

36 The Jews said, “Look how deeply he loved him.”

37 Others among them said, “Well, if he loved him so much, why didn’t he do something to keep him from dying? After all, he opened the eyes of a blind man.”

38-39 Then Jesus, the anger again welling up within him, arrived at the tomb. It was a simple cave in the hillside with a slab of stone laid against it. Jesus said, “Remove the stone.”

The sister of the dead man, Martha, said, “Master, by this time there’s a stench. He’s been dead four days!”

40 Jesus looked her in the eye. “Didn’t I tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?”

41-42 Then, to the others, “Go ahead, take away the stone.”

They removed the stone. Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and prayed, “Father, I’m grateful that you have listened to me. I know you always do listen, but on account of this crowd standing here I’ve spoken so that they might believe that you sent me.”

43-44 Then he shouted, “Lazarus, come out!” And he came out, a cadaver, wrapped from head to toe, and with a kerchief over his face.

Jesus told them, “Unwrap him and let him loose.”

45 That was a turnaround for many of the Jews who were with Mary. They saw what Jesus did, and believed in him. 

This passage of scripture resonates deeply 

Jesus is all powerful and all knowing and all love

He cares deeply for us and feels all our pain

our suffering

our devastation

our grief and loss

but he does not do what we desperately cry out to him to do

He who could have saved

could have prevented this

did not

how to reconcile believing in him

with horrible, senseless, seemingly random suffering and tragedy

that he has the power and control to change
or to prevent

O Lord, I know you are good

you love all

you want to heal, restore, change, transform

thank you, we can come to you with our burning and painful questions

with our anger and devastation

our shattering grief and loss

We are so vulnerable and powerless

But you are near to the broken hearted

to those who are crushed

and devastaed

What you want to give us is belief in you

this seems like nothing when we are in such pain 

But you are the one we need the deepest and the most

No one else can come into the deepest soul like you

There is no real comfort or hope apart from you

Help us to not shut you our in our anger and pain

Help us to not blindly run away from you our only true help

Seek us

pour out your spirit on us

help us to come to you and open all of our hearts to you

to let the sealing stone be rolled away

Whatever is happening around us

You are inviting us to come to you

to know you in the midst 

of even this

"When my heart is overwhelmed within me,

lead me to the rock that is higher than i."

Psalm 61:2

You, Lord are higher than I

You, Lord are that rock

that is higher, stronger, than anything I can know and understand

Bring me to you

even in this

Thank you, you came into the midst of our suffering and humanity

You are the man of sorrows and acquainted with grief

Isaiah 53International Children’s Bible (ICB)

53 Who would have believed what we heard?
    Who saw the Lord’s power in this?
2 He grew up like a small plant before the Lord.
    He was like a root growing in a dry land.
He had no special beauty or form to make us notice him.
    There was nothing in his appearance to make us desire him.
3 He was hated and rejected by people.
    He had much pain and suffering.

People would not even look at him.
    He was hated, and we didn’t even notice him.

4 But he took our suffering on him
    and felt our pain for us.
We saw his suffering.
    We thought God was punishing him.
5 But he was wounded for the wrong things we did.
    He was crushed for the evil things we did.
The punishment, which made us well, was given to him.
    And we are healed because of his wounds.

6 We all have wandered away like sheep.
    Each of us has gone his own way.
But the Lord has put on him the punishment
    for all the evil we have done.

7 He was beaten down and punished.
    But he didn’t say a word.
He was like a lamb being led to be killed.
    He was quiet, as a sheep is quiet while its wool is being cut.
    He never opened his mouth.
8 Men took him away roughly and unfairly.
    He died without children to continue his family.
He was put to death.
    He was punished for the sins of my people.
9 He was buried with wicked men.
    He died with the rich.
He had done nothing wrong.
    He had never lied.

10 But it was the Lord who decided
    to crush him and make him suffer.
    So the Lord made his life a penalty offering.
But he will see his descendants and live a long life.
    He will complete the things the Lord wants him to do.
11 He will suffer many things in his soul.
    But then he will see life and be satisfied.
My good servant will make many people right with God.
    He carried away their sins.
12 For this reason I will make him a great man among people.
    He will share in all things with those who are strong.
He willingly gave his life.
    He was treated like a criminal.
But he carried away the sins of many people.
    And he asked forgiveness for those who sinned.

The High Priest Who Cried Out in Pain

14-16 Now that we know what we have—Jesus, this great High Priest with ready access to God—let’s not let it slip through our fingers. We don’t have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He’s been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin. So let’s walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help.

Hebrews 4:14-16 The Message