"From the Pulpit" - reflections on the weekly texts, from Pastor Greg at Living Lord Lutheran Church Vero Beach, FL
When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. 34 He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus began to weep. 36 So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” 37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”
38 Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. 39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days.” 40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” 41 So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, “Father, I thank you for having heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.” 43 When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 T he dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”
from the gospel for Sunday, November 3rd, 2024 All Saints Sunday. John 11:32-44
"96 Tears"
Grace to you, and peace, from God our Father, and the LORD Jesus Christ. Some of you may remember that song above, from the mid '60's by Question Mark and the Mysterians. That's right. That's the name of the group.
Too many teardrops for one heart to be cryin'
Too many teardrops for one heart to carry on
(you know, so many songs from the sixties I could never understand the words, and this was one of them, until I just now looked the words up...go figure. I knew it was something about crying.)
Anyhow, all of the readings for this Sunday (All Saints Sunday) are about tears, and crying, and tears ending, and the like. We remember the saints in our lives, both living and deceased on this day. So lots of references to tears being wiped dry, God being our God, restoration of a better time ahead (although not always right now), and more.
I often think of our gospel for this Sunday, and It's odd, but of all the ways I could talk about Jesus, tears come to my mind first. Just imagine you were in the checkout line at Publix, and someone turns around and asks you what your favorite image of Jesus is. Now, of course, there are lots to choose from. Healer. Teacher. Son of God, Messiah. The fulfillment of God's promise. One who upsets the "norm" at the time, and now. Crucified, buried, and resurrected. But I dare say that the thought of resurrection may not fly with everyone - it didn't then, and it doesn't now, does it?
But for my money, this gospel text today, from this familiar story of Jesus raising Lazarus, is the one I most fondly recall when I think of how I'd describe Jesus to someone else, believer or non believer. And that is this famous quote from John's gospel. Depending on which translation you prefer, "Jesus wept", or the one we typically use on Sundays, "Jesus began to weep." Jesus wept for his best friend, who had just died. Recall from your own experience with the death of a loved one, how you probably wept. Wailed even. Bawled. And still do, for many of you. It's from deep in the gut, this weeping, isn't it? It's uncontrollable - you can't stop it. It comes at inopportune times. The tears just gush out of you. That's my Jesus. The one who weeps at a loved one's death. The one who is deeply moved by human suffering. The one who looks up to the heavens and asks God the same question we might ask God, "Why, Lord?"
You know, there may be more reasons than one here why Jesus is weeping. Perhaps he's weeping because he's angry, tired, frustrated that his community - his best friends, don't get it. They still don't see him as the Messiah despite all his teaching, healing, and the like. These tears would be tears of frustration. You know those kinds of tears probably. You're so angry that it makes you just weep.
And then, there's another reason the tears may be flowing in this story. And that is crying out of fear. Fear of knowing what his fate is. Fear of knowing that he's headed toward his own execution. Talk about dead man walking! I mean, who wouldn't be frightened?
And so for these reasons, the image here of Jesus crying (pick your favorite reason) is the one that day in and day out most endears me to him. Why? Because he's known my tears. He's known my anger at something. He's known my fears and the things that make me just cry. And that endears me to him. He's been where I have been. He's cried as I have cried. He's faced some of the same fears that I have faced. And yet, he still walks dutifully to the cross, with the hope that in doing so, maybe my tears will end. Or that my anguish and grief will be comforted.
Our world is full of tears these days, isn't it? Tears of suffering in the Middle East. Tears of suffering at home with the destruction from horrific hurricanes, with lives forever upended. Tears of uncertainty about our own country's future as we approach an election. And so many more tears as we live in this violent, upsetting world. A world that seems as though it's on the brink. I don't know, maybe it's just me.
I love the resurrection story - the old, old story, of Jesus and his love. Yes, I do. But for me, when it comes to describing something about Jesus that I can share with a non-believer or others, give me the Jesus who weeps. The Jesus who cries. The Jesus who wails. Because just like Lazarus, I know that Jesus weeps for me, too. Thanks be to God. Amen.
"Love Divine, All Loves Excelling"
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