Daily Dose of the Word of God - John 11: 32-37

Gregg DeMey, Lead Pastor

Transcript

Gregg DeMey  0:00 

 
Good morning and welcome to Elmhurst CRC's Daily Dose of the Word of God. It's Thursday, March 13, and this is Gregg DeMey, Lead Pastor at the church. It's the season of Lent as we journey with Jesus toward Jerusalem and the cross, diving deep into the Gospel of John, chapters 11 through 13. Today's reading is from John 11, 32 through 37.

Gregg DeMey  0:28  

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.  Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”  But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”

Gregg DeMey  1:06  

In John chapter 11, Jesus' human nature is on full display. First, Jesus has to bear the painful observation of his dear friend Mary, who says, "If you were just here sooner, Lazarus would soon be alive." She's saying, "It's kind of your fault!" And when Jesus saw Mary's tears and the weeping of the other friends, he was moved in spirit - like physically shuddering, moved and troubled. When Jesus came to the tomb where Lazarus had been buried, he cried too. What do you suppose were the thoughts and the feelings behind those tears? It's the shortest verse in the entire Bible -John 11:35 - "Jesus wept." Just two words, but they say volumes about the love of God in Jesus. God enters into our sorrow and grief. God isn't at a distance, it's exactly the opposite. God spent nine months in a womb like every other human who's been born. God had to grow up. God had human siblings who didn't understand. God in Jesus had a friend who died too young - a friend named Lazarus - at the graveside, God in Jesus cried tears too.

Gregg DeMey  2:27  

Do you ever struggle to believe that God understands and cares about all the stuff of our lives? The little triumphs and causes for gratitude? The small failures and defeats that can so easily weigh our spirits down? If you struggle to believe that God's interest in love extends all the way to the smallest details of your life, remember these two little words: Jesus wept. They speak volumesabout the depth of the love that Jesus has for us.

Gregg DeMey  2:59  

Let's pray. Oh God, we worship you today because in Jesus, you made yourself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant - becoming human like us. You humbled yourself by becoming obedient to death on a cross. Because of that, you are exalted to the highest place and have a name that is above every name - the name of Jesus. Every knee should bow in heaven, in earth and under the earth. Let our tongues and hearts acknowledge today that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Amen.