Jesus Wept

You probably know that John 11:35 is the shortest verse in the Bible. It packs a punch!  John writes two words that echo across the years – from the Garden of Eden to the tomb of Lazarus, to the end of this age:  “Jesus wept.”

This powerful verse describes what Jesus Christ did during an emotionally charged event – a funeral.  What makes this so unusual?  After all, people often cry at funerals.  Yes, but on this occasion we see God crying at a funeral.  Many suggest He cried because His good friend Lazarus had died.  And that may be partly true; however, I believe He cried for reasons that go much deeper.

First of all, Jesus Christ did not simply cry – He wailed.  His eyes were more than moist.  An emotional dam broke deep within the Master, as tears cascaded down His face and a loud moan overrode the already high-pitched sounds of paid mourners. 

Surely, our Savior’s thoughts traveled back in time to the Garden of Eden.  He recalled the very moment when Adam and Eve disobeyed God   He watched as human perfection was overturned by sin, then, sickness and ultimately death. He saw the ugliness of sin played out on the stage of human history.  He stood alongside Lazarus’ two grief-stricken sisters outside the tomb, now four days occupied; and He wept! 

Perhaps He thought, “This was never meant to be.  This was never the Father’s plan.  It did not have to be this way.”  Then, with righteous anger, the Lord commanded the rock to be moved; and in a voice that blasted Satanic strongholds, said, “Lazarus, come forth!” 

Immediately, resurrection life flowed through a wrapped corpse long affected by rigor mortis and Lazarus walked out!  I personally believe that had Jesus Christ not specifically said “Lazarus,” multitudes that died in faith since Adam’s time would have risen as well! 

Several days later, Jesus would go to Jerusalem, endure six trials – three of them mock and illegal; be savagely beaten, hung on a cruel cross and die.  Three days later, the “Resurrection and life” would rise from the dead, defeating death and hell.  Death died that day!  What happened outside of Lazarus’ tomb was a precursor to the hope that’s ours who have placed our faith and trust in Jesus’ saving grace.

The risen Son of God still weeps at funerals, but now He weeps over those who reject His finished work on the cross and who forfeit resurrection power that makes possible eternal life with Christ.  Don’t reject the resurrected Christ!

The Cross-Stitch

In all probability, March 7 holds little or no significance for you.  It’s just another day.  However, our lives were forever altered on March 7, 1995.  My wife’s parents left home that morning never to return.  They were involved in a fatal car crash.

My in-laws were pastors.  They left home that dismal, rainy morning to make a hospital call in Indianapolis, Indiana.  Just south of Frankfurt another minister ran a stop sign and broadsided them, forcing their car into the side of a waiting eighteen wheeler at the four-way stop.  Dad died on impact and Mom succumbed to her injuries five weeks later.

Accidents change our lives forever.  No one is ever ready for such news. 

In a split second we lost dad, grandpa, son, brother, pastor, mentor and friend to many.  Mom planned his funeral then lapsed into a coma when she heard that his service and committal were over.  After a thirty-five day hospital vigil, the family also laid mom to rest.    

No one fully understands or explains tragedy.  Bad things happen to wonderful people.  It rains on the just and the unjust.  Even Job, perhaps the Bible’s premiere example of suffering, remained clueless as to the “why’s.”  Chuck Swindoll wrote, “God is too kind to do anything cruel, too wise to make a mistake, and too deep to explain Himself.”  At times, the faith walk leads us into inexplicable depths. 

Dale and Jean Owens were preparing to celebrate their 40^th wedding anniversary on Saturday.  The accident occurred on Tuesday, when celebration turned to mourning.  Even though March 7, 2018 will mark 23 years since the accident, it still hurts to think about it.  My wife’s grandmother said at Dad’s funeral, “It’s just not right.  Parents should never have to bury their children.”

A cross-stitch wall hanging in our home depicts a winter scene with trees and a full moon in the background.  My mother-in-law gave it to me for Christmas in 1986.  The inscription on the back reads, “To Roger.  When this you see, think of me.”

I still fight back tears when I look at it.  And oh, how I miss them.  This cross-stitch is a bittersweet reminder of better days.  Have you lost a loved one?  Do painful memories continue to well up inside when you think back? 

I still remember walking away from two fresh graves, contemplating the many ways that Mom and Dad Owens impacted my life.  I was privileged to be their son-in-law for 19 years.  The pastor who officiated their wedding 40 years prior said, “Look, there’s ‘Resurrection Row.’”  Today four graves line side by side – my in-laws, and my wife’s maternal grandparents.  All of them awaiting the trumpet blast:  “For the Lord Himself will descend 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…” (1 Thessalonians 4:16).

This priceless cross-stitch wall hanging still incites me to sadness, but then my heart fills with resurrection joy, as I’m reminded that some day there’s going to be a meeting in the air.  Mom and Dad, along with saints from across the ages, will rise first before those alive on the earth at the time – to meet Jesus in the air.  I plan to be in that meeting!                  

The Dash

None of us are going to get out of here alive, unless the Rapture occurs!  One day, as surely as the sun rises in the East and sets in the West, we will “go the way of all the earth” (1 Kings 2:2a).  When our time comes, it won’t matter how much money we have in the bank, what kind of home we live in or the make and model of our car.  Someone said, “I’ve never seen a hearse pulling a U-Haul!”  Only one thing will matter on that day:  A personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

The following poem was written by an anonymous writer, which beautifully conveys what’s really important when we leave this earth.

I’m Glad You’re in My Dash

I read of a man who stood to speak

At the funeral of a friend.

Her referred to the dates on her tombstone

From the beginning to the end.

He noted that first came her date of birth,

And spoke of the following dates with tears.

But he said what mattered most of all

Was the dash between those years.

For that dash represents all the time

That she spent alive on earth…

And now only those who loved her

Know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not how much we own…

The cars…the house…the cash.

What matters is how we live and love

And how we spend our dash.

So think about this long and hard…

Are there things you’d like to change?

For you never know how much time is left,

That can still be rearranged.

If we could just slow down enough

To consider what’s true and real,

And always try to understand

The way other people feel.

And be less quick to anger,

And show appreciation more

And love the people in our lives

Like we’ve never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect

And more often wear a smile…

Remembering that this special dash

May last only a little while.

So, when your eulogy’s being read

With your life’s actions to rehash…

Would you be proud of the things they say

About how you spent your dash?

Remember, life is not as much about how many years you live, but how you live your years.  What stories will your dash tell?  As for me, I choose to give my years to Jesus, and touch as many lives as I can.

Regardless of how many years I’m given, I want always to “look to the rock from which I was cut, and to the quarry from which I was hewn” (Isaiah 51:1b).  I’ve learned that an occasional glance backwards helps me keep today in a balanced perspective.  However, I dare not look back too long, as I may get stuck in the past!  Some traditions are good, but generally speaking, tradition is where God was.  I want to be where God is!

Why not take a few moments to reflect back over your life?  Who has touched you in amazing ways?  If they’re still around, let them know!  What events and places have shaped you?  Re-visit them, if only in your mind.  In the near future, I plan to drive by my childhood home on Maple Road in Jefferson; and then to my maternal grandparents’ home on Anderson Road in Pierpont.  Two places that shaped my life!