You are listening to a message from Southwood Presbyterian Church in Huntsville, Alabama.
Our passion is to experience and express grace.
Join us.
Praise the Lord.
Thank you.
Hallelujah.
What a Savior.
Can you just try to wrap your mind around that for a minute?
How amazing it is that the Son of God Himself, the Prince of Heaven, would come to earth not as a famous celebrity,
but when He shows up here, would show up as a man of sorrows.
Isaiah said He would be a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
It's one of the most glorious realities about Jesus, isn't it?
We're going to marvel at it this morning in our passage in John chapter 11.
Last week, we started looking at this story of Lazarus' death and resurrection.
And we considered the reality of death that surrounds not only this story,
but also in very personal and deeply impactful ways surrounds all of our lives.
And we also saw the presence of Jesus who promises wherever He is, there is resurrection and life.
And we'll rejoice in that again next week as Jesus brings Lazarus out of the tomb.
But first, Jesus, after a delay, comes to Bethany and Lazarus' grieving sisters.
And when the King of life is faced with death, how does He respond?
What does He feel?
What will our God do?
We're going to read beginning at verse 28 of John 11.
Kids, I especially want you, as always, to be looking at a Bible.
If you will look at a Bible this morning as I'm reading,
I want you to look out for the shortest verse in the whole Bible.
Right in the middle of this passage is the shortest verse in the whole Bible, okay?
See if you can find it.
It won't last long.
Read with me God's holy word.
When Martha had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying in private,
the teacher is here and is calling for you.
And when she heard it, she rose quickly and went to Him.
Now, Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha had met Him.
When the Jews who were with her in the house consoling her saw Mary rise quickly and go out,
they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there.
Now, when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw Him,
she fell at His feet, saying to Him,
Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.
When Jesus saw her weeping,
and the Jews who had come with her also weeping,
He was deeply moved in His spirit
and greatly troubled.
And He said, where have you laid Him?
They said to Him, Lord, come and see.
Jesus wept.
So the Jews said, see how He loved Him.
But some of them said,
could not He who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?
Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb.
It was a cave,
and a stone lay against it.
And did you see verse 35?
Good.
Jesus wept.
Though it's the shortest verse in the Bible,
kids, that doesn't mean it will be the shortest sermon
about the shortest verse in the Bible.
Okay, I don't want to disappoint you.
Okay?
Though it is the shortest verse in the Bible,
it is also one of the most comforting
and most hopeful verses
in all the Bible.
We're going to contemplate it together this morning
to encounter Jesus.
So let's ask God to help us with that
because nothing, nothing in all our lives
is more important than knowing
and loving and trusting Jesus.
Right?
Let's pray and ask for God's help with that.
Father, would you, by your Spirit,
meet with us this morning?
Jesus, as you did with Mary and Martha,
bringing your comfort to those who are grieving,
would you meet with us?
Would you show us your heart?
might it within us well up in worship,
in gratitude, in comfort, in love for you.
We ask it in your name.
Amen.
I've really been overwhelmed this past week.
By the way, sorry, I know it's weird.
I'm sitting down here.
Just acknowledge the weirdness.
I'll be here for a little while.
Just remarking at the impact of tears in our lives,
of how death has invaded each of our stories
in a lot of different ways.
I've listened to the staff,
to my grace group,
to many of you individually sharing,
as Aaron shared some with us this morning,
of how death has impacted our stories.
And just overwhelming to consider
how much sorrow is in this one room.
There are too many tears in this room this morning
for me to count.
Way more than I know about.
And I want us to sit in that a bit this morning,
as hard and uncomfortable as that sometimes can be for us,
but to sit in the glorious reality
that Jesus wept.
We need to ponder the tears
of God.
That God cries
with us
and let them soak
deep into our hearts.
Before we do that specifically,
let me address briefly
calling them tears of God.
Many focus here in this passage
on Jesus' showing us
His full humanity.
In fact,
His perfect humanity
as He weeps.
And that is certainly true.
But,
we should never separate
that true humanity
from His true,
full divinity.
In fact,
in John's Gospel,
Jesus primarily
reveals God's character to us,
making known to us
the God we have not seen.
Right?
Showing us not merely
godly humanity,
but especially
in fleshed divinity.
That's what Jesus is
doing here.
Jesus certainly exemplifies
what a godly man is.
But here,
He particularly reveals to us
the heart of God.
God,
of course,
God the Father
does not have
physical tears,
but He is
full of emotion.
He's not distant
and unfeeling,
as many have imagined
or asserted,
or as you may have felt
when you were hurting.
When we see Jesus' tears,
we see the heart
of God.
Okay?
And that is,
that is so important to me
because what I want us
to feel this morning
is the God
of the distant heavens
being incredibly
near to us.
That He understands you
and you can,
at least in this bit of Him,
understand Him.
Especially now
and especially
in our tears.
Part of a growing
relationship with God
is understanding
His emotions,
learning how He feels
about us
and life
and death.
So I pray this morning
that the tears of God
will help you
love the heart
of God
more.
There's much
that has been
written,
much that could be said
about the tears
of God
in this passage.
But the text itself
highlights at least
three emotions
that are pictured
in Jesus' tears.
Let's start right
where we're already
reflecting
with God's tears
of empathy.
God cries
with us
which means
we never
cry alone.
never.
Notice
Mary,
she falls
at Jesus'
feet
weeping,
right?
She throws
herself
at His feet
and there are
others
behind her
also.
It's that
moment
that immediately
prompts
Jesus'
strong emotions
culminating
in His tears.
tears.
We'll come
back to the
words for
deeply moved
and greatly
troubled
but for now
notice what
touches
Jesus'
heart.
It's their
tears.
Many of us
have felt
this.
Nothing
makes us
cry
faster than
what?
Someone
else
crying.
Martha
speaks
about
her
hope.
She
comes
to
Jesus
with the
same
words
as Mary
does.
Lord,
if you
had been
here,
my brother
would not
have died.
But then
she speaks
about her
hope and
so Jesus
responds
with words
of hope,
with promises
for her.
Mary
starts with
those very
same words
tears.
But she
ends in
tears.
And Jesus
responds how?
With tears.
Empathy
for her.
Maybe
you've
felt that
way that
Mary felt.
God,
I know
the hope
but I'm
hurting now.
That's where
I am.
In fact,
what I'm
feeling right
now is
why did
you let
this
happen?
If you
had just
been here
Jesus,
it didn't
have to
be like
this.
Don't
you
care?
Jesus
says,
oh yes,
I know.
I care.
Come
here.
Let me
weep
with you.
I've
talked with
enough of
you to
know that
most of
us in
here have
shed tears
at the
grave of
a loved
one
or in
their
hospital
room
or maybe
at their
funeral
service.
We need
to know
Jesus
has
too.
Jesus
tears
at the
grave
of a
loved
one.
Isn't that
good?
Don't we
need to
know it's
not wrong?
it's
not a
lack of
faith.
He's
not
hoping that
we'll
hold it
together.
He's
not
disappointed
that we're
sad.
Friends,
weeping in
the face of
death
does not
indicate
that you
don't find
hope in
the promises
of Jesus.
It's not
what it
means.
Jesus
knows
for sure
that he's
about to
raise
Lazarus,
doesn't
he?
He's
said it
twice
already.
But right
here,
right now,
there's
pain,
anguish,
ache
with those
who are
grieving.
And we
may wonder
why didn't
if Jesus
was going
to raise
Lazarus
from the
dead,
why didn't
he just
skip the
tears and
make it
all better?
I've
learned
this
slowly,
but
sometimes
making a
bad
situation
better
begins
with
sharing
the
pain
of how
bad
it
really
is.
So
here
the
king
with
all
the
power
in
the
world,
the
one
who
is
himself,
the
resurrection
and the
life,
the
word
who
breathed
life
into
mankind
once
upon
a
time,
enters
our
weakness,
shares
our
pain,
sheds
our
tears.
Even
though he
knows he
will wipe
all tears
away one
day,
right?
He knows
they're
rightfully
worth being
cried
today,
this day.
He knows
that even
though Lazarus
is coming
back from
the dead,
there will
be more
tears
to come
and that's
why he
doesn't rush
ahead and
he doesn't
skip to
the hope,
but he
cries in
the pain.
You're
right to
be sad,
he says.
Death
really
is
awful.
I'm
broken
hearted
too.
It's
so
important
to see
the
badness
of
bad
like
death
and our
Savior is
helping us
with that.
Our
merciful
and
faithful
high
priest
sympathizes
with our
weaknesses,
right?
It's what
called us
in to
worship him
this morning.
In fact,
he has
borne
our
griefs,
carried
our
sorrows,
talk about
empathy.
He knows
your
personal
pain
intimately.
His
heart is
moved
by your
grief.
As the
psalmist
reminded us
earlier,
he has
collected
your
tears,
not
overlooked
a one
of them.
He's
counted
them all.
The tears
in this
room may
be too
many for
me to
count.
They
are not
too many
for Jesus
to count.
He knows
every
single
one.
The tears
that drop
unseen
and
unnoticed
from your
eyes
are
always
seen.
Never
forgotten
by him.
Aren't you
so thankful?
Aren't you
so glad
that those
tears you
thought nobody
would see,
he sees.
Listen to
how the
Puritan
pastor
Octavius
Winslow
describes
what is
happening
here when
Jesus
weeps.
the creator
of all
worlds,
the author
of all
beings,
the upholder
of the
universe,
raining
tears of
human woe
and sympathy
upon a
grave.
Oh,
there lives
not a
being in
the universe
who can
enter into
our bereavement
with the
sympathy,
the support,
and the
soothing
of Christ.
brothers and
sisters,
Jesus is
the one
who designed
our tear
ducts,
who shaped
our hearts
to choke
up sometimes,
who formed
our bodies
to experience
and to
express
deep
emotion,
yet he
dwelt in
a place
of perfect
peace,
of total
joy,
of no
tears.
Jesus
could
theoretically
have remained
distant,
shut his
ears to
our cries,
clung to
the riches
and the
comfort and
the happiness
of heaven.
He could
have,
but he
didn't.
the word
became
flesh.
He came
near.
He carried
our sorrows.
He cried
our tears.
Man
of
sorrows.
That same
Jesus
who wept
at Lazarus'
grave
weeps
with us.
I know
now
with a
glorified
body,
but still
if Thomas
could touch
his same
hands
and side,
we can
see the
same
sorrowful
eyes.
We can
catch his
tears
that fell
outside
Lazarus'
tomb
weeping
with us.
What
great
comfort.
He cries
with us
and he
sends us
to comfort
others
with the
comfort
with which
we have
been
comforted,
which I
believe here
means
weeping
with those
who weep.
Empathy
can be
hard.
you don't
always
feel
the exact
same
emotions
as
someone
else.
You go
to a
visitation
or to a
hospital room
and you
don't know
what to
say,
do you?
You may
have to
travel a
great
physical
or quite
likely
emotional
distance
to share
someone
else's
tears.
But when
you do,
what a
gift.
How
God-like.
How
helpful
in showing
his
heart.
So what a
privilege it
is that
you get to
do that,
to weep
with those
who weep.
Yes,
we know
the one
who one
day will
fix it
all and
wipe away
all the
tears.
But that
is one
day.
And today
we know
that same
one and
we know
he weeps
with us.
See
his heart.
Trust
his care.
Rest
in his
tearful
embrace.
God's
tears
of
empathy.
Secondly,
we see
God's
tears
as tears
of
anger.
Certainly
Jesus was
filled
with
compassion,
with
empathy,
but the
words used
to describe
his
emotions
that lead
to the
tears
are clearly
stronger.
harsher.
He is
greatly
troubled,
disturbed,
unsettled,
stirred up
like troubled
waters.
Can you
picture that?
And he's
deeply
moved.
That
translates
a word
that refers
to the
snorting
of a
horse
that's
upset
and wants
to get
at something.
The dust
is stirred
up underneath
it.
anger,
if it's
our
selfish
rage
when we
don't get
our way
that we're
thinking about
may not
help us
here.
But
righteous
indignation
I think
helps paint
the picture
for us.
Jesus
likely
audibly
can't
stand
what he's
faced with.
deep
deep in
his
heart
we're
told
he's
stirred
up
with
indignation
at
what?
Well
simply
stated
at
death.
Some
have said
he's
angry
with
Mary
and the
Jews
for their
unbelief.
I don't
think that
fits
well
here.
To the
extent that
his anger
is connected
to unbelief
it's the
darkness of
death and
the power
that it
holds over
people that
would anger
him.
But both
times we're
told Jesus
is deeply
moved
it's connected
to death.
Lazarus has
died
we're
told.
They
weep.
Jesus
is
stirred
up
and says
where have
you laid
him?
Then as
his tears
begin to
flow
they take
him to
the tomb
itself
face to
face
with death
where again
verse 38
Jesus
is deeply
moved.
The
great
Princeton
theologian
B.B.
Warfield
says what
moved
Jesus
was the
evil
of death.
It's
unnaturalness
it's
violent
tyranny.
He famously
wrote of
this passage
Jesus
burns
with rage
against the
oppressor
of men.
It is
death
that is
the object
of his
wrath
and behind
death
him who
has the
power of
death
and whom
he had
come into
the world
to destroy.
tears
of sympathy
may fill
his eyes
but his
soul
is held
by rage
and he
advances
to the
tomb
as a
champion
who
prepares
for
conflict.
He's
quoting
John
Calvin
there
at the
end.
It is
as though
when he
asks
where
have you
laid
him
Jesus
is
saying
where
is
death
let
me
at
him
just
wait
till
I
get
my
hands
on
him
he
goes
right
to
the
enemy
doesn't
he
Jesus
doesn't
make
friends
with
death
he
doesn't
expect
us
to do
so
he
hates
it
is
after
all
the
pinnacle
of
the
curse
that
has
so
wrecked
his
gloriously
perfect
creation
the
author
of
life
the
lord
of
life
the
giver
of
life
is
indignant
in
the
face
of
death
he
hates
that
it
torments
his
beloved
creatures
the
creator
the
sustainer
the
king
of
all
things
is
indignant
in
the
face
of
death
he
rejects
it
as
an
unwelcome
intruder
into
his
world
and
graciously
and
gloriously
he
is
ready
to
fight
back
as
our
champion
in
fact
he
has
come
to
make
blessing
flow
far
as
the
curse
is
found
and
he
sees
the
curse
and
he
wants
to
bring
blessing
he
hates
the
separation
that
death
brings
he
made
us
for
relationships
for
relationship
with
himself
for
love
that
lasts
for
life
that
flourishes
and
death
has
no
place
in
his
good
creation
or
in
his
new
creation
by the
way
friends
aren't
you
glad
your
God
hates
death
too
doesn't
it do
your soul
good
to know
there are
times
it is
right
to be
angry
that
God
rages
at
the
ways
the
curse
breaks
this
world
just
as
you
do
might
it
not
inspire
you
to
charge
toward
this
great
enemy
and
other
enemies
with
righteous
indignation
to bring
his
blessing
to those
who are
suffering
injustice
and
despair
and
death
our
God
is
not
distant
he's
not
dispassionate
he's
not
disappointed
he's
not
this
deity
who's
up
there
thinking
oh
that
is
so
sad
but
I
just
don't
care
to get
involved
he's
not
the
one
who
doesn't
care
how
you
feel
he's
not
unmoved
by what
you're
facing
he
weeps
tears
of
empathy
and
tears
of
anger
and
ultimately
tears
of
love
is what
the people
around him
saw
when they
saw
Jesus
weeping
I think
I'm going
to sit
down
again
verse
36
see
how
he
loved
him
see
the
deep
affection
that
Jesus
had
for
his
friend
they
see
it
he
can't
bear
being
separated
from
him
can
he
John
already
told us
Jesus
loved
Lazarus
his
love
for
these
three
siblings
is a
big
part
of
this
story
notice
it
again
when
he
calls
Mary
personally
and
he
wants
to
talk
with
her
wants
to
weep
with
her
Martha
go
tell
Mary
privately
that
I
want
to
see
her
God
is not
cold
hearted
nor
is he
lukewarm
towards
you
he's
not
even
hot
and
cold
about
you
based
on
how
you're
doing
today
he
loves
you
passionately
personally
persistently
he
calls
you
by
name
to
weep
with
you
when
you
weep
the
great
British
preacher
of the
last
century
Charles
Spurgeon
said of
Jesus
here
there
was
no
flint
in
his
heart
he
was
love
and
only
love
and
through
his
love
he
descended
into
the
depths
of
grief
with
the
beloved
ones
whose
lot
was
sorrowful
and
he
carried
out
to
the
full
that
sacred
precept
weep
with
them
that
weep
there's
not
much
sweeter
truth
than
the
truth
many
of
us
learned
as
kids
Jesus
loves
me
this
I
know
the
Bible
certainly
tells
us
so
doesn't
it
here
the
Bible
tells
us
and
shows
us
the
love
of
Jesus
as
the
tears
of
the
God
who
could
love
anyone
and
anything
in
his
entire
creation
flow
for
us
his
tears
for
his
beloved
sheep
his
adopted
children
his
tears
flow
for
us
I
hope
that
is
sinking
in
deep
for
you
the
crowd
of the
tomb
gets
it
right
see
how
he
loved
him
but
I
don't
think
they
get
the
half
of
it
they
mean
Jesus
is
sad
because
he's
separated
by
death
from
his
friend
whom
he
loves
and
that's
true
but
putting
together
the
emotion
that
we
have
seen
in
Jesus
this
morning
Jesus
is
surely
moved
to
tears
at
our
suffering
the
effects
of
the
curse
at
the
brokenness
of
this
life
that
we
weren't
created
to
endure
and
it
moves
him
to
action
on
our
behalf
doesn't
it
on
behalf
of
those
he
loves
Jesus
enters
in
to
face
death
for
us
to
deliver
us
from
it
and
they
thought
I
loved
you
then
huh
just
wait
till
the
cross
see
how
he
loved
him
and
me
and
you
Jesus
looks
death
in the
face
and is
saddened
that it
separates
him
from
those
he
loves
so he
makes
sure
once
and for
all
that this
will not
happen
anymore
is your
heart
moved
with love
for the
hurting
the
broken
hearted
those
whose
death
could
eternally
separate
them
is your
heart
moved
with love
like
his
is
may
God
transform
us
more
and more
into the
likeness
of his
son
with
empathy
with
anger
and
with
love
the
next
time you
weep
before
the
grave
of a
loved
one
I want
you to
remember
that God
cries
with you
I want
you to
remember
that God
hates
death
with you
I want
you to
remember
that God
loves you
so much
that he
conquered
death
the only
obstacle
to his
being
with you
now
and being
with you
forever
Jesus
wept
and we
are
comforted
forever
hallelujah
what a
savior
Jesus
sat
with the
disciples
he loved
on another
night
when he
would
weep
in the
face
of death
and they
sat
down
to share
a meal
together
that
celebrated
God's
deliverance
of his
people
into
relationship
with him
and on
that night
when he
would be
betrayed
Jesus
took
bread
and he
broke
it
and he
gave it
to his
disciples
as I
ministering
in his
name
give this
bread
to you
he said
take
and eat
this is
my body
given
for you
do this
in remembrance
of me
then in the
same way
after supper
he took
the cup
and said
this cup
is the
new covenant
in my
blood
shed for
many
for the
forgiveness
of sins
drink
from it
all of you
for as
often as
you eat
this bread
and drink
this cup
you proclaim
the Lord's
death
until he
comes
you proclaim
God's
deliverance
of his
people
into
relationship
with him
in this
case now
not by the
blood
of the lamb
on the
doorpost
but by
the blood
of the
lamb
of God
poured out
on the
cross
covering
your heart
those who
partake
of this
table
proclaim
the death
of Jesus
until he
comes
in other
words
if you
understand
and believe
that Jesus
filled with
empathy
for you
filled with
anger
at sin
and death
filled with
love
for you
went
and
faced
death
and conquered
death
to forgive
your sins
so that you
would never
face
death
without him
come and
eat
and share
in his
victory
and celebrate
it
with us
look forward
to the day
when there will be
no more tears
and we will
eat this
meal
with him
forever
because he
looks forward
to that day
if that's
not you
if that's
not how you
feel
if that's not
what you
believe
if that's not
what you see
in this table
yet
then don't
come and
take these
elements
this morning
they point
us
to
Jesus
they tell us
about
who he
is
but God
warns us
against partaking
of them
if that's
not what we
believe they
are
if that's
not what
is true
in our
hearts
that we're
trusting
him
to take
death
for us
but while
warning us
against
taking
these
elements
he invites
us
to see
in them
his
amazing
love
so we
would invite
you this
morning
to
come
and see
if you
prefer to
stay where
you are
and observe
or if you
would like
to come
and ask
us to
pray with
you
but to
come
not to
elements
that point
us
to Jesus
and represent
him to
us
but we
would love
for you
to come
to the
real
Jesus
himself
who
loves us
and weeps
with us
and gives
his life
for us
let's pray
and then we'll
come and
celebrate
together
Jesus
how many
ways you
have come
near to
us today
in your
word
read
and preached
and now
in your
word seen
and touched
and tasted
Holy Spirit
would you
use very
common elements
for a
very sacred
purpose
that we
would feel
the presence
of God
as we
eat and
drink
with him
that we
would know
his love
for us
do that
now we
ask in
his name
amen
for more
information
visit us
online
at
southwood.org
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