MONDAY, February 19
Read John 11:28-44
Jesus wept. (John 11:35 NKJV)
John 11:35 composes the shortest biblical verse-"Jesus wept." At face value, it's just two words. However, there's more to these two words than what meets the eye.
The two most common ways to understand Jesus' tears are:
Jesus wept as a result of compassion for Mary, Martha, and the others; or Jesus wept as a result of grief for his beloved friend Lazarus.
But there could be yet another way to understand this text…another way that focuses on the humanity of Jesus: Jesus wept for himself.
It may seem far-fetched, but perhaps one of the reasons Jesus wept was because no one considered his disappointment with the whole matter.
Jesus is faced with both human death and divine resurrection of Lazarus as he is simultaneously trying to prepare his own followers for the same human/divine and death/resurrection juxtapositions, and yet no one recalls these things for which Jesus has been preparing them. Instead of recalling the way Jesus interpreted the miracle before it even happened (v. 17-37), and the ways he had prepared them for his own death, the sisters and the crowd were focused on blaming Jesus' for his lack of physical presence (Jn. 11:21, 32). All eyes were on him to be the healing Wonder-Worker, but no ears were listening for understanding. It's not a sympathetic, "Woe is me," rather it's an indignant cry, "Whoa, it's me," as no one considered Jesus' coming human death for which he was preparing them.
Leaders in the body of Christ are human. Let us keep in mind the question: What about Jesus? Use those three words to reflect on the depth of the two words of John 11:35. Let us not only seek service through ministry, but let us also seek to serve as ministers.
Prayer: God, quiet the needs of our minds, so we may hear the hearts of our leaders. Let us be mindful of their humanity. Let us be careful to tend to their need for ministry. Amen.
Rae Karim
