SHARING IN THE SORROWS

The shortest verse in the Bible is also one of the most profound: “Jesus wept,” (John 11:35),  Here is the Son of God at a funeral of a friend and He is in tears. That is strangely comforting to me.  It reminds me when I am seeking to console others in their grief of this truth: 

“Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”…

“who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him,” (Heb. 4:14-16; 5:7-9).

When we weep, we are reminded we have a Savior who understands. 

I recall being in the hospital parking deck, sitting in my car on a dark and dismal day. Only minutes before I had left a grieving family in a hospital room with the cold corpse of a loved one snatched away by the cruel clutch of death. They found some comfort in the presence of their pastor being with them, hugging them, sharing the promises of heaven and offering prayers on behalf of them.  They thanked me for being there, and I walked away, alone. Where was my comforter?  Who was praying for me?  I broke down in tears—alone. I cried to God, “Where is someone to comfort me?” This was a church member I loved dearly, and it broke my heart to see them die.

Countless times a pastor may find himself in that situation. I had been there hundreds of times before and have since, but there was something that day that broke me—and that is okay!

If Jesus could weep, then I can. Should He ask God why, then it is alright for me to have questions. He did, you know.  On the cross, we hear His cry, “My God, my God, WHY have you forsaken Me?” (Matt. 27:46b, emphasis added).

Scott Sauls, in his book, “From Weakness to Strength: 8 Vulnerabilities that Can Bring Out the Best in Your Leadership,” says this: 

Sometimes the best, most life-giving way to lead is by suffering well. Sometimes the best, most life-giving way to lead is by refusing to allow death, mourning, crying, or pain to dictate the story line of our lives and of history. 

God sees our every tear. Yet he does not merely see our tears; he also shares them (John 11:35), and he stores them in a sacred bottle as his treasure (Psalm 56:8). God knows what it is like to be separated from a loved one by death, and he knows firsthand the gut-wrenching nature of what it means to bury his boy. 

If this does not bring comfort to us today, perhaps it will at some later date. Eventually, we all face death and the fading away of our influence and names on earth. This inescapable reality remains: the mortality rate is still one person per every one person. 

Yet this horrible thing called death is not the end … not for God and not for us. (p. 136, Kindle edition).

We know how the story ends. There is coming a Day when every tear will be wiped away. Let us preach that—not only to others, but to ourselves. It is a broken world, and we minister to broken hearts, while we ourselves suffer likewise. Yet, we press on to victory! That is our unshakeable hope!