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Jesus Is Having A Bad Day
Jesus is having a bad day. He’s had them before. There were the Crusades, the 30-Years War, World War I and II, just to name a few, and now this Iraq thing.
Like the rich young ruler who kept all the Commandments but balked at giving away his fortune to the poor, Jesus must have a special place in his heart for the United States. We have done so well in some many ways. Few countries or empires have taken to heart New Testament morality as much as America has. And we have prospered and gotten rich, we want so much like that rich young man to be complete, but, just like him, we have been unable to take the final step.
It’s a cultural thing, and for many Christians, it’s a personal thing.
Remember John 11:35? Shortest verse in the New Testament: “Jesus Wept.”
Walter Bruggeman once wrote that when he was a child he thought God put that verse in the Bible so even little kids would be able to memorize at least one scripture. As he got older he came to think that was a pretty silly idea. Now that he’s even older, however, Bruggeman has come to believe that simple little verse is the most important scripture in the whole Bible. And that’s saying something from a man who spent most of his life studying the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament).
But Bruggeman believes if we cannot come to grips with why God cries over the lost ness of this world, we cannot experience the Kingdom of God.
You see Jesus wasn’t crying because he was sad. That’s the mistake the Jews who attended Lazarus’ funeral made, but they were wrong, Lazarus was a rich man, and one of Jesus best friends. But when Lazarus’ sisters sent for Jesus because their brother was on his deathbed – no doubt hoping Jesus would rush back and heal his friend – Jesus refused to show up until three days after his friend had died. To the Jews, the third day was the height of the mourning experience because if you had been dead that long, well, you weren’t coming back.
When Jesus finally showed up he was reproached by both sisters who said in consecutive, but separate meetings: “Lord if you had been here my brother would not have died.”
Martha was the first to meet Jesus. Running to him before he reached their home. She added that she believed even now he might be able to do something, Jesus sternly asked her: “Do you know who I am?” Martha responded quickly that sure she knew who he was, the Christ, the Messiah. But Jesus could tell by her emotional state that she didn’t know really who he was.
He responded. “Look woman, your brother will live again. Anyone who believes in me, even if they die will live. And those who believe in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
“Oh sure,” Martha says reciting again that she believes he is the Christ. But the tone in her voice probably suggested she wasn’t certain about this life after death thing.
When they got to the house Martha brought Mary who again said “Where have you been Jesus?” And before long everybody’s inviting Jesus to “come and see” how dead Lazarus is.
Now a little biblical background here. In the Gospel of John Jesus is always inviting people to come and experience the Kingdom of God by saying “come and see.” When those at the funeral invited Jesus to come and see hopeless death, something must have snapped inside the Lord. Those around him thought he was crying powerful tears of grief, but the Greek word used here for wept means tears of anger. Jesus was steamed.
What was he angry about? Probably than those who knew him best didn’t really know him at all. Because it wasn’t long before Jesus ordered the stone to the tomb rolled back and commanded Lazarus to step out from death. And because few people ever argued with Jesus, and most of them were women, Lazarus stepped out.
Now if something like this could make Jesus angry and disappointed, how do you think he’s feeling right now when so many Christians support wars, capital punishment, and other non-New Testament ways of dealing with our problems.
Obviously, we don’t believe Jesus has the power to bring our world, or even ourselves, back from the dead. And with Easter just around the corner, I imagine Jesus must be having a lot of bad days right now. Don’t you think?
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