John 11:33-35
When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. “Where have you laid him?” he asked.
“Come and see, Lord,” they replied.
Jesus wept.
Jesus’ tears show his empathy for others’ grief. We know the end of the story, so we know that Lazarus will soon be back with his family, alive and well. Jesus knows this, so his tears must be for his friends, and their painful grief. At least this is how I understand this story. Empathy can be painful. Who wants to ache with grief? But when I am truly empathic, I truly understand, and can be more sincerely helpful.
Holy Lord, help me to lean into feelings for others, and not back away. Being empathic can be painful, but it helps me to be more generous. Teach me and lead me, Lord. Amen
Becky, transforming
John 11:33-35
As Jesus did for Lazarus’ family and friends, I think we have all had times when our hearts ache for those who grieve and struggle with difficult situations. I think we are given empathy as a gift to help us be better family and friend to those in challenging times.
Father, thank you for the gift of empathy, given and received. Help us to be compassionate and supportive to those needing our empathy. Amen
John 11:33-35
Jesus not only taught us how to behave with his many lessons, he set an example for us. When you see a lesson come to life, you are more able to really understand it. If we say we are a believer, a follower of Jesus, we must also weep in similar situations. We need to feel Mary's pain the same way Jesus did.
Prayer: Gracious God, Help me to always understand others' feelings and honor them. Amen
Thursday, November 14, 2024
John 11:33-35
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.
Just remember, God being incarnated, coming to earth as a new born child. Take up the life as we know it becoming completely human but still remaining divine . Jesus had the same emotions we do. Happy, sad,loving, compassionate. AND HE WEPT. Just imagine a God with no emotions of interactions with humans. This scripture and subsequent verses are the most impelling for me. Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead,…
John 11:33-35
I totally agree with Becky that the power of this story is in seeing how Jesus felt and reflected the sorrow of the people gathered after Lazarus’ death. Earlier this week Becky was watching a television program and I was doing something else, but I remember seeing a short snippet of a woman being interviewed who said she hated to see other people suffering. What caught my attention was that she felt this so strongly, just the thought of it brought her tears. That is genuine, Jesus-like empathy. This depth of feeling costs us a little something, but is a sign of reaching our full, God-given human potential.
Prayer - Lord, with so much suffering in our world,…