John
11:1-37
Quick Summary:
Lazarus, one of Jesus’s friends, has died. Jesus comes too late, and finds
Martha and Mary, Lazarus’s sisters already mourning for their brother. To each
sister, Jesus responds differently. To Martha, he gives her hope of the resurrection.
Mary, however, refuses to come out to meet Jesus. Finally she meets Jesus, and
cries. Jesus does not give her a speech. He just cries with her.
The Point:
Jesus comforts us when we mourn. When we are sad because someone dies, he
know what we need, whether it is to be reminded about everlasting life, or just
someone to cry with us.
Questions for Family
Time:
1. What happened?
Tell me the story.
2. Who was “mourning”?
(Sad)
3. Who has died in
your life? Who helped you when you were sad? How?
4. Share a
favorite memory about that someone who died.
Deeper:
During Jesus time, there were people whose professional career was to cry
and moan over the dead. In some cultures even today, the widow wears black for
a year, so that everyone understands she is still in mourning. But not in our culture. In our culture, if you are immediate family, you may get a week off to say your goodbyes. We, as a culture, expect people to say goodbye within the week of passing and move on with their life.
That is just not realistic. It takes at least 2 years to grieve in the most uncomplicated of deaths. For that first year, every holiday, every season is the first without that person. Each first needs its own healing, its own period of grief. The second year, we find ourselves finding new traditions as we learn to carry on without that loved one. Grief takes a long time, even at its simplest.
As much as we try to guard our children from the reality of death, there comes a point for each of us when someone close dies, and we have no choice but to share that reality with them. How awesome to know, that as we stumble through their tears and stumble through our own, that Jesus is with us. Jesus knows what we need to hear, but he also knows when we don’t need to hear anything. He is willing to cry with us in our pain.
The story in John says that when Jesus wept, the Jews watching said, “See how he loved Lazarus!” I think they were wrong in their observation. Those tears were not for Lazarus, who he knew would be fine. Those tears were for Mary. No matter what good eternity our loved ones are in, Jesus still weeps with us and comforts us when we mourn.
Personal Reflection:
Who are you mourning? How is Jesus comforting you as you mourn?