A few weeks ago, in class, we went over the story of when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead.
I love this class, because when I try to read the New Testament on my own, I can't visualize the way people actually were. Since they just wrote a very summarized and short version of everything that happened, it's hard to try to imagine the emotions, the feelings, the thoughts, the real human aspects of what was going on. It's just a very short journal entry. When my teacher talks about the stories and brings all the research and facts into it, he brings the stories to life. I can imagine the Apostles as real people, like me and you, trying to do what's right, but still falling short sometimes. They weren't perfect. They made mistakes. Jesus Christ was also part human. He felt sad, He felt pain, He felt grief. He loved these people that He taught, and He loved His family and His friends and His apostles. The stories don't really tell you that, but when I learn about it in class all of that comes to life. It's amazing. Jesus becomes more real to me the more I learn about Him.
Back to Lazarus. This story tells SO much more than just one of the many miracles that Jesus Christ did. This story is about friendship, love, charity. It gives you a deeper understanding of who Jesus Christ really was.
Okay here is the story:
John 11:1-45
First of all, Lazarus is sick. Lazarus is the brother of Mary and Martha, who are mentioned in a few other NT stories.
Mary and Martha send for Jesus because their brother is sick and they know that Jesus can heal him.
When Jesus heard about Lazarus, He knew it wasn't just a mild cold, it was a fatal sickness. Lazarus was going to die.
The next verse kind of tells a little bit more about what is going on. "Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus." (v. 5) This kind of gives us the impression that these three were really important to Jesus. Maybe they were some of His closest friends, but my teacher thinks they are family. We don't know for sure, but Jesus spent a lot of time with Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, so I kind of think they were family also.
Then, something kind of funny happens. Jesus decided to wait two days before going to visit Lazarus.
By then, Lazarus was sure to be dead. No doubt about it.
Why did Jesus wait two days when one of His closest friends was so close to death? If He was really so close wouldn't He leave as soon as He heard what was going on?
Mary and Martha wondered the same thing.
When Jesus arrived, Mary and Martha were heartbroken. Their brother had been dead for four days now, he had been laid in the sepulchre and his body had been wrapped up there were a lot of people there to comfort Mary and Martha over their brother.
When they heard that Jesus was there, Martha first met Jesus and wanted to know why He hadn't come earlier. She knew that He could have saved her brother, and was upset. He told her that Lazarus would rise again, but she thought He was just talking about resurrection.
Martha then went and told Mary that Jesus was here. Mary then ran to Jesus and said the same thing "Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died." (Would not have died.) Mary was crying, heartbroken over her brothers death as she said this.
Then comes the verse: "Jesus wept." Most people know this verse for how short it is (v. 35) but it is such an important verse.
The story goes on to say that Jesus asked to be taken to where Lazarus's body was lain. He prayed to Heavenly Father. When He finished His prayer, He commanded Lazarus to rise and come out of the sepulchre. Lazarus did, and everyone saw, and the Jews finally realized that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and they were amazed.
The part that I want to focus on is verse 35. Jesus didn't have to cry, He knew that He would be raising Lazarus from the dead. He knew that everything would be okay. He knew that waiting a few days before coming to Martha's house was the best choice, that it would be able to show His power best to the Jews who were there to comfort Mary and Martha.
Instead of telling Mary to stop crying and that everything was going to be fine, He cried with her. Which goes to show that Jesus loves us so much. Even though He knows that things will always work out, He knows what we are going through, and walks each step of the way with us. When we are sad, He is sad. He has so much love and compassion for us, that even the smallest amount of pain that we have hurts Him.
This story shows His love for us in a way that few other stories show as well, in my opinion. He won't just comfort us in our affliction. He will cry with us. Because He loves us, and we are Important to Him.
The Lord Has Not Forgotten You By Linda S. Reeves : Every time I write one of these, I go to see if there are any General Conference talks about it that have any good quotes that I can use at the end. Then, every time I do that I find a talk that pretty much says what I said, but better. So, if you'd like to read something more eloquent about the Lord's love for us and how He hasn't forgotten us, this is a beautiful talk that you will enjoy reading.
I know that I am loved by my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. We will have hard times, but we need to always remember that we aren't forgotten and that Jesus Christ suffered all the pain we are going through. He is walking along with us every step of the way, willing to carry us if we need it, crying with us in sadness, laughing with us in happiness, and hoping for us all the way until the end.
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