The Bread of Tears: Jesus Wept with Mary and Martha
The Bread of Tears: Jesus Wept with Mary and Martha.
“Those who sow their tears as seeds will reap a harvest with joyful shouts of glee. They may weep as they go out carrying their seed to sow, but they will return with joyful laughter and shouting with gladness as they bring back armloads of blessing and a harvest overflowing!” (Psalm 126:5-6, TPT).
The Miracle of Tears. Each of us as human beings share a spectacular miracle… We each have been gifted by our Creator God with the ability to shed tears. And not merely one type of tear, but three kinds of tears, all of them benefitting us in different ways that, being so common, are easily taken for granted. First there are the Basal tears which are constantly produced to keep our eyes lubricated and moist, and which also provide much-needed nutrients to the cornea. Secondly are the Reflex tears that are triggered by irritants which wash away debris like dust and foreign objects, sooth our eyes from smoke, and prevent further irritation by giving our eyes time to heal up from the irritation. Amazingly too, Reflex tears contain antibodies to fight bacteria and avoid infection in our eyes. Finally, there are the Emotional tears which are released during times of strong emotions both positive and negative, such as anger, joy, sorrow, relief, fear, high stress, grief, and when something is felt deeply and needs expression. Emotional tears are a special gift of our creator God, because they contain protein-based hormones that act as natural painkillers; a higher protein content to strengthen the eyes and keep them healthy; neurotransmitters that effect the ability to remember, to learn, to focus and pay attention, and release harmful stress. Emotional tears are a divine gift because it helps us express ourselves in healthy ways that are difficult to express any other way. Regardless of the kind of tear, they all contain enzymes that promote healing and maintain the health of our eyes. All tears are basically a water-based liquid that contain .3 mg of salt which have electrolytes and salt particles like sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium. God is certainly the Lord of the Details when it comes to something as common yet complex as human tears.
A Man of Sorrows. As prophesied in Isaiah 53:3, Jesus Messiah was “a man of sorrows and well-acquainted with grief,” and He proved it for all to see at least three times according to the Gospels. The first time, He wept over Jerusalem, a deep lament over how the people there were not responding to their loving God. (Luke 19:41). The second time occurred before he raised Lazarus from the dead. Jesus wept in grief (John 11:35). He wept in solidarity with Mary and Martha and all their friends. He wept in anger and indignation at sin’s consequences, the very existence of death itself. Jesus wept and thus demonstrated that it’s okay to use tears to communicate. It’s okay to talk with tears. Then, of course, He wept in unspeakable anguish and misery while fully prostrate on the ground before His Abba Father God, which is often called the “Great Agony.” (Matthew 26:36, Mark 14:32 and Luke 22:4). Jesus thus joined Himself with all those who would weep, with all those who would use tears to express their anguish. As Robert Smith once wrote, “Tears are a language that God understands.”
Yolanda Adams – Oh, Mary Don’t You Weep
“When Jesus looked at Mary and saw her weeping at His feet, and saw all her friends who were wailing with her in grief, a deep anger (“embrimaomai”) welled up within His spirit, and Jesus was deeply troubled (“tarasso”). ‘Where have you put Lazarus,’ He asked them. They told Jesus, ‘Lord, come and see.’ Then Jesus wept.” (John 11:33-35).
The Starting Point of Christ’s Passion. As recorded in John 11, Jesus received word that His close friend Lazarus was deathly sick in his hometown of Bethany. Lazarus and his two sisters, Mary and Martha, were very close friends of Jesus, and so this news certainly troubled Jesus. But He decided to stay where He was for a couple of days. Jesus saw a timely opportunity to make a big statement, and unfortunately He needed Lazarus to die to make it. Finally, on the fourth day after His friend’s death, Jesus and His disciples arrive in Bethany, which is only two miles from Jerusalem. Jesus first had conversations with both sisters about Lazarus and their understandable grief. Both Mary and Martha wondered why Jesus delayed in coming. Both women believe in Jesus, and that He has the spiritual power to do great things. Jesus told them not to worry about Lazarus. He told them that He is the resurrection and the life. He has power over death and is the source of everlasting life. Jesus then leads the mourners to the tomb holding the dead body of Lazarus. He offers a prayer within the hearing of everyone in attendance. a word of thanks to the Father for what is about to happen. Jesus then shouts, with authority, “Lazarus! Come out!” Miracle of miracles, after the stone is rolled away, Lazarus does indeed walk out of the tomb, alive. Human death is no match for Jesus’ life. It wasn’t long before Lazarus’ burial clothes were taken off, and he returned to something like a normal life. But of course, Lazarus was never the same again.
“embrimaomai” = a Greek word that is rooted in the snorting sound of an agitated horse; this word has been translated many ways, including deeply moved in spirit, profound indignation, greatly distressed, a deep groan, a profound sigh, an emotional shudder, stirred with deep anger. The Aramaic for this verse includes, instead of anger, literally, “His heart melted with compassion.” Much has been said about the Greek idea of Jesus being angry at this scene. Certainly, Jesus was angry at the devil for bringing misery and death to the world, for introducing sickness and suffering into the human experience. Angry perhaps that His beloved creation, the people made in God’s image, had to go through the experience of death. Maybe He was even angry that Lazarus had to go through death in order for Jesus to prove that He is “the Resurrection and the Life,” and that Lazarus’ death and resurrection was needed to get the ball rolling for His own impending Passion.
“tarasso” = A Greek term rooted in the idea of calm waters being profoundly stirred up. Jesus had a calm spirit, but in this Lazarus situation it was greatly stirred up. Jesus became quite disturbed in His mind, deeply troubled in His spirit, greatly agitated when He was usually calm.
Mary of Bethany was a much-loved friend of Jesus, along with her sister Martha and brother Lazarus. Their home in the little village of Bethany served Jesus well in His travels, as He was a frequent guest. Bethany was only two miles east of Jerusalem and on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives, and so one could imagine Jesus dropping by whenever He was in Jerusalem. Mary proved herself a devoted disciple of Jesus time and again. Her primary gesture of devotion seemed to be worshiping at Jesus’ feet. Whenever we see her in the Gospels, she was at His feet, whether she was listening to Him teach, grieving for her brother, or anointing His feet.
Martha of Bethany. We are given a much more balanced view of Martha in this Lazarus story. All we know of her so far is her choosing to sweat through a luncheon preparation instead of sitting at Jesus’ feet like her sister Mary. There was workhorse Martha, fretting and complaining about the fact that she wasn’t getting much help with all her work around the kitchen. Well, this story of the resurrection miracle puts Martha in a much more favorable light. She was the first to rush out to meet Jesus outside of town. She was the one who believed in Jesus’ teaching about the resurrection. She was the one who seemed to imply that Jesus could fix things even though Lazarus was dead. And she was the one who offers for all of us a powerful statement of faith in the midst of her grief. “Yes, Lord, I have always believed that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the One who has come into the world from God Himself.” (11:29). It is clear in this story that she believes in Jesus, and loves Him. Martha is an example to us all.
“I AM the Resurrection and the Life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this, Martha? (John 11:25).
On Time. When Jesus was told of His friend’s deathly sickness, He could have dropped everything and rushed to the rescue of Lazarus. Jesus could have immediately healed Lazarus on his sick bed. But He didn’t. He waited two more days before He started His trek to Bethany. He disappointed a lot of people, especially Mary and Martha. And imagine Lazarus’ thoughts as he lay on his sick bed knowing that Jesus could heal him but He chose not to. For Jesus had other plans. He waited for Lazarus to die so He could bring glory to the Father, and so the Son could be glorified by His death that, with this miracle, was a sure thing. Jesus certainly knew a resurrection miracle would get a lot of attention, and would be the last straw for those who wanted Him dead. So Jesus had a grand plan that no one else knew about. Jesus wanted to create an unforgettable teaching opportunity. He wanted to use a powerful object lesson to show everyone that He is the source of life, that the Resurrection is a Person, not a moment. And the Person is Him. When we pray and don’t seem to get a response, are we disappointed in God? Does our faith waver? When it seems our prayers are falling on deaf ears, think of this gospel story. Only God knows the Big Picture, and we can trust in that. It may seem like the Lord is late, but heaven knows that He’s actually right on time.
“Jesus was still angry as He arrived at the tomb, a cave with a stone rolled across its entrance. ‘Roll that stone aside!’ Jesus told them. But Martha protested, ‘Lord, he has been dead for four days. The smell will be terrible!’ Jesus responded, ‘Didn’t I tell you that you would see God’s glory if you believed?’ So they rolled the stone aside. Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said, ‘Father, thank you for hearing me. You always hear me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here, so that they will believe you sent me.’ Then Jesus shouted, ‘Lazarus, come out!’ And the dead man came out, his hands and feet bound in graveclothes, his face wrapped in a headcloth. Jesus told them, ‘Unwrap him and let him go!’ (John 11:38-44).
Lazarus! Perhaps Jesus had to shout His friend’s name at the tomb, because if He didn’t specify the name, He may have had other dead people rising from their tombs. It certainly is a vivid example of Jesus’ recent teaching about Him being the Good Shepherd, in which He “calls His own sheep by name and leads them out… They follow Him because they know His voice.” (John 10:1-5). Somehow, even dead people can hear the voice of Christ as He calls them by name.
Unbind Him. After Lazarus stumbled into the daylight from the darkness of the tomb, Jesus made an interesting remark. It was more or less a command. He told the people around the tomb to unbind Lazarus, loose him from his grave clothes. Take off those bandages of death, Jesus instructed, so he can live his new life in freedom. Unwrap those vestiges of death and decay, and let him go free. That seems a clear picture of how we can minister to new believers, to each other. This isn’t just a command regarding new believers, but also those of us who still have vestiges of our former life hanging on to the new life. We can, with Christ’s guidance, loosen those parts of the old life that need to be taken off. We can unbind that which is keeping each other from walking free in the Spirit. An important part of wise counseling is to be able to discern those aspects of a person’s life that is holding a person back, that need to be taken off and left behind. Maybe it’s an addiction, an obsession, a hurtful habit, a grievous wound, a family learned trait, an attitude that needs changing to break free. Unwrap this person, Jesus is saying, and help him live his new life. Take off the old death rags and give him a new set of clothes.
Bruce Springsteen with the Sessions Band – O Mary Don’t You Weep (Live In Dublin)
“Mary don’t you weep, and Martha don’t you mourn”. This is a powerful African American spiritual from the slavery era that has retained its power since the 1860’s. This is a liberation song, intended to inspire resilience and courage in the midst of all their hardship. This a song of faith, that ultimately justice will be done, that God can still perform miracles just like Moses and the Red Sea Exodus. The biblical references were coded messages to the enslaved people that if God could deliver the slaves of Egypt, He can also deliver them. And if He can raise Lazarus back to life, He can do the same for them in their misery. So Mary, you won’t have to weep much longer, and Martha, you don’t have to moan, your mourning will soon come to an end. This song of hope was adopted as one of the anthems used during the civil rights era in the 1960’s to great effect.