Tears are a Symptom of a Melting Heart

Tears are a Symptom of a Melting Heart

A devotional looking at the story of Lazarus which shows both the humanness and divinity of Jesus and how his tears are a symptom of a melting heart shared by Jesus and God for Lazarus and all humanity – then and now.  Jesus understands friendship, loss, love and what it means to deal with adversity.  

THOUGHT:

As Easter is almost upon us, I am reminded of the “other” resurrection story, that of the story of Lazarus. Jesus traveled to Bethany to visit and subsequently heal Lazarus, who was extremely ill. Of course, even before Jesus arrived in Bethany, He knew Lazarus had already died. He did not need Martha to tell him that Lazarus was dead for days at this point. Yet, He poignantly demonstrated both His Divinity and His humanness.

Divinity was well aware of what had transpired. Divinity told the people that Lazarus was already dead. Divinity knew Lazarus would be healed though, so no worries, right? Divinity recognized an opportunity to demonstrate His Miraculous Power to everyone present and for ages to come in The Word.

When Jesus wept, Humanness cried. Humanness was in pain. Humanness knew of no way to heal the kind of pain of losing a friend. Tears portrayed a melting heart. Shortest verse in the Bible but so telling of the complete Humanness of Jesus. He hurt, he wept.

Yet, those tears would be transformed into pure happiness when Jesus cried out “Lazarus, come out!”  Lazarus, still wrapped in linen cloth, rose up, and walked out of the burial cave!

So, when we anticipate another celebration of Easter, let us not dry our tears. The body on the cross, thousands of years ago, was human. The human body suffered through beatings, floggings, pierced wrists and feet, and humiliating taunts. The human body was flagrantly displayed on the wooden beams high above the people spewing the insults.

More importantly though, there were also people there who LOVED Jesus, for many different reasons. Mary loved Him as her first-born Son. His Disciples loved him as a teacher and friend. One, on the other cross, loved Him as a late-coming redemptive opportunity upon his recognition of His Divinity. Others loved Him for the miracles that He performed that healed them or their loved ones. Those were the people who likely cried more than a few tears for their Savior. They wept.

The tears were almost a bridge between Jesus’ humanness and His Divinity. When they let go and cried, as we do when we remember the Crucifixion, they allowed their feelings to be seen. Their hearts were moved and were melting as they were forced to accept what was occurring before them.

I propose that just three days later though, those same tears were present again. Not in the throes of grief but in the JOY of His Divinity. For when the stone was rolled away and the tomb was empty, it allowed room for those tears to fill it. Tears of pain washed away the stone and tears of JOY filled the void.

Jesus was alive! Our Savior, who was sent by His Creator Father in Heaven, to suffer and die upon the cross, was ALIVE! God chose to send His Son for us. Can you imagine how many tears He wept when seeing Jesus upon that cross? Still, those same tears, washed away the depravity of our guilty world, to illuminate the JOY of the empty tomb. As believers, we allow our tears to wash away the pain of life, melt our hearts, and give us an opportunity to REJOICE!

PRAYER:

Creator God, Father God, Thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus to save us from our sins. We cannot fathom how painful it was to watch His Crucifixion. We weep with You, but we also REJOICE with You as Jesus died to give us eternal life. We love You.

AMEN.

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