Lazarus from the dead. John 11:35, one of the shortest verses in the Bi- ble, says: Jesus wept. Jesus showed His humanity by shar- ing in sorrow. He had deep compas- sion, acknowledging the pain of death. By weeping, Jesus honors the mourning process, showing that it is natural and acceptable to express sorrow at appropriate times. In each example, the biblical ac- counts record expressions of deep emotions at appropriate times and in a controlled way. Through God’s help, approaching Him during times of trouble, we too can develop the same emotional maturity. For Our Time As Jesus Christ had a deep concern for the people when He mourned for Lazarus, what about us? Do we mourn for our society and what is going on? In the book of Ezekiel, we are warned to cry and sigh. Eze- kiel 9:4 says: And the Lord said to him, ‘Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the fore - heads of the men who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done within it.’ This is what was happening in Jeru- salem because of moral corruption. Do we have concern for what is happening to our society today? Do we cry and sigh? In the original He - brew the word cry implies shrieking and sigh can mean to groan in pain. These are powerful emotions.
brokenness. These are the same emotions that God expresses. The Biblical accounts record several different, yet important, reasons to mourn. Our Examples Great men of the Bible mourned! Reading these accounts helps us connect to real people with real feelings. It makes the Bible come alive. Look at Abraham’s example in Genesis 23:2: So Sarah died in Kirjath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. Here we find a faithful man—the Father of the faithful—wept for his wife. No one would question Abra- ham’s bravery or masculinity (see Genesis 14:8-17—Lot’s rescue) but he did not hide his feelings. He was hurt and broken in spirit. We also find that Jacob, the one who wrestled with God (see Gen 32:22- 32), was devastated when learned of Joseph’s apparent death. Genesis 37:34–35 records:
Then Jacob tore his clothes, put sackcloth on his waist, and mourned for his son for many days. And all his sons and all his daughters arose to com - fort him; but he refused to be comforted, and he said, ‘For I shall go down into the grave to my son in mourning.’ Thus his father wept for him. In Numbers 20:29, the whole nation of Israel learned that Aaron had died, and everyone mourned for him for thirty days. Similar emotions can be expressed for different reasons. For example, we find that Daniel was in a very distressing situation. Daniel 10:2 tells us: In those days I, Daniel, was mourning three full weeks. Daniel’s mourning here brings a dif- ferent light to the subject. He knew that the times ahead would be a time of great distress. He expressed a deep empathy for the people. Jesus Christ also mourned for Lazarus—his good friend. Jesus demonstrated His deep compassion for human suffering, even though He knew He would soon raise
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