GOD'S TEARS

John 11: 1-45

Why does Jesus weep at the tomb of Lazarus? He knew when Lazarus's sisters, Mary and Martha, sent him the message that his beloved friend was ill, but he chose not to come. He delayed going for two days and he told his disciples that his friend was asleep and that he was going there to awaken him.  Then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead.”

And clearly Jesus had a plan to resurrect his beloved friend so that others may believe. He said to his disciples, “For your sake I am glad I was not there, so you my believe.” So, he knew Lazarus was going to die and chose to not leave in time to heal him, as his plan was to resurrect him and bring him back to life to instill belief and for the glory of God. So why does he weep?

At the beginning of this passage Mary is identified as the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair. This is the most tender and intimate image we have of Jesus with anyone. It shows the level of love and familiarity between them. Some writers have even speculated that they were more than friends, but that is for another sermon.

In this story we hear Mary kneeling at the feet of her teacher and accusing him of not saving her brother. Mary says, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” How must this have made Jesus feel?  It says that “when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved.”

Our Lord and Savior wept at the tomb with compassion for the suffering he saw in his friends. Their grief moved him to tears. Our God does not prevent suffering but weeps with us in solidarity with our pain. We will all experience pain on our journey of life. We will witness injustice. We all wonder why a loving God allows a child to die of cancer. How could a loving God allow famine and starvation? Why does God allow some humans to become addicted to life destroying drugs and alcohol? There are trillions of examples of God not preventing tragedies.

I have been walking into prisons for 18 years and I have witnessed immense amounts of suffering. I believe all the men and women living behind bars were victims before they caused harm. I once asked a young woman facing charges of murder if she believed in God and she said, “Oh yes, I prayed to God every night that my stepfather would not come into my room.” But he did come in. Miraculously, somehow, she is still a believer. I have heard countless backstories filled with neglect and abuse. And I believe Jesus weeps for every one of these men and women. 

One day I was visiting a young woman in one of the Los Angeles juvenile halls and she told me she was terrified that her child was in danger. The father of the child had beaten her badly and when she was recovering in the hospital, she filed a restraining order and an assault report, but the police found she had old unpaid parking tickets which led to a warrant for her arrest. So, they took her from the hospital to juvenile hall. She was shaking in fear telling me that she was worried that the abusive father might hurt her young child just to hurt her. She told me that her parents who had the child didn’t understand the danger he posed.

As a chaplain I could not intercede in any way but encouraged her to speak to her parents as soon as possible.

Then she asked me to pray with her. We were sitting across from each other on green plastic chairs, our knees touching as we held hands and bowed our heads. I prayed for God’s loving protection for her child and for her. I prayed for a change of heart for the father and did my best to invoke Divine Love to surround this vulnerable girl.

When I had finished, I looked up and saw that she was still fervently praying. Her mouth was moving and I could just barely hear her words. This lovely Latina child was praying to her beloved Mary for protection. Mary, who knows more than anyone about the longing for a child to be safe.

As I gazed upon her a vision of Mary appeared to me. It was a visitation I will never forget.

In the days after this as I sat with Brother Dennis in chapel praying our daily prayers, I found myself crying with concern for this girl and her child. Brother Dennis asked me if maybe this work was too much for me. I responded hot and fast, “No! This is exactly what God wants me to do and exactly where I am meant to be.” Then Dennis said to me, “Maybe these are God’s tears coming through you.”

Relief and a quiet peace came over me. Yes. This is what is happening. God, Jesus, Mary all cry for us with utter compassion. I suddenly realized that when I was violated as a young woman, I felt so alone but I was not alone. God was as concerned about me as I was for this young girl.

The truth is that God does not spare us from suffering. God is not a puppet master allowing one’s house to be destroyed in the fire while saving another’s. What kind of God would play favorites?

In this Gospel we have the story that illustrates how Jesus does not prevent the suffering of his loved ones but that he joins them in their grief.

As the Christian author, James Finley, says, “If we are absolutely grounded in the absolute love of God that protects us from nothing even as it sustains us in all things, then we can face all things with courage and tenderness and touch the hurting places in others and in ourselves with love.”

Just as Jesus will not be spared from suffering in his life, we will all face loss and trials. The great invitation is to immerse ourselves in the Love of God and remember that we are not alone in our pain, that Christ is with us always until the end of time. And that this God of mercy indeed weeps with us and I assume rejoices with us too.

Sister Greta