Early Activists for $500, please Alex

Jesus wept.

John 11:35. Many of us know this as the answer to the trivia question: What is the shortest verse in the Bible? But as I read and reread the account of Lazarus’ death and resurrection this week, I’ve decided this is the not the only question to ask In reference to this verse. I’ll propose another question and answer, Jeopardy style. Alex: “This is what Jesus did to convey his deep sorrow over the passing of a dear friend and the distress it caused the grieving family and friends before he got to work rectifying the situation.”

Contestant: “What is Jesus wept?”

Yes, I like this question better. Because it tells us not just that Jesus wept, but, also, why Jesus wept. And what he did next. Jesus received word from his devoted friends and followers, Mary and Martha, their brother Lazarus was gravely ill. The women begged for Jesus to come, because they knew he could and believed he would do something to intervene.

Jesus was troubled by the information, but did not go to them until he knew Lazarus had passed. This was not a lazy or haphazard decision, it was purposeful because he knew his work would be best accomplished at that time. So when Jesus arrived in Bethany, the town where his friends lived, Lazarus had been dead and buried for 4 days.

Upon his arrival, both Martha and Mary came to him and expressed their profound grief, because they knew if Jesus had been there earlier, their brother would have lived. He would have saved him. Martha even surmised Jesus could still perhaps intervene, if he chose to and declared she believed he was the messiah, the son of God who had come into the world.

Once Jesus had spoken with and observed the mourning sisters and friends he was “deeply moved in spirit and troubled.” And, in response to this, Jesus wept. Right along with the grieving family and friends, he cried.

Fortunately, the story doesn’t end there. Jesus didn’t just weep and mourn. He moved his feet to the grave and called on the name of his Father in heaven and raised Lazarus from the dead.

He turned the weeping into celebration. He took an awful event and used it to perform a miracle. He set an example and demonstrated that God hears us when we cry out. And then he empowers us to do great things.

This story so reminds me of where we are as a society today. We have heard about awful things. We have seen and spoken to people, friends and families of loved ones who have been lost, and we are deeply moved in spirit and troubled. And in response to all of this, we cried.

We wept. Just like Jesus did.

Now what? Is that where it will end? Because, frankly, I feel like we’ve done this before. We hear, we see, we hurt, we cry. Then, we move on. We forget the next step. The one where we move our feet and we call on the Father and we do something lasting and beneficial.

We weep, but we never turn it into celebration. We leave out the best part We forget to actually pursue a solution to the problem. We never raise Lazarus from the dead.

How does that really help?

Yes, it’s nice to sympathize with people who are hurting. To hug them and cry with them. But it’s not really enough. Not if you want to make a change. Not if, like Jesus, your plan is purposeful and intentional. A plan with a definite end result in mind at the start. You see, I believe Jesus was the original activist. Standing up for those in society everyone else wanted to ignore, exploit, avoid, hate. He touched lepers and dined with tax collectors and prostitutes. He fed the hungry and confronted the hypocrites. He set the example for us to follow. It’s all written down in black and white.

So, I’ll take early activists for $500, please, Alex. And I will be first troubled. Then weep. Then move to the site of the problem. Then pray to the Father in heaven above to lead me and tell me what to do. Then I will do it, fully trusting his power will cause a resurrection.

Will you join me?