251. Weeping may stay for the night: Rejoicing comes in the morning.

12 February 2022

They sat weeping before the Lord.

Then all the Israelites, the whole army, went up to Bethel, and there they sat weeping before the Lord. They fasted that day until evening and presented burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to the Lord. Judges 20:26

A Psalm. Of David.

Sing the praises of the Lord, you his faithful people;

    praise his holy name.

For his anger lasts only a moment,

    but his favor lasts a lifetime;

weeping may stay for the night,

    but rejoicing comes in the morning. Psalm 30:4-5

Jesus wept. John 11:35

From Wikipedia.

James Tissot, Jesus Wept (Jésus pleura) • Public domain

""Jesus wept" (Koinē Greek: ἐδάκρυσεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς, romanized: edákrusen ho Iēsoûs, pronounced [ɛˈdakrysɛn (h)o i.eˈsus]) is a phrase famous for being the shortest verse in the King James Version of the Bible, as well as many other versions. It is not the shortest in the original languages. It is found in the Gospel of John, chapter 11, verse 35. Verse breaks—or versification—were introduced into the Greek text by Robert Estienne in order to make the texts easier to cite and compare.

This verse occurs in John's narrative of the death of Lazarus of Bethany, a follower of Jesus. Lazarus's sisters—Mary and Martha—sent word to Jesus of their brother's illness and impending death, but Jesus arrived four days after Lazarus died. Jesus, after talking to the grieving sisters and seeing Lazarus's friends weeping, was deeply troubled and moved. After asking where Lazarus had been laid, and being invited to come see, Jesus wept. He then went to the tomb and told the people to remove the stone covering it, prayed aloud to his Father, and ordered Lazarus to come out, resuscitated."

Beforehand, Martha was talking to Jesus about the death of his brother.

“Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 

But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”

Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”

Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 

and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

“Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.” John 11:21-27

Who is Martha?

Martha had been most often relegated behind Mary who listened at the feet of the Lord Jesus while leaving all the hospitality chores to her sister (Luke 10:39).

Let's read the preceding verse in Luke 10.

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. Luke 10:38

It was Martha who opened her home to Jesus and his disciples.

Yet, we would easily remember Martha being reprimanded by Jesus for complaining about Mary for not helping her with the preparations (Luke 10:41).

Going back to John 11:27

“Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”

Martha was emphatic that Jesus is the Son of God, the same Martha whom Jesus rebuked for being worried and upset about many things.

I now think of people who may seem not attentive say during Sunday message or Midweek prayer meeting, just like Martha. I must think that after all, Martha must have been actually listening to the words of the Lord Jesus, it was multi-tasking in today's jargon. What mattered must have been that afterwards, Martha in solitude recalled and reflected on the words of the Lord Jesus. 

Martha has the honor of having testified that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.

What Martha professed above that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, do we really believe this?

We may appear unlike Martha, undistracted during every Sunday's message.

But do we have the heart of Martha who was emphatic that Jesus is the resurrection and the life, that we believe in Him, that we will live even though we die, and we live by believing in Him we will never die?

The verse below may be all too familiar. Have we embraced it wholeheartedly?

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

Every Sunday's message is futile if we are not as emphatic as Martha.

Philippians 1

21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; 

24 but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.

I have had serious near death experiences. After all what I have been through, skirmishes with death, I desire for that "which is better by far", and I live by believing in Jesus I will never die (John 11:26).

""My face is red with weeping,

    dark shadows ring my eyes;

yet my hands have been free of violence

    and my prayer is pure.

“Earth, do not cover my blood;

    may my cry never be laid to rest!”

Lord my God, I called to you for help,

    and you healed me." (Job 16:16-18; Psalm 30:2). Lord, Your compassions fail not, they are new every morning; I praise You, in Jesus' name. Amen.

22 March 2018"

May you be blessed with God's Word.

Maraming salamat.