John 11:32-36
32When Mary arrived and saw Jesus, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, a deep anger welled up within him, and he was deeply troubled. 34“Where have you put him?” he asked them. They told him, “Lord, come and see.” 35Then Jesus wept. 36The people who were standing nearby said, “See how much he loved him!”
John 11:32-36 · NLT · read the whole chapter ↗
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Context
Jesus had close friends in the village of Bethany: Mary, Martha and their brother Lazarus. when Lazarus got sick, Jesus waited before coming, and by the time he arrived Lazarus had been dead for four days.
Mary runs out to meet him and falls at his feet. she says what many grieving people feel. if you had been here, this would not have happened.
Jesus already knows he is about to raise Lazarus. even so, he sees Mary and the others crying, he is deeply moved and he cries with them.
What it means
God is not distant from your pain. Jesus walked into a hurting family and felt their sadness with them. he had the power to fix it, and he still stopped to cry with his friends.
did you know? in John 16:33 Jesus tells his followers they will have trouble in this world, and also tells them to take heart because he has overcome the world.
Think about it
what is something hard you have been carrying that you have not told God about?
Try this
be honest with God about something that hurts. you can tell him exactly how you feel, like Mary did.
pray: Jesus, thank you for caring about my pain. stay close to me in the hard parts.
talk about it: how can we show up for a friend who is grieving?