As I write this article, I am aware that in just a matter of hours a family will gather, along with many others from the community, to celebrate their young daughter’s much-too-short life and then bury her body. There is much grieving taking place in the community because of a tragic car crash that took place just over a week ago.
In another part of our community there is a family grieving because their 10-year-old son will never be at their table again. His life, too, was cut short by a tragic accident. They, too, are grieving and hurting because of their loss and a life that ended too soon.
These are the two “big” incidents that have captured our community’s attention and hearts here in recent weeks. But I also know there are other families that are grieving and/or hurting for other reasons. In fact, I know that these two incidents have impacted other families in our community because these events have been a reminder of the families own tragic events that have taken their own child away from them too soon and they understand all too well the pain the families I’ve mentioned above are living with.
My heart hurts for all these families. All our hearts break for these and all the families involved in these tragic situations. If there is anything good that comes out of such horrible situations, it is seeing people come together to weep, hurt, support, and care for one another. In moments like those described above, suddenly our petty political, religious, opinion differences fall away, and we are simply able to be together as a community caring for one another. This is as it should be.
There is a story in the Bible that came to mind just the other day, after the news of the most recent death began to spread around the community. The outpouring of love, care, and emotion on social media, for the family involved, was large and beautiful. It made me think of the story in John 11 of the death of Lazarus.
Jesus had received word that his good friend, Lazarus was very sick and in fact dying. Jesus didn’t make it to Bethany in time and Lazarus had already died and been buried by the time Jesus arrived. Mary and Martha, Lazarus’s sisters, were heartbroken and grieving. Jesus asks to be taken to the tomb where Lazarus has been buried. Once there, Jesus is filled with emotion and the story simply says, “Jesus wept.” John 11:35. Jesus’ raw emotion came out.
But then there is an interesting sentence. I’ve read it many times but didn’t really notice it until now. It says, “But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?” John 11:37. That is a very honest question. In fact, that’s what I like about the Bible, it is filled with honest statements like that. I’m sure there are many people today who quietly in their hearts are asking that very question. “Couldn’t Jesus, who healed so many, have kept this young girl, this young boy, from dying?” As Christians we believe the answer to that question is “Yes!” But Jesus did not intervene here, as he did in the Lazarus story, and bring healing and restore life. And this is why we ask the “Why?” questions. Why did these tragic accidents happen? Why did these beautiful young people have to die? There is no good answer.
I appreciate and greatly understand the raw honesty of those very honest and real questions people ask at times like this. I ask them myself! I have been asked those questions throughout the course of my ministry and I still don’t have an answer. The only words that bring me comfort in times like this are the two words that come in John 11:35, “Jesus wept.” Those words don’t give any sort of magical answer, but they do tell us that Jesus understands the pain and hurt and grief, and even anger that we feel in moments like this.
To all who are hurting and grieving in our community, the best words I can give you in moments like this are the two words that describe Jesus as he stood at a grave grieving… “Jesus wept.” Jesus understands the pain we feel in our darkest moments. Jesus understands and weeps with us. In some ways, that is what any of us want in the moments of tragedy and loss in our lives. Somewhere in the back corners of our minds, we know, or at least recognize, that at times, tragedy does happen. We don’t like it, we don’t want it to touch our families, but we know it happens. But what we all want to know is that in those deepest moments of pain in our lives, we want to know that we aren’t standing alone in our grief and weeping…that someone who loves and cares for us is there with us. This story answers that question. We aren’t alone. There are always friends and family that grieve with us in those moments of pain, but this story also tells us that in the midst of our searching questions and in the midst of our brokenness, and even anger, we are never alone. Jesus is with us. Jesus weeps with us. Jesus understands!
Pastor Keith