MISSION GROUP QUESTIONS FROM JOHN: 7 Words + 7 Signs - 18/10/09

This week we looked at the next 'word' that Jesus gave about himself in John 11 - "I am the resurrection and the life" - and we looked at how Jesus encountered death with truth, tears and anger

The context of Jesus’ saying was the funeral of one of his closest friends Lazarus (vs1-4 +17). Jesus has 3 encounters and deals with each person differently

(1) Martha (vs20-27) - Truth. Jesus gives her hope by speaking of the future and final resurrection of God’s people “on the last day” but reorientates it around himself and what we do with him. HE IS the agent of resurrection life and what you do with him now will determine what will happen on that last day to you. Jesus gives Martha the truth that gives her hope for the future.

(2) Mary (29-26) - Tears. In complete contrast to Martha, when Mary meets Jesus (and expresses exactly the same complaint - vs21 &32) there is no theological discussion and no talk about the final resurrection…there are just tears. He stops and weeps because of all the brokenness he sees around him. Jesus gives Mary the tears that will comfort her in the present.

(3) Lazarus/Death (33-40) - Anger. In verse 33 & 38 John says “Jesus, deeply moved in spirit and troubled” which literally means “to quake with anger” (to roar and snort like an animal). And the questions is…..why the such fury? Did he not know how the story was going to end - that the tears would turn to dancing as the death became a resurrection? It seems clear that Jesus knew how the story was going to end (vs4 + 11) - he knew he was going to raise Lazarus from the dead. So why such emotion? Why the weeping and why the quaking with rage? Well Bruce Milne* captures the reason well when he says

“In Mary’s grief he sees and feels the misery of the whole human races and burns with rage again the oppressor of men. It is death that is the object of his wrath, and behind death him who has the power of death, he who had come into the world to destroy.”

Jesus weeps and quakes with rage not just because Lazarus has died, but because of what Lazarus symbolises - that death is an evil intruder into God’s world and brings such suffering and pain with it. Although Jesus would reverse this situation around and comfort these 2 sisters, there would be more friends dying young, more sisters weeping and more suffering which Jesus would not be able to turn around. Jesus quakes with rage at death and the powers of darkness that have defaced God’s originally beautiful creation.

What did we learn from this story

(1) The greater the love, the greater the rage. Jesus is weeps and quakes with rage because he loves Lazarus and he is dead, he loves the sisters and they are mourning and he loves God’s creation and it has been marred and scared by death. Wrath and Love are not opposites and they are not competing, they are 2 sides of the same coin. If God is not full of Wrath, he is not loving! The opposite of Love is indifference, to be unaffected by the suffering and pain of loved ones.

(2) Jesus gets involved in our suffering. We do not worship a distant and disinterested God. We worship a God who came down to earth, got his hands dirty, wept with those that wept and quaked with rage at death. Unlike Allah, the idea of Karma and the philosophy that underlies atheistic evolution, Jesus does feel and does weep and does sympathise with our pain.

(3) We all make one of two mistakes when it comes to thinking about God/Jesus. Either he is “all loving” and accepts everyone. But there is no truth, there is no anger. Or else he is “all about truth” and there is no welcome and tenderness and “eating with sinners” that Jesus was so famous for. But John tells us (1.14) that “the word became flesh…we have seen his glory….full of GRACE AND TRUTH.” Jesus is full of Grace and Truth and neither is compromises and neither is put over or above the other. Why is the balance important? Well if it is one and not other…

    - The Grace doesn’t have the Truth to transform us
    - The Truth doesn’t have the Grace so it crushes us

(4) We all make one of two mistakes when it comes to dealing with suffering. When we meet people who are suffering and grieving we either “give them the truth” but we fail them because they do not feel loved or comforted. If that is you, you need to learn the “the ministry of tears.” Stop, listen, be silent and cry to comfort people. However, other people “just weep” with those who are suffering which shows them comfort but if you never speak truth to them (that Jesus suffered and weeps with you, that Jesus quakes with rage at suffering and evil, that Jesus has opened a way to the new creation without suffering and that Jesus uses suffering for good) then they will lose hope. And not just lose hope. they will become hardened (because there is no hope for the future) - hardened towards life, other people, circumstances and God. If that is you, you need to learn “the ministry of truth.”

(5) When we deal with suffering we have to be sensitive to different people at different times and whether we need to give them “the ministry of tears” or the “ministry of truth” - there is no “5 step plan.” How do we grow in this? We come to know The Wonderful Counsellor more intimately and walk more closely with his Spirit.

(6) We must never succumb to the lie and the pressure that says “mature people hold their emotions in.” Jesus shows us that ‘the most mature people weep the most’ so if you want to laugh, cry, quake with rage (righteously) and weep then we are ‘to let the emotions out’ - it shows we are in touch with reality, we are involved in peoples lives and that we are engaging with suffering.

(7) The greatest moment of glory, the greatest moment of grace and truth is the hour of the cross (John 12.27-28). That was where the perfect just and loving God out of love for his people but hatred for sin quaked with rage on his own son. It was at the cross that the powers of darkness were overcome and the devil disarmed (Colossians 2.15). To the extent that the cross captivates our hearts and becomes the framework from which we view all of lifes tragedies will be the extent to which we will be able to full of grace and truth.

Reflection and Application

(1) Use Isaiah 53 to meditate on the death and sufferings of Christ. Thank God that the word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.

(2) Which of the 7 points challenges or comforts you the most and why?

(3) Which do you veer towards…just a Holy God or just a Loving God? Why? How can you keep the balance? Why is it important to keep the balance?

(4) Which do you veer towards…a ministry of truth or a ministry of tears? Why? How can you grow in the other ministry?

(5) When and why do you keep your emotions in? How does Jesus’ example help you?

(6) How can you become a group of “wonderful counsellors” to each other and to the people you are reaching out to? Pray for opportunity to exercise grace and truth this week to those you are around.

(7) Pray for people you know who need to know the ministry of tears to comfort them in the present and for those that need to know the ministry of truth to give them hope for the future.

* John: Bible Speaks Today Commentary, pg165