Good Morning Friends,
Today we have examples of both Jesus and John weeping. I think their tears like ours are designed to soften hearts and give us a better ability to grieve and even be open to hurt and wounding that in time might become a source of healing for others. You see, being open to our emotions in this way is a doorway to a new life. John connects it in a way to the breaking of the seal of an inheritance document, realizing that the only one who is worthy of opening the seals of such a document is the one who fits the requirements of the inheritance. Tears that help to redeem us can be a bit of a mystery so today we ponder the nature of tears and those tears that have an effect on our very being even as we ask… How Do We Prepare To Shed A Credible Tear For What Must Come?
Scriptures: Then I saw in the right hand of the one seated on the throne a scroll written on the inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals; and I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it. And I began to weep bitterly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.” Then I saw between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders a Lamb standing as if it had been slaughtered, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. He went and took the scroll from the right hand of the one who was seated on the throne. When he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell before the Lamb, each holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. They sing a new song: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slaughtered and by your blood you ransomed for God saints from every tribe and language and people and nation; you have made them to be a kingdom and priests serving our God, and they will reign on earth.”
Revelation 5:1-10 (NRSV)
As he came near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, “If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. Indeed, the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up ramparts around you and surround you, and hem you in on every side. They will crush you to the ground, you and your children within you, and they will not leave within you one stone upon another; because you did not recognize the time of your visitation from God.”
Luke 19:41-44 (NRSV)
Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem! Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
Zechariah 9:9 (NRSV)
Message: According to research tears serve three major purposes. Reflex tears clear irritants from the eyes. Basal tears kill infections before they have a chance to cause problems as they keep the eyes lubricated which in turn helps us to see. And what we might call psychic or weeping tears, the kind in today’s text serve as a response to a strong emotional or psychological condition within. When we cry emotionally, it can be out of anger, or grief, overwhelming joy, or uncontainable beauty. Tears well up not just from our eyes but from the deepest reservoirs of our humanity. But friends, if our tears are only self-centered, one nature is revealed. If we find ourselves crying out of compassion for one who is suffering, or from a profound sense of awe, another nature is revealed. When Jesus was about to enter Jerusalem, he wept. However, others, who were about to greet him upon his entry into the city, were preparing great cheers of thanksgiving. The tears came before the triumph. The mood shifted from hopeless to grateful. Then it shifted again at the Last Supper and the time at the Wine Press, the Cross, the death, and resurrection in preparation for the coming of the Holy Spirit. And how we choose our reply to this rollercoaster of emotions reflected in our own lives makes all the difference. Ultimately, if we are to be Christians, we must figure out our response to the sacrifice made for us…for the darkness of life as well as the light…. the tears of sorrow as well as joy. So, I think God wants us to cry as Jesus wept, to soften out hearts and gain understanding for our need to grieve, to be hurt, and to be wounded and then be healed. For in this way, the Holy Spirit in us becomes a source of love and we become living sacrifices. Jesus wept for what would happen to Jerusalem but also wept because he knew our lives and healing must be bought through his own death and resurrection. So, in a way Jesus was crying for us as well. You see Jesus’ tears demonstrate who he was and is and our tears demonstrate who we are as people called to be the Body of Christ. What is important to us is revealed in our tears as clearly as anywhere else.
And So, that brings us back to the question. And for each of us the answer is a bit different but always the same in our acceptance of the love Jesus offers. Oh, we can read the Bible and pray and serve but there is something deeper going on inside us…sanctifying us spiritually that prompts these actions. John was crying because no one on earth was counted worthy to open the inheritance document. John understood somehow that the hope for any future for humanity was tied up in the opening of the future and that without a Redeemer to open the seals and receive the inheritance, humanity was doomed to its own destruction. John wept when he thought there was no hope…. but then rejoices when he sees Jesus. Jesus wept for Lazarus and when he sees Zechariah’s prophecy being fulfilled in his own life as he enters Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. Jesus expressed His emotional lamentation over the city that was to be a place of peace but was destined to be a place of turmoil in the days that would follow and the punishment the Jewish people would face in the history to follow. And so, the Jews eagerly expected this Messiah Jesus to resurrect the glorious Davidic Kingdom of Israel back to life. Their cries of ‘Hosanna! Hosanna!’ expressed their hopes that Jesus would now lead them to overthrow the Romans, and to restore all the lost glorious fortunes of the Kingdom of Israel. But when it became very clear to them that this was not His intention at all, and Jesus did not perform the great miracles they had expected (although He did heal the lame and the blind who were brought to Him at the Temple), all their excitement gradually died down. In the days that followed, this selfish concept of the people became evident, as they went back to their own businesses, and paid hardly any attention to what the Lord Jesus said or did. All the high honor that they had given to Him during His Triumphal Entry in Jerusalem was soon forgotten, as they gave attention to other pursuits. Such would bring tears to the eyes of God even as Jesus cries out on the cross. The hope is that in preparation for what is to come in the power of the Holy Spirit our tears and emotions in our times would turn us to the joy of Jesus. The preparation is to turn to Jesus.
Pray we realize that Jesus is worthy because He paid the price of our redemption. Pray when we cry it be for joy and if not, that Jesus would wipe our tears away comforting us for what is to come. Pray we are thankful for Jesus as our strength and solution to the problems that make us cry. Pray that we believe passionately. Pray we are honest about our dark places. Pray that we have a change of mind and a change of our hearts to become more hopeful and loving. Pray we demonstrate just how thankful we really are even when it brings us to tears. Pray we have a gratitude shared for those who pass on faith in Jesus. Pray Jesus unseals our lives for a purpose of sharing gifts with love and healing. Pray we realize that true gratitude might even bring us to tears. Pray the tears that Jesus shed on earth reminds us that we have a Savior who understands our feelings. Pray His tears also remind those who are still unsaved not to forsake the opportunity for peace with God that Jesus came to bestow on us.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 