Jesus Is Not Too Late | The Gospel, Grief & the Grave
The holiday season can be a difficult one. In the last seven days alone, I’ve talked with a number of Villagers confronted by loss and grief. Loved ones have passed on, milestones have been missed, and unexpected disillusionments about daily life have settled in. Some of this was brought about by the unique set of circumstances we’re facing this year. Some were made more difficult by them. Still others would have happened just as they did no matter what.
Before the first bit of bitter news rolled in last week, the Lord had in me John 11. Mary and Martha’s brother, Lazarus, had passed away before Jesus could make it to his bedside. By the time Jesus arrived at his village, Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days. Jesus spoke with Martha, assuring her that “whoever believes in [him], though he die, yet shall he live.” Thankfully, Lazarus had believed! And so did Martha, who seemed comforted by her conversation with Jesus.
But before Jesus traveled to the tomb and raised Lazarus from the dead, this scene happened in verses 28-36:
[Martha] went and called her sister Mary, saying in private, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” And when she heard it, she rose quickly and went to him. Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha had met him. When the Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary rise quickly and go out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there. Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus wept. So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”
Jesus’ exchange with Martha was chock-full of theology. And so was *this* interaction with Mary.
Many of us have struggled - and continue to struggle - with the presence of God this year. We’re used to seeing it mediated through in-person church gatherings, family traditions, and life-as-usual. His nearness is felt when our hopes are fulfilled, because we know all that he is capable of doing when he is with us. But I’m writing this minutes after having to “attend” a Celebration of Life service via livestream. What is Jesus up to when we can’t even gather like we need to? Where is he when our dreams are deferred? When our prayers are seemingly met with silence? When life as we know it is disrupted - or even comes to an end?
“Lord, if you had been here, this wouldn’t have happened.”
But Jesus is with us, seated on his throne. His Holy Spirit is with us, indwelling whoever believes in him. And just as he wasn’t immune to suffering himself, the Lord’s presence does not prevent hardships from happening to us. Rather, Jesus says that though we do die, we will live again. This theology is good news. In dying, we’re neither going somewhere Jesus hasn’t already been, nor will we be swallowed up by something Jesus hasn’t already overcome.
Likewise, Jesus’ encounter with Mary is good news, too: in grieving, we’re neither going through something Jesus hasn’t already experienced, nor will we be swallowed up by something Jesus couldn’t overcome. In his divinity, Jesus was able to conquer both grief and the grave. And yet in his humanity, Christ had to feel the full sting of death on both sides of the tomb. Jesus saw Mary and the others weeping, and it moved him - the one who can raise the dead with a word and will one day wipe away every tear from every eye - to tears.
Because Jesus wept, we no longer have to see loss and grief as evidence of Jesus’ absence. Rather, they’re evidence that Satan, sin, and suffering are present. And since Jesus didn’t keep himself from this kind of suffering and came out the other side, he is now able to keep us from falling when we are faced with it ourselves. Jesus’ presence with us is not mediated by our circumstances. Nor is his present seat at the right hand of the Father some spiritual ivory tower he uses to put distance between us and him. Rather, Christ’s heavenly throne is proof that there are no lengths he didn’t go to save us; there are no lengths he can’t go to be with us; and there are no lengths he won’t be able to go to destroy every one of our enemies, the last of which is death itself.
For some of us, the season of Advent has never been more appropriate. Just like Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, we’re awaiting Jesus’ arrival, that he might remedy all that’s broken, remove all that’s evil, and restore all that he has made right. This might resonate with us in more ways this year. And also like them, what happens while we wait can leave us disoriented and distraught.
But take heart: Jesus is not too late! Our expectations are sometimes far too early. Longing for his return and all that comes with it can easily turn into unspoken expectations that we should get to experience the fullness of his coming kingdom now. Unspoken, that is, until we say, “Lord, if you had been here, this wouldn’t have happened.” One day it will be true that because Jesus is with us, we will no longer weep or watch loved ones pass. And though that day is not today, we are not in the meantime merely victims of our grief.
See how he loves us! Like he did for his friends in John 11, Jesus has not only moved towards us, but he seeks to go to the very sources of our sadness. He not only sees us weeping, but he has been troubled in his spirit by our tears. And he is here with us, calling for us. May we quickly rise, go to him by the Spirit in Word, prayer, and gospel community, and be reminded that Jesus is a Savior who meets us just as much in our grief as he does in the grave.
Would our present hardships have happened if Jesus had been here? That’s not the question. Instead, because Jesus is here, how does he want to meet you and minister to you in the midst of your grief? Does he meet you with tears? With the hope of the resurrection? With a desire to speak good news to the source of your sadness? Yes. All this and more for whoever believes in him!