Truth and Tears
In the gospel of John toward the end of Jesus’ ministry, Jesus and the twelve disciples were headed toward Bethany. They were on their way to his friend Lazarus’ house because Lazarus’ sisters Mary and Martha had sent word to Jesus several days before that their brother was sick and near unto death. Jesus said to his disciples that Lazarus had fallen asleep. He then told them that Lazarus had died, and that he was going to prove the power of God. Martha rushed out to meet them and said to Jesus, “If you had been here, my brother would not have died.” Jesus said, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha said, “I understand that he will rise again at the resurrection.”
“Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.”
When they came to Bethany and Jesus saw the mourners and Lazarus’ sister Mary, the scripture says, “Jesus wept.” He was overcome with grief and compassion for his friends. When you look at this story of Mary and Martha, Jesus gave Martha the truth, “I am the resurrection and the life, he who believes in me shall never die.” To Mary, he gave tears. Jesus wept. Sometimes, you say it best when you say nothing at all. Jesus’ life of ministry was a combination of truth and tears.
Gary often travels to Nepal in trekking expeditions and to get away and meditate. On his first trip ten years ago, Gary picked up the luggage at the airport for the trekking team. While passing through a slum area in Bombay to take the train to Nepal, Gary noticed the filth and squalor of the slum. He broke down and cried for the people in that area and at the utter depravity of their living conditions. Other times he went to Nepal, he was no longer moved by the sight of the slums. According to Lamentations 3:22-23, “It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.” His compassions never come to an end…because morning by morning new mercies I see. Our compassion needs to be fresh and new every morning as though it were the first time. Jesus always feels the pain and compassion for God’s people each new day.
The heart of a man of God is truth. Jesus said, “sanctify them with thy word; thy word is truth.” A man of God is also a man of tears and compassion. Keeping our heart close to the heart of our Lord means that we must share both truth and tears.
According to Proverbs, the wisdom literature of the bible, Wisdom is the application of the knowledge of the truth. Proverbs 3:3 and following says:
“My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee. Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart:
So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.
Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”
Teaching is not just data, rather, it points to the majesty of God. The exhortation is to not forget the teaching of God. The knowledge of God needs to be constantly in our mind as when Moses gave this final charge to the children of Israel before they entered into the promised land: “When you enter into the promised land and your flocks and your houses multiply, do not forget the Lord thy God.” What we truly desire we will never forget. If we forget the Lord, then he will no longer have preeminence in our life.
The proverbs speak of the ways that the laws of God normally function. These precepts of truth are the way God designed his blessings to flow. Do not let kindness and truth leave you. Bind them upon thy neck write them upon the tables of thine heart. Kindness and truth go hand in hand. You cannot have one with out the other to reflect the character of God in your life. You will be loved and blessed when you walk with the Lord. Fellowship with the Lord reflects the nature of God himself and as you walk with him, God will bless you with those who need to be loved.
Trust in the Lord with all thine heart. This implies total abandonment. Don’t lean unto thine own understanding. The question is, “why not?” The reason is because we are not worthy to build our own lives. We’re not in control… he is. Our best understanding of the future is no more than a vague hunch. We cannot know value apart from what God says is valuable. We need to come to this conclusion: “Apart from the word of God, I don’t know.”
The human race is in an identity crisis without any frame of reference for truth. The older you get and the more thoughtful you get, the more you realize that the truth is the Word of God and that Jesus Christ is the meaning of the Word. He is the way, the truth, and the life.
Only God can make your path straight and bring you to your appointed goal. We often wonder, what will it take to get us there? Through the pressures and the tribulations of life, has God left the building? There is a story in the gospels about a storm raging while the disciples were crossing the Sea of Galilee. Jesus appeared to them walking on the water. Jesus said, “fear not.” The answer to the trials and tribulations of this life is “fear not for the Lord thy God is with thee withersoever thou goest.” Why do we experience these struggles in life? It’s because God wants to make you a person of Joy, yet easily touched by compassion. He wants to make you a man of passion and yet authentic and pure. In order for God to form you into the man of character he wants you to be, he needs to mold you and make you after his will. He wants us to experience the truth of the Word of God to prove the power of God. Through the trial God says, “Give me your weakness, and I will give you my strength.”
He continues to teach us through truth and tears. Great is thy faithfulness, O God my father. There is no shadow of turning with thee. Thou changest to not, thy compassions they fail not. Great is thy faithfulness Lord unto me.
May God richly bless you!
Your brother in Christ,
Michael