Jesus Wept

In 2005 we discovered that Macayla was having seizures. Throughout most of the year we were hopeful that we would discover the cause of the seizures but we were confident we could gain control of them with the right combination of medications. A few days before Thanksgiving, I heard a sermon on John 11 where Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. We always focus on the raising from the dead part. We know the outcome of the story so it is easy to skip over some important elements of it. As I listened to this sermon, I was reminded that Jesus waited before coming to Lazarus and Mary and Martha's aid. He could have stopped Lazarus from dying, but he didn't. He didn't even have to go to Lazarus' home to do it. He could have simply willed Lazarus to be healed and it would have been so. But he stayed at a distance and allowed the sickness in Lazarus' body to take its course. I was reminded that Jesus was in control of the situation. When he did finally show up on the scene, Mary and Martha both acknowledge that Jesus had the power to prevent their brother's death but that he didn't. I knew as I listened to this sermon that Macayla was dying. I knew God was preparing me for the worst news a parent will ever hear. This was at Thanksgiving and a MRI in December confirmed that we were in the realm of a fatal disease. It would be the week after Christmas that we would confirm the name of the disease, Battens.
But John 11:35 is the shortest verse in the Bible, "Jesus wept." Jesus comes to the tomb of Lazarus who was 4 days dead at this point and Jesus wept. He didn't weep because he morned the loss of a friend. He knew that he was going to raise Lazarus from the dead before he ever got news of the illness. He wept at all of the grief that death causes in our lives. First of all, death was not included in the original design of our world. Our sin brought that about. Second, death doesn't just kill someone, it grieves those who loved the deceased. Jesus wept because it didn't have to be this way. He wept over the grief of those who loved Lazarus like he did.
I weep for Macayla often and Jesus weeps with me. Macayla is a victim of a fallen world where disease and death exists. But that's not what was intended and that's why Jesus came. He came to restore what was intended in his creation. He came to bring us back into fellowship with him. God is not a puppetmaster in the sky just toying with us. He loves us. He loves us so much that he weeps with us and I bet his tears are bigger than ours. He loves us so much that he crossed the gap between him and us. He brought "up there" down here.
Jesus could heal Macayla and totally restore her brain and body. But he is the resurrection and the life and He can take care of Macayla better than I. Even if she is not healed and dies (which only a miracle could stop) Jesus will take care of my and his little girl. Jesus not only wept but he later suffered and died because of our fallen world. His resurrection, unlike Lazarus', overcame death and sin. It provides life, real life for those who trust Him like a child.