Read:

John 11:28-33

²⁸ And when she had so said, she went her way, and called Mary her sister secretly, saying, The Master is come, and calleth for thee. ²⁹ As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly, and came unto him. ³⁰ Now Jesus was not yet come into the town, but was in that place where Martha met him. ³¹ The Jews then which were with her in the house, and comforted her, when they saw Mary, that she rose up hastily and went out, followed her, saying, She goeth unto the grave to weep there. ³² Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. ³³ When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled,

Hebrews 12:12  

¹² Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;

Exhortation:

While Martha went to meet Jesus, Mary remained in the house with friends and mourners. In personality, she differed from her sister. She needed sympathy rather than persuasion. So Martha encouraged her by whispering to her that the Lord had come and He calls for her. As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly, and came unto him (v.29). No matter how weary we may be, let us remember that the Lord bids us to His side. Like Mary, let us haste, no matter how crippling the grief may be, to the Lord’s side. He says unto us, Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest (Matt 11:28).

When Mary came to Jesus, He dealt with her differently. To Martha He gave explanation and challenge. To Mary He brought tears of genuine compassion. What a gentle and compassionate Friend we have in Jesus!

It is written of Jesus that He groaned in spirit and wept. The Greek word for “groaning” has the idea of indignation. Probably, He was indignant at the miseries and bereavement caused by sin. Perhaps, He was also angry with the mourners who really were not comforting. Such matters of sin would be sufficient to make Jesus indignant. But Jesus also wept. This was not the loud wailing of mourners. It was the shedding of tears of true sympathy. He was moved by human sorrow. In the midst of trials, we cannot help but feel sadness and pain. But we should not be despondent, for we can count on our compassionate Friend in such times.

Some of the Jews standing by recognised the sympathetic nature of Jesus and His genuine concern for this lovely family. But others suspected Him of hypocrisy. They suspected either that His power was deficient or His friendship with Lazarus was false.

Thought:

Christ is the most wonderful counsellor for our greatest grief.

PRAYER

O Lord, please come to my aid, for I am helpless.