Arcturus U wrote: I believe that the Jews who upon seeing Jesus weep, came to the wrong conclusion. The Jews assumed that Jesus weeping showed how much He loved His deceased friend Lazarus. I believe the Jews were wrong in their assessments and conclusions. Jesus often referred to the Jewish heirachy as being Hypocrites Snakes and Paul referred to them as dogs.
In my first notes from my studies of Ray Smith's teachings I copied the following teaching from Ray who answered an email. I did not keep the reference just the quote. Here it is : Josephus was the product of his own Jewish race, religion and culture. By the time of his writings, he like virtually all of Judea absorbed most of the pagan teaching of Babylon which came initially out of Egypt. These included immortal soul, transmigration of souls, judgment at death and underworld hell of demons and pagan gods, etc. By the time of Jesus’ ministry, the Jews were PAGAN TO THE CORE.
I can not believe that our Creator loves in the same selfish way that human nature loves. Jesus was entirely UNSELFISH and His actions were not carnal or self seeking. Jesus on hearing that His friend Lazarus was sick, stayed AWAY UNTIL HE HAD DIED!
John 11 : 6 Therefore even when He heard that Lazarus was sick, He still stayed two days longer in the same place where He was.
Jesus knew BEFORE the news reached His Disciples, that Lazarus had died. Jesus told His Disciples
John 11: 11…Our friend Lazarus is at rest and sleeping; but I am going there that I may awaken him out of his sleep. 12. ..the disciples answered, Lord, if he is sleeping, he will recover. 13. However, Jesus had spoken of his DEATH.
Jesus is reported to have wept, when He saw the grief, sorrow and distraught pain, agony and suffering of Mary who had not come out to meet Him when He reached her town. This was the same Mary who in grief had stayed behind and who Jesus had to ask for and only then she came to Him. When she reached Jesus here is what happened. John 11 : 32 When Mary came to the place where Jesus was and saw Him she dropped down at His feet, saying to Him, Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. 33 when Jesus saw HER sobbing, and the Jews who came with her ALSO SOBBING, He was DEEPLY MOVED IN SPIRIT AND TROUBLED. Why? He knew He was to wake Lazarus and that he would live. So why be moved or disquieted? Jesus LOVED Martha MARY and their brother Lazarus. John 11 : 5 Now Jesus LOVED Martha and her sister and Lazarus. They were His dear friends, and He held them in loving esteem. Mary who had sat at His feet listening to Him while sister Martha occupied herself with more trivial matters than listening and learning, came to Him only when summoned and fell at His feet sobbing, in pain, in loss, in grief and knowing full well that if Jesus had been there, her brother would have been healed because JESUS LOVED THEM. Jesus sent someone to call Mary to Him and she came with disappointment in Him and blame for His absence.
How many blame Jesus for the death of a loved one. How many blame Jesus for the state of our wicked world. How many who listen and learn and adore Jesus when the chips are down, also fall at His feet and blame Him for being absent to their loss and remote to their feelings. This had to have torn at the soul of Christ to experience this deep error in perception of the carnal mind. And DESPITE all this, THIS SAME MARY was to be given an unmatched gift that Jesus already knew He would give her yet still, He wept for and with her. Why? Because our Lord is Compassion and Love and He suffers with us, for us and because of us. Jesus knows the beginning from the end and still He wept! Why? Because JESUS HAS FEELINGS! This was to be the Mary of whom Jesus would say AFTER RAISING LAZARUS FROM DEATH Jesus would say of her Mark 14 : 9 And surely I tell you, wherever the good news is proclaimed in the entire world, what she has done will be told in memory of her. ( what had Mary done to receive this high acclaim? Does Babyon obey what Jesus said that when the GOOD NEWS is proclaimed in the entire world what Mary did will be told in memory? Of course not. Babylon does NOT PREACH ANY GOOD NEWS.) Here is what Mary did. Jesus said Mark 14 : 8 She has done what she could; she came beforehand to anoint My body for the burial. 6. She has done a good and beautiful thing to Me, praiseworthy and noble. What Mary did was John 12 : 3 Mary took a pound of ointment of pure liquid nard, a rare perfume that was very expensive, and she poured it on Jesus' feet and wiped them with her hair. to break a jar of costly and precious perfume to pour over His feet which Jesus said was a beautiful thing that was praiseworthy and noble as the anointing of His body for burial. Paul writes to the Romans 12:1 I appeal to you therefore, brethren, and beg of you in view of all the mercies of God, to make a decisive dedication of your bodies (alabaster perfume jars perhaps? Our costly to ourselves and precious to our self worth selves) presenting all your members, and faculties as a living sacrifice, holy devoted, consecrated and will pleasing to god, which is your reasonable service and spiritual worship. Rom 12 : 1.
What I find so interesting is John 11 : 45 Upon seeing what Jesus had done, ( He raised Lazarus to life) many of the Jews who had come with Mary believed in Him. But why did Jesus weep. For me Jesus wept because THIS WAS THE MARY who Luke 10 : 39...who seated herself at the Lord's feet and was listening to His teaching. This was the Mary of whom Jesus said to her sister Luke 10 : 41 Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things; 42 There is need of only one, Mary has chosen the good portion which shall not be taken away from her. this was the Mary who after her brother Lazarus was raised from the dead was the Mary who was blessed to anoint the body of Jesus in preparation for His death. This was the Mary who LISTENED to Jesus and adored Him yet suffered enormous grief and disappointment when her brother died.
Before Mary had the experience of her brother being raised from the dead and returned to her, she was kneeling at the feet of Jesus in sobs and tears while saying to Jesus "If YOU had been there he would not have died! " These SAME words were spoken to him by Mary's sister but Marthas words did not make Jesus weep. I do not think Martha was crying! I do not think Martha was broken like Mary was by the grief of loosing her brother. She did not approach Jesus in the same way as MARY came to Him.
Only AFTER Mary saw her brother live again did the pain disperse. Did Mary feel remorse for her staying behind her sister Martha when Jesus came to town? Did Mary have regret for her sense of hopelessness that reflected in her words to Jesus that observed that had He been there then her brother would not have died? The scriptures do not tell us how Mary felt after she saw her brother come back to life. We hear of how Peter felt after he denied Jesus but with Mary, the next time we read about Mary we see her proceeded to be able to break a most expensive jar of perfume and in front of the whole house, anoint the feet of Christ and wipe the excess off with her hair.
So between her grief and her tears that I believe moved Jesus to also weep, her love shone through for her brother, in mirror reflection of the Love that Christ has for the World. In this way too we should love.
Wow!! LOVED it Arc, "now! d@s wot Im talkn about", lol!
great! Post, GODBLESS! U! & da Orsum! knowledge & great understanding of The WORD of The FATHER u hav GOD given of coz..
muchLOVE!! Pera