I was reminded of this verse in Relief Society today. It has been reflected on in many different ways and at many different times by others. The meaning that has been most
powerful to me though, especially at the end of my mission (which was
the most difficult era for me) is how it displays Christ's compassion.
If you haven't read it recently, check out
John 11. This is where
Lazareth dies BECAUSE Christ tarries despite his family's pleas to come
and heal him. We know now that Christ tarried in order for Lazareth to
be considered truly dead by Jewish law (they believed it took 3 days for
the spirit to leave the body) and thus prove His divinity by raising
Lazareth from the dead, but they didn't know that. For them they waited
anxiously, wondering why the Lord could possibly "tarry" while such a
trial was at hand. I am sure the moments were agonizing, as their eyes
searched the road for any indication that their Savior would come to
them in this their time of greatest need. Yet He did not come, and
seemingly, all was lost. I find it interesting, because when Christ did
arrive, Mary and Martha both expressed Faith in Him AND His plan. One
testifies that had Christ been there "my brother had not died" but that
she KNEW that her brother would rise again in the Resurrection, that in
the end it would be OK. She had the testimony of the Plan of Salvation
LONG before Christ had officially conquered death. But the Resurrection
must have felt a long ways away. Comfort felt far away. Hope felt far
away. At that moment Christ knew that in a matter of SECONDS the very
cause of sorrow for Mary/Martha would become an incredible joy as
Lazareth came forth from the grave. Despite this knowledge, despite that
to Him and His eternal perspective their pain may have seemed silly or
short sighted, He did not say "It is going to be OK, be patient and get
with the program, I'm about to wake your brother up" or "use your faith
to cheer up and realize this isn't permanent" or "no matter how much I
tell you guys about my power you still have cause for sadness?". What he
did do was weep. He wept not for Lazareth or his death, he wept for
THEIR pain, THEIR sorrow, THEIR discomfort. He knew they didn't know
what lay ahead, He knew that they felt like Lazareth was gone until the
second coming, He knew that they felt that this pain was unbearable and
would last perhaps until their own deaths, He knew that they FELT pain
DESPITE their Faith. So He wept. He wept with them.
I
cannot even tell you the comfort it gives me to know that Christ can
comfort me when I fail to see the big picture despite His ability to see
it. He weeps with us, He really does, even if we are moments away from
the greatest miracles of our lives. He weeps because He knows we felt
alone because He "tarried" to better prove His divinity to us. He weeps
because He knows how it feels. Most of all, He weeps because He loves
us.
