Tears For Fears

This week Pastor David Cooper filled in for Miles as he crusading in Jamaica.

John 11:35 reads Jesus wept. Now this is the shortest verse in the Bible but extremely powerful. First we'll look at what Pastor Cooper explained about tears.

Pastor David explained that there are three types of tears:

• Basal - This is a constant lubricating of the eyes keeping them clear of dust.
• Reflex - When something gets in your eyes it causes the reflex tear
• Psychic - Crying or weeping due to strong emotion; stress, pain, emotional or physical, happiness or joy.

The first two are natural maintenance of the eyes by the body. It is the third, the psychic tears that where shed when Jesus wept.

Now David broke down the psychic tears into 3 characteristics:

• Tears are evidence of a peak of emotions. This is regardless of happy or sad. People cry at funerals because of their loss while the same people could cry at a wedding for joy.
• Tears compel compassion. When we someone crying we know something is wrong (or at the wedding we share their joy). If you see a child alone and crying in a crowded place you know that the kid is probably lost and would help them somehow. Pastor Cooper also spoke of a study done on babies and crying. Did you know that when one baby cries and there is another baby in hearing distance that other baby usually cries as well as a sympathy cry even though there is nothing wrong with him or her. Compassion.
• Tears bring release. Yes they do.

Jesus wept only two times in the Bible; this time in John 11 and later right before he was crucified when he shed tears of blood. In John 11 this is a prelude of what Jesus knows he is going to go through when he himself was to die for our sins.

In John 11:32, we find Jesus returning and Mary, the girl who cleaned His feet with her hair, upset because her brother Lazarus had died four days earlier. Jesus told them to move the stone of the tomb and called Lazarus out raising him from the dead. But before that, He wept.

Oh the power in that story. There was a reason that Jesus resurrected Lazarus on the fourth day. First because after three days there is no question that someone is dead. There were a group of critics at the time that believed that the soul only lived three days after you where dead and then poof; gone. No afterlife; no heaven, hell or otherwise. Jesus proved them wrong with one act.

Lazarus, come forth! John 11:43 was all that was said for this man to come back to life. Jesus simply spoke it and it was. It is important to know that He gave glory to God first and thanked our Lord and gave him praise before calling on Lazarus.

Finally, and the point of this sermon, Lazarus was Jesus' friend as mentioned in John 11:5. So even though Jesus knew he was going to rise from the dead, Jesus still wept. Jesus feels our pain, our hurt, and He cries for us. He cries for you.

And now he calls for you like he did Lazarus. You may not be physically dead but sometimes, a lot of times parts of us are dead. Our dreams, our hopes. We may feel like we exist but not alive. Jesus is here to heal that, resurrect us. To save us.

To save you.