Funeral non christian

Of all the places that we could turn to in times of grief, it is especially precious to read about Jesus.

One of the followers of Jesus—a man named John—wrote about Jesus’ life.

It is in The Gospel According to John that we read the most famous verse in the Bible:

John 3:16 NASB95

16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

One of the many stories that John records in his gospel tells us about a man named Lazarus, who was a dear friend of Jesus.

In John chapter 11, we read:

John 11:3–5 NLT

3 So the two sisters sent a message to Jesus telling him, “Lord, your dear friend is very sick.” 4 But when Jesus heard about it he said, “Lazarus’s sickness will not end in death. No, it happened for the glory of God so that the Son of God will receive glory from this.” 5 So although Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus,

John 11:11–13 NLT

11 Then he said, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but now I will go and wake him up.” 12 The disciples said, “Lord, if he is sleeping, he will soon get better!” 13 They thought Jesus meant Lazarus was simply sleeping, but Jesus meant Lazarus had died.

John 11:17–21 NLT

17 When Jesus arrived at Bethany, he was told that Lazarus had already been in his grave for four days. 18 Bethany was only a few miles down the road from Jerusalem, 19 and many of the people had come to console Martha and Mary in their loss. 20 When Martha got word that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him. But Mary stayed in the house. 21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.

John 11:23–26 NLT

23 Jesus told her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 “Yes,” Martha said, “he will rise when everyone else rises, at the last day.” 25 Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. 26 Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?”

John 11:30–44 NLT

30 Jesus had stayed outside the village, at the place where Martha met him. 31 When the people who were at the house consoling Mary saw her leave so hastily, they assumed she was going to Lazarus’s grave to weep. So they followed her there. 32 When Mary arrived and saw Jesus, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, a deep anger welled up within him, and he was deeply troubled. 34 “Where have you put him?” he asked them. They told him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Then Jesus wept. 36 The people who were standing nearby said, “See how much he loved him!” 37 But some said, “This man healed a blind man. Couldn’t he have kept Lazarus from dying?” 38 Jesus was still angry as he arrived at the tomb, a cave with a stone rolled across its entrance. 39 “Roll the stone aside,” Jesus told them. But Martha, the dead man’s sister, protested, “Lord, he has been dead for four days. The smell will be terrible.” 40 Jesus responded, “Didn’t I tell you that you would see God’s glory if you believe?” 41 So they rolled the stone aside. Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, thank you for hearing me. 42 You always hear me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here, so that they will believe you sent me.” 43 Then Jesus shouted, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 And the dead man came out, his hands and feet bound in graveclothes, his face wrapped in a headcloth. Jesus told them, “Unwrap him and let him go!”

The story of Lazarus teaches us several important lessons for facing times of grief.

Take Time to Grieve

First, the story of Lazarus reminds us that we need to take time to grieve. Sometimes, we convince ourselves that what we need to do is “be strong” and “press on” for the sake of those around us.

But when Jesus came to Bethany to comfort the family of Lazarus, he did not brace himself and hold back his tears.

He wept.

When we love someone very dearly, as Jesus loved Lazarus, it is natural to cry.

It is part of God’s plan that we go through a grieving process when we experience loss.

The Bible says, “There is a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance” (Ecc. 3:4).

Holding back tears does not mean that we are strong, because weeping does not mean that we are weak.

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Some people never allow themselves to grieve properly, and it only hurts them in the long run.

It’s okay to cry.

It’s important to grieve.

It’s good to remember the precious times we have spent with a loved one, even though it hurts.

When Jesus saw the tomb of Lazarus, he faced what had happened.

He likely reflected on the memories he shared with Lazarus when they reclined at the dinner table and laughed while enjoying Martha’s famous home-cooked meals.

Even though Jesus had the power to resurrect Lazarus immediately, He paused and took time to grieve.

We live in a demanding world that tries to push us along to the next activity.

But when tragedy strikes in our family, we need to pause.

You have many memories with your loved one, and they are very precious.

Take time to remember.

Take time to grieve.

It is okay to cry. Remember, Jesus wept.

Jesus Understands

Second, the story of Lazarus reminds us that Jesus understands our grief. 

In the dark times, we sometimes feel like God is very far away and doesn’t understand how we feel.

But Hebrews 4:15 confirms that God is able to sympathize with our weaknesses because he came to earth and lived as a man named Jesus.

He endured the worst kinds of sufferings, from grief over his lost friend Lazarus, to a painful death on the cross.

Whatever we are going through, Jesus really does understand.

The Bible reassures us that when we pray to God in hard times, He hears us:

“I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy. Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live” (Ps. 116:1-2).

God Has a Purpose

Third, the story of Lazarus reminds us that God has a purpose.

Both Mary and Martha said to Jesus, “If you had been here, you could have healed Lazarus from his sickness and prevented him from dying!” So, why didn’t Jesus come earlier and heal Lazarus?

God saw the bigger picture. The eternal destinies of Lazarus’s family and the crowds that gathered at the funeral were at stake.

When we experience a tragedy, we often ask, “Why?”

Romans 8:28 is a precious promise:

“We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

If you love God, you can be confident that He will take the worst possible circumstances and use them to accomplish something good.

If you do not love God, you can come to know him.

In the case of Lazarus, God’s purpose was to show that Jesus is the Son of God so people would believe and be saved from their sins.

Jesus is Lord of Life and Death

Finally, the story of Lazarus reminds us that Jesus is the Lord of life and death.

Jesus proved to everyone that He was truly God by the incredible miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead.​

Now, you might think, “my loved one will not be raised from the dead.”

But the Bible tells us that someday everyone will be raised from the dead, and we will stand before God.

Jesus said to Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life…everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

What would your answer be? Would you say to Jesus, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God”?

Receive the Lord of Life

The Bible teaches that we have all sinned.

We have all disobeyed God’s law.

We have all ignored God and lived our own way on our own terms.

Romans 3:23 says that the penalty of sin is death.

But God is very loving.

He showed His love for us in that while we were still sinners, He sent His Son Jesus to pay the penalty for us.

What should have happened to us, happened to Jesus. Jesus died.

The wonderful news is that Jesus did not stay dead!

On the third day, He rose again!

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Today, Jesus is at the right hand of God the Father in heaven praying for us.

He wants us all to be reunited with Him some day.

He is not willing that anyone should perish.

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Romans 10:9 promises that “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” 

Although death is a solemn reminder, it also points us to the most wonderful, hope-filled message of all!

Jesus is the Lord of life and death.

Whoever believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life!