Find Comfort in the Presence of Our Sympathetic Savior

Read

John 11:28–37 (ESV)

28 When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying in private, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” 29 And when she heard it, she rose quickly and went to him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha had met him. 31 When the Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary rise quickly and go out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there. 32 Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. 34 And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus wept. 36 So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” 37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?”

Opening Prayer

Setting the Stage

Last Sunday, we witnessed through the lens of Scripture…

Christ comforting Martha.

Leading Martha to a deeper understanding of Him.

Leading Martha to a deeper relationship with Him.

Leading Martha to a deeper doctrinal confession of Him.

Martha had been comforted by the Lord…

And, desiring her sister to feel the same comfort…

Martha Tells Mary

John 11:28 (ESV)

28 When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying in private, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.”

Martha is, in a way, saying…

I’ve been with Christ and have been comforted.

Now, come and be comforted, too.

I want us to notice…

Mary’s Posture

John 11:29 (ESV)

29 And when she heard it, she rose quickly and went to him.

Look at how she responded to hearing that Christ was near and available.

She left everything behind…

And she went to the Lord as quickly as possible.

Oh, how well we would be served if we did the same.

—> There are no restrictions placed upon us.

There are no posted signs of the Lord being closed…

Hebrews 4:15–16 (ESV)

15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Because of the sympathy of Christ we have confidence to draw near.

Mary ran, confidently, to the Lord as her refuge and shelter in this storm.

Here and in…

Luke 10:38–42 (ESV)

38 Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. 40 But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” 41 But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, 42 but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”

Jesus tells Martha here in Luke 10…

Mary has the right posture before the Lord…

And here in John 11, we see again Mary in the proper posture.

She falls at His feet and intentionally communes with Him.

In any and all circumstances, this is the posture that serves us best.

To sit at the feet of the Lord.

To find our assurance in His presence.

To find our comfort in His shadow.

To find our solace in His word.

And, when we have this type of posture with the Lord…

—> There will be witnesses of such…

John 11:31 (ESV)

31 When the Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary rise quickly and go out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there.

The crowd of family and friends witnessed her posture.

They witnessed how she addressed Him.

They witnessed how she leaned on Him.

Sometimes our posture towards the Lord influences others to do the same.

Sometimes our posture towards the Lord repels and aggravates others away.

But, it always has an impact on those who witness.

And, either way it is the proper and comforting posture to take with the Lord.

Now, let’s look at Christ’s response…

John 11:33 (ESV)

33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled.

I want us to look at the phrase…

Deeply Moved in His Spirit & Greatly Troubled

Deeply moved has the root meaning to snort.

It is often used to describe the snort of a horse.

Elsewhere in the gospels it is translated to warn sternly.

Like when Jesus healed the two blind men and then sternly warned them to tell no one.

Some translations even say Jesus was filled with indignation.

So, in a sense Jesus was angered by this scene.

The reason death and suffering exist…

The reason we ever have any cause for mourning…

Is because sin exists.

And, because sin and death exist, Christ came into the world to deliver us from those enemies.

But, the context allows us to see more than indignation towards sin and death…

The context allows us to see Jesus being deeply moved…

Moved to sympathy towards Mary, Martha, and their family and friends.

He felt their pain and anguish.

He felt their loss.

He felt their sorrow.

So much so that in v.35 we are told that Jesus wept.

So, the context is showing us that Jesus was deeply moved in His spirit and greatly troubled, more so…

Because of the weeping and mourning that was the family and friends were feeling and expressing.

We cannot forget that Christ is:

Very God

Very Man

When we read deeply moved in His spirit...

This is showing us that He was very Man.

He took upon our nature.

This is speaking of Jesus feeling this in His very inner being.

He felt it in His soul.

He felt it in His inner affections.

Isaiah, in speaking of Christ, said…

Isaiah 63:9 (ESV)

9 In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them; in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.

In all their affliction he was afflicted

Christ took to heart the afflictions of his church, he was himself grieved for them and with them.

Here in John’s gospel, we are being taught that…

Christ is Our Sympathetic High Priest

I mentioned this, briefly, last week, but I want to spend some time on this comforting truth this morning.

Listen to this and be comforted…

Hebrews 2:17 (ESV)

17 Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.

Christ willingly took upon our nature…So that He might:

Represent us.

Save us.

Sympathize with us.

He is Man, that we may not fear Him.

He is God, that He may be able to save us, everlastingly.

Hebrews 4:15 (ESV)

15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.

As Christians, we’re like Eliezer, Abraham’s servant.

We seek a match for our Master’s son.

We preach the gospel to call out the Bride of Christ.

And, oh how handsome, gentle, and inviting is the Groom.

He is the Lord of Lords, King of Kings, the Heir of all things, altogether lovely.

Everything about Christ is to encourage you to come to Him.

If you look upon:

His miracles

His teachings

His compassion

His sympathy

His victory

His ability to protect

His ability to heal

All of His excellencies

All of these things call upon you to come to Christ.

We’re about to see His power.

But, we don’t want to miss His compassion and sympathy.

He laid aside His robe of glory.

He left His throne of glory.

He humbled Himself and took upon Himself a human nature.

He humbled Himself to death on a cross.

On the cross, He took upon Himself, our rags.

He has done all this to do you good.

He has done all of this to make you happy forever.

No wonder Paul tells us in…

Hebrews 2:3 (ESV)

3 how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?

Dear friends, we not only have a Savior who has the power to save…

The power to never lose us.

The power to keep anyone/everyone from snatching us out of His grip.

We have a Savior who sympathizes with us in our grief.

He sympathizes with us in our weaknesses.

He sympathizes with us in our temptations.

He sympathizes with us in all of life.

He, too, was tempted like us, yet without sin.

Now, beside being comforted by this wonderful truth…

Besides our being able to rest in the comforting care of our Savior…

—> What else should we do?

What is Our Calling?

Because Christ is our Great High Priest…

Listen to how this affects us familially, vocationally, entirely…

1 Peter 2:9 (ESV)

9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

We are fist and foremost a new people…

—> A chosen family unto God.

We are royal priests because we are priests within the royal family.

We are priests because we are of the lineage of Christ.

—> Joint heirs, siblings of our Christ.

We are a holy nation with allegiances to God that surpass any other national, ethnical, or cultural allegiances.

We have been called to proclaim His excellencies in every aspect of life.

Everything we do is a vocation unto God.

If you’re married —> you are a spouse unto the Lord.

If you’re a parent —> you are a parent unto the Lord.

If you’re a sibling —> you are a sibling unto the Lord.

If you’re a teacher —> you are a teacher unto the Lord.

You get the picture.

There is nothing in life that is not a vocation unto the Lord.

And, because Christ, in His priesthood, sympathizes with us…

—> Because He comforts us…

Listen to how this affects our vocations as Christians…

2 Corinthians 1:3–4 (ESV)

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

The comfort which we are comforted by God is Christ.

The real comfort that we feel, experience while suffering…

Is through Christ and because of Christ…

—> And, found in Christ.

So, the comfort that we give others when they’re going through affliction is Christ.

We point them to Christ.

We remind them of the presence of Christ.

We remind them of the sympathy of Christ.

We remind them of the benefits in Christ.

We remind them of all the promises of God that find their Yes in Christ.

And, we show sympathy and give comfort…

Because we have a great high Priest, named Jesus…

—> Who sympathizes with our weaknesses.

As we sympathize with other’s weaknesses...

We understand that we are ministers of grace…

Because of the grace of Christ, and on behalf of Christ.

So, now Christ, who has been moved deeply by the afflictions of this family…

Who sympathizes with their pain and sorrow, asks a question that will lead us to the climax of this passage…

John 11:34 (ESV)

34 And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.”

The family is still weeping.

They’re sobbing as they speak to him.

And, then we are told…

John 11:35 (ESV)

35 Jesus wept.

What an expression of the sympathy of our Savior!

What an invitation to see the love of our Lord!

John 11:36 (ESV)

36 So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”

They caught it.

They recognized it.

They saw the tears from His eyes.

Did Jesus love Lazarus?

—> Undeniably.

Does Jesus love all of His sheep equally?

—> Undeniably.

Now, I do not want us to pass over the truth that…

Jesus wept

John 11:35 (ESV)

35 Jesus wept.

Right there in God’s holy, infallible, inerrant word.

Let it be clear…

To those who seek to impose a stoic behavior upon Christianity…

—> Jesus wept.

To those who think the worship of our Lord should be stern and without emotion…

—> Jesus wept.

To those who likewise try to teach our young men that real men don’t cry.

—> That real men hide their emotions.

Let is be said loud and clear…

—> Jesus wept.

The perfect, righteous, ideal Man wept.

Yes, there is a difference between masculinity and femininity…

But, let us take Christ as our example…

And not, Gladiator, or John Wayne, or James Dean…

Or any other character less than Christ.

Ecclesiastes 3:1–8 (ESV)

1 For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:

2 a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;

3 a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

5 a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

6 a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

7 a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

8 a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.

Jesus being very God…

—> Has the power to save, and save eternally.

Jesus being very Man…

—> Has experience all that we have yet without sin.

And, He therefore sympathizes with us.

And, He suffers when we suffer.

And, He beckons us to posture ourself at His feet.

Dear friend, Jesus wept.

Will you not come to Him who does all He does for you to see Him as an invitation to know the grace of God…

To know the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Let’s think about this...

Are you not comforted by the testimony of God’s word…

Regarding the comfort that we find in Jesus.

Oh, what a Savior we have.

As we often sing…

What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer! O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer!

Closing Prayer