December 11 - Prince of Life

December 11 - Prince of Life (John 11:1-44)

I can’t imagine that there are many of us who haven’t felt the pain of loss because of death.  While reading this chapter, there is great comfort in knowing that Jesus felt that same type of loss when his close friend, Lazarus died. 

Jesus knew where Lazarus would go.  He knew how incredible eternity was. He knew that Lazarus was going to be with His father.  He knew all of those things and still … He wept. (John 11:35)

In that moment, we see the true humanity of Jesus Christ.  The pain of sorrow and grief, the caring and love that he had for a family.  Two sisters would be grieving and Jesus hurt for them.  He hurt for himself because He loved Lazarus like a brother.  This is Jesus, the man.  This is the reason that God came down from heaven in the form of Jesus.  He knew grief and sorrow, just like the rest of us do.  He knew the incredible pain that can come from loving someone and losing them forever.  Jesus felt what we feel.  He didn’t feel it for us, He didn’t feel it through us.  He felt it for Himself and that moment made Him more like us than the moment of His birth.

The glory of this story is that while this shows us Jesus’ true humanity, it also shows us His true divinity.  It was one thing to heal blindness, to feed the five thousand, to walk on water, to change water into wine; but it is a completely different thing to bring a man back from death.  Jesus Christ is God.  Resurrection will happen at His hands. 

Our faith is centered in the Lord, who cries for the loss of a friend yet has the power to bring life from death.  He is truly man.  He is truly God.