Christian Song - Lucy (by Skillet)

SKILLET DAILY DEVOTIONAL, SEPTEMBER 10

John 11:32 ESV NASB

Therefore, when Mary came where Jesus was, she saw Him, and fell at His feet, saying to Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.”

LUCY

“When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.’ When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. “‘Where have you laid him?’ he asked. “‘Come and see, Lord,’ they replied. Jesus wept.” ~ John 11: 32-35

Peter had never seen Jesus cry until now. He and the other disciples had followed Jesus back to the suburbs of Jerusalem where his good friend Lazarus had reportedly died four days earlier. Peter expected to attend the funeral, stand quietly in the background, and comfort the sisters Mary and Martha if he was needed.

But he wasn’t expecting the cold reception they got from the family when they arrived.

Everyone knew about Jesus’ power to heal people. They had seen him heal blind men, cure leprosy, and restore the crippled. So when Jesus arrived four days too late, they were upset with him. Why didn’t he come earlier? He could have saved Lazarus. Now his body was lying in a tomb where nothing could be done.

Death was never meant to be a part of life. When God created Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, he designed us to live forever. But something tragic happened that altered our destiny. We sinned. We chose our own way over God and brought a death sentence upon ourselves.

And things would have stayed this way if it weren’t for God’s love for us. We violated his law, but he refused to let us bear the consequences. Jesus came to take our place on the cross and give eternal life back to us. In spite of our mistakes, he offered us another way.

As Jesus walked into Lazarus’ hometown, Mary and Martha confronted him with their sorrow. They didn’t understand that death is not the end, and they blamed Jesus for not stopping it.

He told them, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"

Jesus didn’t see death as the end because he knew what was on the other side. He knew that Heaven was more desirable than earth. If they could only see what it was like.

So when Jesus wept, it wasn’t necessarily because he lost his friend. Sure, Lazarus was his good friend. But Jesus knew he’d see him again. Jesus cried because he was reminded of the consequences of our mistakes, the loss of our innocence, and the tragedy of death.

Our mistakes bring about death. This goes for more than just abortion, suicide or murder. It applies to every sin we’ve ever committed. The Bible says that the outcome of all sin is death.

But it doesn’t have to stay this way.

Jesus took death upon himself so that we could receive eternal life. All we have to do is believe in him. We will see our loved ones again. We will be restored from all of our mistakes. And Jesus will wipe away our tears.

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