How to care like Jesus

There was a family in the village of Bethany that was very close to Jesus. It consisted of three – Lazarus, Mary and Martha. At this point in the narrative we are nearing the close of Jesus’ public ministry. Jesus learns that his friend Lazarus is extremely ill. One might expect him to rush immediately to Bethany to be with Lazarus while there was still time, but instead he “stayed where he was for two more days” (v. 6). In view of his love for the family, this strikes the reader as rather strange. Doesn't the death of a close friend call you to their side as soon as possible? Then after a day or so, Jesus told the disciples that he was now going to Bethany and this left them confused as well. He wanted them to learn that the death of Lazarus was for their sake and it would give their faith "a chance to grow" (v. 14).
       It is especially the scene that follows that I want us to focus on. You will remember that Martha was the first to go out and meet Jesus upon his arrival. After some discussion about resurrection, Martha was told by Jesus to let her sister Mary know that Jesus was outside and wanted to see her. Mary hurried out and when she met him she fell at his feet weeping. The text says Jesus was "deeply moved in spirit and visibly distressed" (v. 33). Upon learning where they had laid him, Jesus “burst into tears” (the Greek verb in v. 35 , dakruo, communicates an emotional state far beyond silent grief). Then as Jesus continued on out to the tomb, the text again says he was “deeply moved in spirit" (v. 38).
        I bring these moments to your attention so you will see how fully human was our Lord. His emotional response to the death of a dear friend was exactly like that of any other person, probably even more intense. Jesus was by no means immune from the various stresses of life. His tears, upon arriving at the burial place of his friend, were just like ours. He did not draw upon his divine attributes to alleviate the sorrow and pain, but experienced the sad situation as a son of Mary, as a carpenter from Nazareth. He was, in his humanity, one of us in every sense.
       What strikes me is that in the incarnate state, this one who was the second person of the divine Trinity, actually became one of us. He learned, he experienced, he became emotionally attached to family and friends just as we do. This very real relationship points ahead to the personal relationship he now sustains with all who have by faith turned to him. If I may put it this way, he hurts for us when we hurt, he rejoices with us in our good fortune, he remains with us in our times of trouble as he did with Mary and Martha following the tragic death of their brother. We used to sing, "No one ever cared for me like Jesus" and how true that is!
       Among the various insights coming from this account, for me the most helpful­­ right now is Jesus’ actual involvement in the sorrow of others. It calls for us to care for the other, to relate to them with genuine empathy. As we model this relationship to other during our days here on earth we will display the beauty of Jesus and make clear to those who do not yet believe that he loves them and wants to raise them from the grave of “eternal separation” much as he did for Lazarus from a tomb here on earth.