TEXT:

‘Jesus wept!’  – John 11:35

THOUGHT:

 What a crazy world we live in. During the coronation of our present queen the Archbishop said, “Our gracious Queen: to keep your Majesty ever mindful of the law and the Gospel of God as the Rule for the whole life and government of Christian Princes, we present you with this Book, the most valuable thing that this world affords.”

Today anyone can take the Lord’s name in vain, frequently using it to curse and swear, causing distress and offense to Christians all over the world, yet a Christian cannot quote from that same Bible words they believe are true without being pilloried and disciplined. It’s about time the pendulum swung the other way. Try using the name of Mohammed in a derogatory way and see how quickly Muslims would rise up in anger, but Christians are not supposed to react when the name of the One they worship and believe in is made a mockery of and used as a swear word.

In 1977, while living in Doncaster attending Bible College as a Day Student, my neighbour asked me to give him a hand mending his scooter. Dropping a spanner he exclaimed, “Jesus wept!” I said nothing at first, but when he said the same thing again a few minutes later, I decided it was time to speak up. I told him that I was a Christian and using “Jesus wept!” in that way upset me. I also told him that if he ever wanted to become a Christian he would have to call on the name of Jesus, so if he used it as a swear word, it would hinder him from ever doing that. A few minutes later another dropped spanner and, “Oh Jesus … oh sorry!” Lesson learnt!

In the Easter story it is important to remember that the real reason Jesus was crucified was because He told the truth. ‘In the middle of this, the Chief Priest stood up and asked Jesus, “What do you have to say to the accusation?” Jesus was silent. He said nothing. The Chief Priest tried again, this time asking, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed?” Jesus said, “Yes, I am, and you’ll see it yourself: The Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Mighty One, arriving on the clouds of heaven.” The Chief Priest lost his temper. Ripping his clothes, he yelled, “Did you hear that? After that do we need witnesses? You heard the blasphemy. Are you going to stand for it?” They condemned him, one and all.  The sentence: death’ – Mark 14:61-64 MSG.

The times Jesus did weep

• With compassion at the tomb of Lazarus – John 11:35

Jesus’ tears prompted some to say, ‘See how He loved him!’ Jesus is aware of our sorrows and misery. He loved Lazarus, Martha and Mary and seeing their grief moved him to tears. Thank God their tears turned to laughter and joy as Lazarus was raised from the dear. Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life!

• With frustration over Jerusalem

‘But as he came closer to Jerusalem and saw the city ahead, he began to weep’ – Luke 19:41 NLT. Frustrated that despite all the teaching, signs, wonders and miracles, they still would not believe.

• With Intercession in the Garden of Gethsemane

‘While he lived on earth, anticipating death, Jesus cried out in pain and wept in sorrow as he offered up priestly prayers to God’ – Hebrew 5:7 MSG. Not crying for Himself but that nothing would stop Him from accomplishing on the cross our forgiveness and salvation.

It is possible to live a life without swearing

Jesus taught, ‘Just say a simple, ‘Yes, I will,’ or ‘No, I won’t.’ Anything beyond this is from the evil one’ – Matthew 5:37 TLB. James reinforces this in his epistle, ‘No one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right!’ – James 3:8-10 NLT. The more we can control our tongue, the more we are in control of our body. Today certain words are being frequently used in the media that only a few years ago were considered taboo. The BBC now allows commentators and guests to use the word “Hell” in everyday reporting and interviews and of course four-letter swear words abound in many films and TV programmes. Yet it is possible to just use “Yes” and “No” without the need of expletives to support what you are saying.

• Is there hope for those who are blasphemers?

The good news is that Jesus Himself said, ‘So I tell you, every sin and blasphemy can be forgiven—except blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, which will never be forgiven. Anyone who speaks against the Son of Man can be forgiven’ – Matthew 12:31-32 NLT. Amazingly, Jesus freely forgives those who are blasphemers whatever they have said about Him in the past. When a person humbles themselves and puts their trust in Jesus to save them, every sin is forgiven – Hallelujah!