Living Water: A Deep Anger

Bloggers’ Bible Study

The Book of John.  Chapter Eleven.

“When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, a deep anger welled up within him, and he was deeply troubled” (John 11:33 NLT).

There are probably several interpretations as to why Jesus was so angry at this time.

Perhaps some believe the people were publicly exaggerating their grief in an attempt to cast blame upon Jesus for not healing Lazarus before he had died.

Perhaps some believe that Jesus was so angry because the immense grief of the people revealed their lack of faith in resurrection.

I don’t believe either interpretation is true.

In verse 24, Martha reveals her belief in the resurrection “at the last day.”  And yet, “many of the people had come to console Martha and Mary in their loss” (19).

Does it even make sense to grieve when one believes in resurrection and the life ever-lasting?  Martha and Mary certainly believed and their grief was great.

We certainly know that Jesus was never arrogant or condescending toward the people.  He never acted like He was above everybody else–though The Son of God certainly was!

As the divine in human form, Jesus experienced the world and all its warts through our eyes.  And we have been given the chance to see Him closely.

So I believe that after Lazarus’s death, when Jesus was surrounded by all those mourners, He saw the world how we see the world.  Because He walked in our footsteps, He knows our pain.

We see the world without having stood before The Presence of God.  We see the world without having seen legions of holy angels.  We see the world without having watched Jesus ascend to Heaven.

We must live by faith and faith alone.  And although Jesus knew that Lazarus would walk out of the grave alive, He still saw the world through our eyes.  He may have even asked, “Why…?”

He also knew that the world God had created was not meant to be this way.  He knew that His Father had created us innocent, that we might live without so many trails today.

For this reason, I do not think that Jesus was angry at the people for their public display of grief, even though grief is shunned and avoided at all costs in our culture today.

If it were not so, then people would know what to say during times of tragedy.  If it were not so, then people would help us through our grief instead of running from it.

But I think, for perhaps the first time, Jesus saw the unfairness of life the same way we see it.  He saw the difficulties we face when our loved ones are no longer around.

When we can’t call them anymore because they’re just not there–even though there are times we pick up the phone and dial half a number before realizing…

…She’s gone.

As a member of The Care Team at my church, I have tried to reach out to those who are hurting the most, the people who have lost loved ones suddenly and unexpectedly.

As a member of The Misfits, I listen as those in grief tell their stories time and time again because I know the words are never enough to salve their wounds of their losses.

And I have always tried to teach people that anger is a healthy response to losing someone you love because accepting the grieving process enables us to work our way through it.

More than that, though, I try to remind the survivors that one day, the stone before our eyes will be rolled away.  And we will be united with those who have gone before.

Because I believe that Jesus Christ is risen from the dead.

And never is that single act of faith more significant than in life after loss.