Words
Words
May 11, 2016
At a conference I'm attending this week three college students are highlighted who are entered into the NextGen Preacher Search. They each must present a five minute sermon. We heard the first one last night. The focus on a short, effective sermon reminded me of the story of Edward Everett. In his day, Everett was famous for his oratory skills. The son of a pastor, and himself a pastor, Everett turned to politics and public speaking. After delivering a 13,607 word speech, he passed a note to the man who followed him with a 272 word speech. Everett wrote, "I should be glad, if I could flatter myself that I came as near to the central idea of the occasion, in two hours, as you did in two minutes." Everett's was to be the address of the day, but the ten-line jewel crafted by by Abraham Lincoln has, to this day, been known as the Gettysburg Address.
Martin Luther King 's famous speech, "I Have a Dream" is also a testament to brevity and beauty. It is but 1,667 words in length. A popular story these days, is that Ernest Hemingway once penned a six word story on a dare, or bet. The authenticity of the story has been questioned, but research has shown that the short story itself may be based in fact. It is simple and evocative. It goes, "For sale, baby shoes, never worn." Just six words, yet so much more.
I contend that there exists a far greater masterpiece, shorter than the examples listed thus far. Just two words tell the story and earn it the distinction of shortest verse in the English Bible, "Jesus wept." I pause after reading or recalling the story and ask the question, "Why?" I have never been satisfied that the question is answered by no other than Jesus' love and compassion for Lazarus, Mary and Martha. After all, just moments after Jesus weeps, he will raise Lazarus from the dead. I can only imagine, but if I had possessed the power and foreknowledge of Jesus, I would probably have been giddy to quickly turn their sorrow and mourning into joy. My search has taken me elsewhere.
The years of questioning have settled on the best answer for me. There are several other suppositions I have discounted for one reason or another. Brevity forces me to share my conclusion thus far. I believe Jesus wept as only God in flesh can weep when the strengths of divine love and knowledge come face to face with the frailty that is humanity. I believe Jesus wept for the broken humanity before his eyes. He wept for the lack of und e stranding of death, and how sin brought it to humanity. He wept for our fear of it, our powerlessness against it, for the futility of hope for humanity because his own death and resurrection were 30 days in the future. He wept for our weeping, our brokenness, our abject poverty of spirit, our despair, loss, pain and blindness. I think too, he wept some for Lazarus. He was a friend and believer. I believe his lot was no different than the thief on the cross. Lazarus was already destined for a better place. I believe he wept for Lazarus because Jesus was going to bring him back to this cesspool we call humanity. Furthermore, Jesus was going to do this to his friend for no other reason than that fools might gain faith.
So, Jesus wept as only God can weep because he saw humanity in its present form. He wept as only God can weep because he saw the long millennia of misery. He wept as only God can weep because he saw the future.
I wonder if he does not weep even now.
Mankind still claims blindly in the cesspool of sin and the hopelessness it inevitably continues to produce. Yes, he has provided a solution. Yes, there is the church to carry on his mission. Yes, we face the future portrayed in Revelation when God will be our God, we will be his people and in which he will wipe away every tear, for there will be no more pain, sorrow nor death.
I wonder if he does not weep even now.
He also could see to the future when letters would be dictated to seven churches. He could look to the future and still find churches to whom the letters would still make application. Vibrant, strong, loving churches yes. But does he weep for the love lost congregations? Does he weep for the lukewarm, the dead, the fighting congregations and people of the church?
I wonder, does he not even now weep for his bride? Is she not always to be full of love, Grace and perpetually bringing new children into his family? I wonder if he does not now weep for the church's sad, six word story, "For sale, baby shoes, never worn."
Martin Luther King 's famous speech, "I Have a Dream" is also a testament to brevity and beauty. It is but 1,667 words in length. A popular story these days, is that Ernest Hemingway once penned a six word story on a dare, or bet. The authenticity of the story has been questioned, but research has shown that the short story itself may be based in fact. It is simple and evocative. It goes, "For sale, baby shoes, never worn." Just six words, yet so much more.
I contend that there exists a far greater masterpiece, shorter than the examples listed thus far. Just two words tell the story and earn it the distinction of shortest verse in the English Bible, "Jesus wept." I pause after reading or recalling the story and ask the question, "Why?" I have never been satisfied that the question is answered by no other than Jesus' love and compassion for Lazarus, Mary and Martha. After all, just moments after Jesus weeps, he will raise Lazarus from the dead. I can only imagine, but if I had possessed the power and foreknowledge of Jesus, I would probably have been giddy to quickly turn their sorrow and mourning into joy. My search has taken me elsewhere.
The years of questioning have settled on the best answer for me. There are several other suppositions I have discounted for one reason or another. Brevity forces me to share my conclusion thus far. I believe Jesus wept as only God in flesh can weep when the strengths of divine love and knowledge come face to face with the frailty that is humanity. I believe Jesus wept for the broken humanity before his eyes. He wept for the lack of und e stranding of death, and how sin brought it to humanity. He wept for our fear of it, our powerlessness against it, for the futility of hope for humanity because his own death and resurrection were 30 days in the future. He wept for our weeping, our brokenness, our abject poverty of spirit, our despair, loss, pain and blindness. I think too, he wept some for Lazarus. He was a friend and believer. I believe his lot was no different than the thief on the cross. Lazarus was already destined for a better place. I believe he wept for Lazarus because Jesus was going to bring him back to this cesspool we call humanity. Furthermore, Jesus was going to do this to his friend for no other reason than that fools might gain faith.
So, Jesus wept as only God can weep because he saw humanity in its present form. He wept as only God can weep because he saw the long millennia of misery. He wept as only God can weep because he saw the future.
I wonder if he does not weep even now.
Mankind still claims blindly in the cesspool of sin and the hopelessness it inevitably continues to produce. Yes, he has provided a solution. Yes, there is the church to carry on his mission. Yes, we face the future portrayed in Revelation when God will be our God, we will be his people and in which he will wipe away every tear, for there will be no more pain, sorrow nor death.
I wonder if he does not weep even now.
He also could see to the future when letters would be dictated to seven churches. He could look to the future and still find churches to whom the letters would still make application. Vibrant, strong, loving churches yes. But does he weep for the love lost congregations? Does he weep for the lukewarm, the dead, the fighting congregations and people of the church?
I wonder, does he not even now weep for his bride? Is she not always to be full of love, Grace and perpetually bringing new children into his family? I wonder if he does not now weep for the church's sad, six word story, "For sale, baby shoes, never worn."
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