Let's take our Bibles and turn
with me to the book of John 11. I would like to read verses 33
to 35. John 11, 33. When Jesus therefore saw her
weeping, And the Jews also weeping, which
came with her. He groaned in the Spirit and
was troubled, and said, Where have you laid him? And they said
unto him, Lord, come and see. Jesus wept. This has got to be one of the
most amazing, blessed passages of Scripture that we could ever
consider. I was thinking about that song
that we just sang out of the hymnal talking about our Lord's
tenderness to His people. And that's what this passage
deals with. Now, Martha and Mary had come
to the Lord, and they bore their hearts to Him concerning the
passing of their brother. And both of them, it appeared
as though, had said the same thing when they came to the Lord
as they approached Him. Both of them said these words
as it is interpreted in English and interpreted correctly. Lord,
if Thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. That's exactly
the wording of the Scripture and worded correctly as far as
the English is concerned. But there is something that was
lost in the English translation, though correct. They actually
said two different things. Martha said this, Lord, if thou
hadst been here, my brother would not be dead. That's the exact
literal interpretation of what Martha said. And Mary's literal
interpretation was this, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother
could not have died. One of them was in absolute tenderness
to her brother. That's what Martha said. Lord,
if you'd have been here, my brother wouldn't be dead. Mary said,
Lord, if you'd have been here, my brother could not have died.
Not in your presence. Now with Mary, after Martha had
summoned her, said, the Master calls for you. Mary had come
to the Lord, and there was a group of Jews that was watching her. They said, she's going to the
grave to weep. Let's go with her. Let's go comfort
her. But as we considered last Sunday,
therein we see the provenient grace. Grace before grace. God Almighty purposing that He's
going to call His sheep unto Himself. All that the Father
giveth me shall come to me." And here's the Lord of glory
causing those that came to Mary and to Martha, but they're with
Mary, to comfort her. Seeing her, they think, going
to the grave. We're going to go with her. But
though they purposed, and they were doing just exactly what
they wanted to do, they were going to comfort her. The Lord
of glory had purposed to cause them to approach unto Him, to
hear what He is going to say, to marry, to watch Him as He
raises Lazarus from the dead, and give them faith to believe.
That's what verse 45 says. And many of the Jews which came
to Mary and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on
Him. So here's the Lord calling some
of His own unto Himself. I've said before, we never know
what the Lord is doing. We never can tell what Almighty
God is pleased to do as He calls His men, moves powerfully, moves
this earth and this world and orders all things. We think we
understand, but we don't. Now to understand exactly what's
going on in this passage of Scripture, let us never forget that we have
Not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of
our infirmities. But the Scripture sets forth
that in all points tempted, like as we are, yet without sin. Now listen to these three verses
of Scripture we're going to deal with. Number 1, verse 33. When
Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which
came with her, he groaned in the spirit and was troubled. I don't know. I cannot enter
in to the experience of actually feeling every physical and emotional
pain that a believer is caused to suffer. Carl, I don't know how you feel.
I don't know how your knee feels. Kevin, I don't know how it feels.
I've never had a knee replaced. I don't know. But I'll tell you
this, he does. The Scripture sets forth that
he was touched with the feeling of our infirmities in all points. I'm talking about physical, I'm
talking about emotional, I'm talking about all points. No one knows. what someone is experiencing,
except you've experienced. If you've lost a loved one, and someone else has not, they
cannot say to you, I know how you feel. No, you don't. No,
you don't. No. The Scripture sets forth
that the Lord Jesus Christ had come to the grave of Lazarus
and He was going to raise Lazarus from the dead. And whenever He
saw her, Mary, weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came
to her, He groaned in the Spirit and was troubled. that He has eternally known in
covenant mercy. Now listen to this. We have not
an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our
infirmities. He is one with His people in
a way that you and I cannot enter into. I can't grasp, I read that. He saw her weeping, and the Jews
also weeping, and he knew, he groaned in the Spirit and was
troubled. He troubled himself. The travail over which sin had
brought their brother death. The Lord Jesus Christ associated
Himself with them. Those that He knew eternally
in electing grace, and troubled Himself, entered into what they
felt. He knew exactly what Mary and
Martha... He knew exactly what was going
on. He was in all points touched Tempted. That is, put to the
proof. Tested. Experienced. He actually entered into, in
spirit, into the grief of the awfulness of sin's effect. Actually
felt the burden of sickness before he removed it. Yet without sin. He actually groaned. in his spirit. Groaned in the
spirit. Knew what it was like to bear
the burden of another. To sympathize perfectly with
flesh. And also knew the weakness of
their unbelief. When they had come, he told them
He told his disciples in verse 11, he said, our friend Lazarus
sleepeth, but I go, that I may awake him out of his sleep. He
told Martha in verse 25, I am the resurrection and the life. And those words appeared to be
all but ignored and forgotten, passed over. And he groaned in
the Spirit and was troubled. He knew what they felt in pain.
He knew what they felt in anxiety. He knew what it felt like for
them to lose their brother. He knew exactly why they were
weeping. He groaned in his spirit and
troubled himself. He knew what they felt. Now that's comforting to me,
to know that our Lord Knows. Not as we would say, even if
I've experienced what you have. The circumstances are different.
There's something different. I can't perfectly enter in. Some things I can impart. But
the Scripture sets forth, He was in all points, every bit
of it, touched. And then he asked in verse 34,
where have you laid him? And they said unto him, Lord,
come and see. Now, again, there is something
remarkably wonderful about that inquiry. This wasn't a question
that he asked because he needed information. We all know who
was asking. You know, when he asked Philip,
remember, I brought this up, John 6, 5 and 6, whence shall
we buy bread that these may eat? And this he said to prove him,
for he himself knew what he would do. But that question did two
things. And I, Lord, never ask a question,
you know this, for no purpose. Number one in his asking, he
set forth and declared himself to be the son of man. Now we know that here is the
omniscient God. Omniscient. He knows all. He knows all. Here is the omniscient
God The one that is going to speak Lazarus from the dead. The one in just a few moments
that is actually going to call that departed spirit who now I know at this point
right here was in the bosom of Abraham. In that place where
there is no more tears. And he's getting ready to call
him back into this flesh. But here is the one that knows
all. One that's going to demonstrate
absolute power. The glory of himself, glory of
his Father. And he asked a question just
like we would. That's what I'd have to do. Where
have you laid him? Asking after the manner of men.
And all the while, knowing all things, and there's nothing inconsistent
about that. In the asking of that question,
he set himself forth as the mediator between God and men. that touches both natures, because
He is both natures. Perfect! And that was a great
comfort to His people. He spoke as they would. They related to Him. Lord, come
and sit. Hold your place right there.
Turn with me to Matthew 9. Matthew 9, 2-6. Matthew 9. Two to six. And behold, they brought to him
a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed. And Jesus, seeing their
faith, said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, be of good cheer,
thy sins be forgiven thee. And behold, certain of the scribes
said unto themselves, This man blasphemeth. And Jesus, knowing
their thoughts, said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?
For whether it is easier to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee, or
to say, Arise and walk. Now listen to this next verse.
But that ye may know that the Son of Man hath power on earth
to forgive sins. Then saith he to the sick of
the palsy, Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house."
The point that I'm making here, he had set forth himself to his
disciples, yes, but to all that stood around him at that time.
I am the Son of Man. He asked as a man would ask,
knowing all things. He knew. He knew, but associated
himself with this. Our Savior, the Son of Man, has
power on earth to forgive sins. My friend, there's one man that
can forgive sin. One man. It is blasphemous. It is blasphemous for a mortal,
a child of Adam, one born in sins, it is blasphemy for a man
to set himself up and to say that he can forgive sins. That
is a lie. That's a lie. And I rebuke, I... Better be careful. I mean it. The Son of Man has power on earth
to forgive sins. You know why? Because that man
is God. That's God. Regulate Him. Lord, come and see." That's the first
thing he did by asking that question. But let me tell you what the
second thing was he did. To those that believe not, this question was one that would
leave them no excuse for their rebellion. That question. That question, Mitch, did two
things. Number one, it set forth him as the son of man. Their mediator. Their advocate. The second thing, It did. Again, I'll reference verses
45 and 46 here for the moment. Back in John 11, I'm sorry. Then
many of the Jews which came to Mary and had seen the things
which Jesus did believed on Him, but some of them went their ways
to the Pharisees and told them what things Jesus had done. There was two groups of people
that listened He said and did. Two groups. Some that He was
going to show mercy to and some that He was going to leave alone.
Two groups. That's the only two groups there
are today. By asking where Lazarus lay,
many of them would assume that they had grounds to refute the
validity of that miracle. Now, how can a man This man blaspheming. How can a man, how can this one
who doesn't even know where the grave is, how is he going to raise a dead
man to life? He didn't even know where he
was. He says he's God? Truly. He was a stone of stumbling
to those that believed not. To those he leaved to themselves
strong delusion with holes light. But that one
question regulated. That one question, that word,
was going to accomplish the purpose for which it was sent. In that
day, those that Almighty God was pleased to show mercy to,
and you know that He does, He said, I will have mercy on whom
I'll have mercy. I'll have compassion on whom
I'll have compassion. And those words that would go
forth in the Spirit of God, when they heard those words, the Spirit
of God that blessed those words to the objects of His mercy,
those that would believe in verse 45, they said, this is our Mediator. This is the One that has entered
in with us in our nature. Here He is walking. Lord, come
and see. to those that he would leave
to themselves. They would take what the Lord
said and say, I'll tell you what, I was there. He didn't know anything. How can one that can't even find
a grave raise one from the dead? And then the Scripture says in
verse 35, Jesus wept. The resurrection Himself. who
in a moment was going to call Lazarus from the dead, the Scripture
says, he wept. Now, I know this. You and I might come up with some crocodile tears.
We might try to do something, kids, put on a show. I know that. I know that, but not him. Here
in the shortest verse of the Scriptures, oh, the depth of
that verse. Three times the Scripture sets
forth that our Lord wept. Right here, Luke 19.41 says when
He had come near, He beheld the city and wept over it. He came and He looked at Jerusalem. And I know, I know, I know what
the Scripture says about Almighty God choosing His people. And thanks be unto God, if He
had not left us a seed, we'd all have been like Sodom and
Gomorrah. If Almighty God would not have in infinite mercy and
compassion chosen a people, out of every nation and kindred and
tribe and tongue, I know what the Scripture says. We are all
perished. I know that. And I know that
he came and looked, saw the city, and wept. There are just certain things
that you and I will never enter into in this side of glory. I
know that. Hebrews 5-7, who in the days
of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplication,
was strong crying and tears unto Him that was able to save Him
from death and was heard in that He feared. He was a man of sorrows, acquainted
with grief, The One on whom the whole weight of redemption laid. The One that truly knew the effect
of sin that He would be made. Could two words more describe
the very miseries of man's fall? There's not a person, there's
not a believer in this room today that doesn't have, I know, in
their immediate family, those that don't know the Lord. And you that know Him in saving,
electing grace, know that the God, the Judge of this earth
is going to do right. You know that He's going to call
His people unto Himself. You know that. And there's not
a believer in this room this morning whose heart doesn't break
for those that don't know Him. Now, you know that's so. And
here is the Lord of glory. This is the One in whom all the
elect were chosen. This is the One who has ever
stood as the surety. This is the One who knows the
Father. And the Father knows Him. He
knows the will of the Father. And the Father knows Him in trust
and love because they're one. And Jesus wept. I'm lost. I'm just lost in the
wonder of that verse. God and man. who has fulfilled
all righteousness in our salvation. And here, because the children
were partakers of flesh and blood, He took the same nature, all points, all points, as they are, yet without sin. Beloved, remember, when sickness
or any other storm of this world is providentially made to cross
your path, when we are keenly made to experience the pains
of this fallen nature, I can tell you according to these scriptures
right here, though I will be the first to admit, I cannot
enter into the depth because I can't experience something
that someone else has experienced, even though it may be similar.
But I know that he knows, made like unto his brethren. The Lord
knows he cares, he's able to succor them that are tempted. Nothing secret to him. the broken
heart for one's suffering, the pain of seeing one of our family
members in rebellion, the tears shed that the world would never
see. The night's on your pillow when
you think, nobody but my spouse doesn't even know what I'm going
through. He knows. And I know this, though, he's
wiped away all tears. For those departed from this
world, yet sitting on the throne right now is our great High Priest
who ever liveth to make intercession for us. And He retains right
now in His body the feelings of His
people still in this world. He said, I'll never leave you
and I'll never forsake you. Listen to this in closing. Temptations
black beset my soul and often make me smart. How can this be
if grace controls that I should feel that dart? My soul be not dismayed at this,
thy Lord did feel the same. Though Satan strives to mar thy
peace, in Christ we rest, and bless his name." Lord, cause
us to hear these thanks. Cause us to muse upon the truth
of your word. That Lord, you know, and you
feel, and you're able to do exceedingly and abundantly more than we ask
or think. For Christ's sake.