The Compassion of the Christ, Part 2
Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day everyone.
Today was fairly quiet, but still a welcome day off from classes. I spent most of the late morning hours reading a couple chapters in my textbooks, trying to stay on top of my course syllabi. After about two hours of delving into the first two years of childhood sensations and the various duties of a contemporary theatre director, I was about ready to return to Furman. I had to make several pit stops along the way. Mostly standard things like re-fueling the Tracker, dropping off the movie Much Ado About Nothing at Blockbuster, going book-hunting at Barnes 'n Noble, and picking up some groceries at Publix. Nice to have a store conveniently a mile away from the campus.
The reason I checked out Much Ado was for an extra credit assignment in Theatre. We can watch theatrical productions from a variety of media outlets, and then write a brief review/critique about them for extra points on quizzes. I'd rather it count on the tests, but it's better than nothing. I've actually seen the modern version of Much Ado before (12th grade) directed by Kenneth Branagh and featuring such well-knowns like Keanu Reeves (Don John), Denzel Washington (Don Pedro), and Michael Keaton (Constable Dogberry). It's a great movie and it stays faithful to William Shakespeare's original script (I have it here with me, stage directions and everything). Not all the actors and actresses are absolutely convincing (Kate Beckingsdale as Hero fell flat at times, but she improved nicely as the story progressed and she shined when she really needed to), but as I hoped they would, Beatrice and Benedick stole the show. Emma Thompson and Ken Branagh were absolutely charming in their roles; they slipped those two famous characters on as easily as an overcoat. Lots of hilarious lines between them.
As for Barnes and Noble, I know Amanda will be happy to learn that I finally picked up Lee Strobel's The Case for Faith, the sequel to his first book The Case for Christ. It's already gotten a positive recommendation from a friend of mine I ran into at the bookstore who used to attend Shannon Forest. I look forward to starting it.
Anyway, now that the day's events are over with, here's part 2 of "The Compassion of the Christ," picking right up where we left off from yesterday. We jump into possible answers to the question: "Why did Jesus weep?"
Was he weeping because his friend had died? Was it an effort to keep from giving into the grief that he felt for the death of a friend? He knew that in a moment, he would raise Lazarus from his tomb, and his friend would live again.
Calvin believes that when Jesus put on human flesh he also incorporated some human feelings so he had no differences from other human beings with the exception of being sinless. Calvin makes a clear distinction between the feelings that Jesus has and those that we have as humans. Calvin says that,“Our feelings are sinful because they rush on unrestrainedly and immoderately; but in Christ they were composed and regulated in obedience to God and were completely free from sin." It is because of this presence of emotions in Christ that he can truly show himself as the prime example of supreme perfection in human eyes. In this, Calvin asserts that Jesus’ expression of emotions are different from his divine nature, grafted onto him so he can truly become one of us and serve as an example of supreme perfection to human who are fraught with these emotions along with others.
Morris wrote that his weeping had more to do with the misconception of the people around him who “fail to enter into the mind of Christ.". Conversely, this seems to fit in with the spirit of the one other text where Jesus weeps, which is over Jerusalem and the wrong attitude of the Jews. They did not believe that Jesus could do this and so the “world of darkness and death” continued to hinder them. They fail to believe in Jesus’ power to revive this man and fail to believe that he can raise Lazarus since they only believe he is dead. This interpretation seems to fit in well with the beginning of the story since Jesus encounters what seems like a hopeless situation when Martha meets him to say, “If you had been here, my brother would not have died.” Though Martha is hopeful he will succeed, the atmosphere is generally skeptical. In many ways, the Jews in the Lazarus story reflect the Jews in the Old Testament, who failed to keep the covenant with God many times. Likewise, the Jews in the Lazarus story fail to believe fully in the power of Jesus Christ.
Was Jesus weeping for his enemies, those who chose to plot against him despite his innocence? Was he crying for those who despised him, those who chose to defile and persecute him and the people that followed him? Those people who gave nothing but love and kindness, those who he would have given anything for, and yet they nailed him with livid anger to a cross, to die the agonizing death of a thief or a murderer.
Does Jesus weep because in the peoples’ hearts, death had won? According to him, death is not the end. His message is of a kingdom that defies their understanding of death and suffering. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die” (John 11:25-26). The people still did not get it.
Did Jesus weep for the people’s unbelief? In the passage, Jesus says, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?" Before he performed this miracle, we can see how the people treated him. They clearly loved him, yet they still did not even remotely understand. Since they desperately wanted Lazarus to stay alive, they displayed a latent mistrust in the absolute power of the Lord. This means they did not trust in the heaven that he preached about. Was that the reason Jesus wept - because of their lack of faith?
Was Jesus weeping for a world where God's glory is the least, the last, the most unlikely of our concerns? A world where sickness, suffering, persecution, and dying might glorify God in was absurd and offensive. The comment that some who had come to mourn Lazarus made, "Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?” expresses the popular theology of that world (v. 37). According to this theology, what's-best-for-me is the highest court for judging God's actions. Indeed, God's glory can only be accounted based on what's-best-for-me. His glory does not exist in its own right, as its own end. Jesus wept in a world where political jeopardy, terrorism, tyranny, random violence, and systematic brutality intimidated his disciples from doing kingdom work.
Was it because his followers still did not get it? They still did not understand what he was going to do. In a few minutes, Jesus would stand death down, and yet neither his disciples, Mary, Martha or the Jews in their company believed he could perform such a miracle. Their ignorance clouded their faith. If one could hazard a guess, one might say he is thinking, “What is going on here? Why is there so much sadness? After all the miracles I have performed, all the teachings I have given, do you people still not understand my message? Do you still doubt what I can do?” Their ignorance grieves him to tears.
Was it sympathy for his friends who were themselves suffering from extreme grief? Was Jesus weeping in response to the sight of Mary weeping and the "Jews who had come along with her also weeping"? (John 11:33) The original language that describes Jesus being deeply moved and troubled in spirit uses punchy, pungent words. The language mixes grief with anger, frustration, and turmoil. Whatever the case, the emotion and grief are real. The sight and sound of these despairing mourners around him stirs his blood and wrenches his gut. This is not simply the shedding of a few tears. Jesus is expressing heart-rending, gut-wrenching emotion. But why? Why?
To Be Continued...
Song of the Day: Steven Curtis Chapman - "Speechless"
Verse of the Day: "For You are my hope, Lord God, my confidence from my youth. I have leaned on You from birth; You took me from my mother's womb. My praise is always about You. I have become an ominous sign to many, but You are my strong refuge. My mouth is full of praise and honor to You all day long." - Psalm 71:5-8
Today was fairly quiet, but still a welcome day off from classes. I spent most of the late morning hours reading a couple chapters in my textbooks, trying to stay on top of my course syllabi. After about two hours of delving into the first two years of childhood sensations and the various duties of a contemporary theatre director, I was about ready to return to Furman. I had to make several pit stops along the way. Mostly standard things like re-fueling the Tracker, dropping off the movie Much Ado About Nothing at Blockbuster, going book-hunting at Barnes 'n Noble, and picking up some groceries at Publix. Nice to have a store conveniently a mile away from the campus.
The reason I checked out Much Ado was for an extra credit assignment in Theatre. We can watch theatrical productions from a variety of media outlets, and then write a brief review/critique about them for extra points on quizzes. I'd rather it count on the tests, but it's better than nothing. I've actually seen the modern version of Much Ado before (12th grade) directed by Kenneth Branagh and featuring such well-knowns like Keanu Reeves (Don John), Denzel Washington (Don Pedro), and Michael Keaton (Constable Dogberry). It's a great movie and it stays faithful to William Shakespeare's original script (I have it here with me, stage directions and everything). Not all the actors and actresses are absolutely convincing (Kate Beckingsdale as Hero fell flat at times, but she improved nicely as the story progressed and she shined when she really needed to), but as I hoped they would, Beatrice and Benedick stole the show. Emma Thompson and Ken Branagh were absolutely charming in their roles; they slipped those two famous characters on as easily as an overcoat. Lots of hilarious lines between them.
As for Barnes and Noble, I know Amanda will be happy to learn that I finally picked up Lee Strobel's The Case for Faith, the sequel to his first book The Case for Christ. It's already gotten a positive recommendation from a friend of mine I ran into at the bookstore who used to attend Shannon Forest. I look forward to starting it.
Anyway, now that the day's events are over with, here's part 2 of "The Compassion of the Christ," picking right up where we left off from yesterday. We jump into possible answers to the question: "Why did Jesus weep?"
Was he weeping because his friend had died? Was it an effort to keep from giving into the grief that he felt for the death of a friend? He knew that in a moment, he would raise Lazarus from his tomb, and his friend would live again.
Calvin believes that when Jesus put on human flesh he also incorporated some human feelings so he had no differences from other human beings with the exception of being sinless. Calvin makes a clear distinction between the feelings that Jesus has and those that we have as humans. Calvin says that,“Our feelings are sinful because they rush on unrestrainedly and immoderately; but in Christ they were composed and regulated in obedience to God and were completely free from sin." It is because of this presence of emotions in Christ that he can truly show himself as the prime example of supreme perfection in human eyes. In this, Calvin asserts that Jesus’ expression of emotions are different from his divine nature, grafted onto him so he can truly become one of us and serve as an example of supreme perfection to human who are fraught with these emotions along with others.
Morris wrote that his weeping had more to do with the misconception of the people around him who “fail to enter into the mind of Christ.". Conversely, this seems to fit in with the spirit of the one other text where Jesus weeps, which is over Jerusalem and the wrong attitude of the Jews. They did not believe that Jesus could do this and so the “world of darkness and death” continued to hinder them. They fail to believe in Jesus’ power to revive this man and fail to believe that he can raise Lazarus since they only believe he is dead. This interpretation seems to fit in well with the beginning of the story since Jesus encounters what seems like a hopeless situation when Martha meets him to say, “If you had been here, my brother would not have died.” Though Martha is hopeful he will succeed, the atmosphere is generally skeptical. In many ways, the Jews in the Lazarus story reflect the Jews in the Old Testament, who failed to keep the covenant with God many times. Likewise, the Jews in the Lazarus story fail to believe fully in the power of Jesus Christ.
Was Jesus weeping for his enemies, those who chose to plot against him despite his innocence? Was he crying for those who despised him, those who chose to defile and persecute him and the people that followed him? Those people who gave nothing but love and kindness, those who he would have given anything for, and yet they nailed him with livid anger to a cross, to die the agonizing death of a thief or a murderer.
Does Jesus weep because in the peoples’ hearts, death had won? According to him, death is not the end. His message is of a kingdom that defies their understanding of death and suffering. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die” (John 11:25-26). The people still did not get it.
Did Jesus weep for the people’s unbelief? In the passage, Jesus says, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?" Before he performed this miracle, we can see how the people treated him. They clearly loved him, yet they still did not even remotely understand. Since they desperately wanted Lazarus to stay alive, they displayed a latent mistrust in the absolute power of the Lord. This means they did not trust in the heaven that he preached about. Was that the reason Jesus wept - because of their lack of faith?
Was Jesus weeping for a world where God's glory is the least, the last, the most unlikely of our concerns? A world where sickness, suffering, persecution, and dying might glorify God in was absurd and offensive. The comment that some who had come to mourn Lazarus made, "Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?” expresses the popular theology of that world (v. 37). According to this theology, what's-best-for-me is the highest court for judging God's actions. Indeed, God's glory can only be accounted based on what's-best-for-me. His glory does not exist in its own right, as its own end. Jesus wept in a world where political jeopardy, terrorism, tyranny, random violence, and systematic brutality intimidated his disciples from doing kingdom work.
Was it because his followers still did not get it? They still did not understand what he was going to do. In a few minutes, Jesus would stand death down, and yet neither his disciples, Mary, Martha or the Jews in their company believed he could perform such a miracle. Their ignorance clouded their faith. If one could hazard a guess, one might say he is thinking, “What is going on here? Why is there so much sadness? After all the miracles I have performed, all the teachings I have given, do you people still not understand my message? Do you still doubt what I can do?” Their ignorance grieves him to tears.
Was it sympathy for his friends who were themselves suffering from extreme grief? Was Jesus weeping in response to the sight of Mary weeping and the "Jews who had come along with her also weeping"? (John 11:33) The original language that describes Jesus being deeply moved and troubled in spirit uses punchy, pungent words. The language mixes grief with anger, frustration, and turmoil. Whatever the case, the emotion and grief are real. The sight and sound of these despairing mourners around him stirs his blood and wrenches his gut. This is not simply the shedding of a few tears. Jesus is expressing heart-rending, gut-wrenching emotion. But why? Why?
To Be Continued...
Song of the Day: Steven Curtis Chapman - "Speechless"
Verse of the Day: "For You are my hope, Lord God, my confidence from my youth. I have leaned on You from birth; You took me from my mother's womb. My praise is always about You. I have become an ominous sign to many, but You are my strong refuge. My mouth is full of praise and honor to You all day long." - Psalm 71:5-8
posted by david @ 2:15 PM
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