Grief, Tears and the Empty Place

 

Grief, Tears, and the Empty Place

When a loved one passes, grief happens. I have known people to grieve even when a relative was not necessarily close to them. There is just something about a person being gone from this physical world that hits many of us in crazy ways.

What I learned from the passing of my mom is that grief really is a strange thing. How one minute I would be going about my daily activities of life, minding my own business, then BAM, just like that, it hits. IT is hard to describe. It isn’t like the heaviness of when you are taking care of a sick loved one. It was different. It is just that longing to hear her voice, to see her smile, and, yes, even to argue with me. She made me laugh, and I could get her to laugh on most days when she was not well.

I can’t even imagine the pain, hurt, or grief a mother, father, or grandparent feels when a child is taken from this earth. The unfulfilled dreams a parent had for them. Many tears must fall. Anger may even happen. (We have a Prescription For Anger available. See Jesusrx.org or evapopek.com for details)

In my tears, Jesus cares. In my tears, I may not recognize that He is near. In my tears, I should be seeking Him and His comfort. In my tears, I know He can be preparing me for an assignment. I need to know Jesus lives. I need to let Him live in my life, and turn my sadness into joy.

Mary, the disciples, and I have much to rejoice over. Jesus did and always does what He says He will.

Mary Magdalene was a follower of Jesus (Mark 15:40-41). She loved Him deeply. She had been delivered from demons (Luke 8:2). She witnessed His crucifixion and resurrection. (Matthew 27:54-28:10, Mark 16:1-10, Luke 24:10, and John 19:25-20:18)

Mary went to the tomb where Jesus was buried. She was weeping. She was so sad and stooped down to look into the tomb, and it was empty. Nobody, dead or alive, was there. She couldn’t believe this. Who would take Jesus dead body? She wept, and then saw 2 angels in white, one at the head of where Jesus body had lain and one at the foot.

They asked, “Why are you weeping?” She said, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I don’t know where they laid Him”.

As she said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know it was Him. He must not have looked the same as before His death, or she was so distraught that she did not even recognize Him. I think He must have looked different, because two of the disciples He was walking behind after He rose from the grave didn't recognize Him either.

Jesus asked Mary the same questions as the angels did, “Why are you weeping? And adds “Who are you seeking?” (John 20:1-21)

Jesus cared about why Mary was weeping. Jesus cares about why we weep. He wants to know who Mary was seeking. I think that when I’m in tears over anything, I know God cares. He sent Jesus to us because of the many tears we will shed here on earth. For many, heartache and tears have led them to know the Love of God. As we seek Jesus, knowing He died for us and, better yet, rose to sit at the right hand of the Father, they see us. Jesus did not stay in that grave.

At that moment, Mary did not know that Jesus was speaking to her. She thought it was the gardener, since the gardener usually worked the hour she was in the garden. She thought maybe the gardener had placed Him somewhere else. She wanted to know where He was so she could go get Him.

Jesus said to her, “Mary!” Because of the exclamation mark (this is in the NKJV), I believe He said it the way I do when I need to get my dog Rosie's attention. I say it with force and authority. She knows the voice. Mary belonged to Jesus. He wanted to make sure she knew His voice.

Jesus called out Mary’s name with authority. She turned to him and said Robboni (I think she may have shouted it!). It means teacher. I’m sure she was so excited to see Him alive and talking to her. She wanted to stay near Him. Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father, but go to my brethren (believers) and say to them “I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.”

We are told she went and did as Jesus, her Lord asked.

Wow! She was so obedient. I wonder if she thought, “But Jesus, they won’t believe me. But Jesus, I just want to stay near you. But Jesus, I’m tired. What I just experienced is too emotional for me.” She no doubt was happy and did as Jesus asked. She seemed to know she would see Him again. She did.

I have no doubt I will get to see my loved ones again that know Jesus. He has a place for them and all those knowing Him to re-unite. Oh what a reunion it will be. Glorifying the Lord in truth and Spirit, not room for the flesh.

John 20:19 we see Jesus words “Peace be with you” and as He breathed on them, He said  “Receive the Holy Spirit.”  Peace be with you the common Jewish greeting is still used today (Shalom alekem).

Peace was Jesus’s gift to His followers by virtue of His sacrificial death on the cross. (NKJV study notes).  As Easter time approaches and we remember His resurrection, keep in mind the gift of His peace to those who follow Him. Seek His peace when you grieve, joy will come in the morning. Maybe not the next morning, but it will come.

We have the Prescription For Peace workbook available. See my website Jesusrx.org or evapopek.com for details. We offer 5 week sessions on each prescription. If interested send me a message from my website.

I have been given peace that passes all understanding because of His promises. May you continue in His word and my peace abound in the midst of your tears.

 

Why would anyone call WISDOM foolishness?

 

Episode 23: Why would anyone call wisdom foolishness?

I want to tell you about a man named Paul. His given name was Saul but changed and you can read about it, I’ll leave the references for you in the show notes.

Paul was a very wise man in terms of his religious customs and laws. Here’s a little background on him. He was a Jew of all Jews, practicing the traditions and knew all the laws regarding his religion. He was going to defend those laws. To defend the Jewish religion, he knew he had to destroy anything that came against it.. Yep, Jesus, the Messiah, the one sent by God to redeem us once and for all, did not line up with the Jewish religion. Anyone following Jesus had to be quieted or put to death. He would proudly round up the followers of Jesus and send them to those responsible for killing them or putting them in prison. (1 Corinthians 15:9-11)

Some of us understand NOTHING stops God, and God revealed the truth of Jesus to Paul. After his awesome encounter with God, his name was changed to Paul from Saul. Paul may not have thought it was an awesome encounter as it was happening—He was struck blind. One thing for sure is that he recognized it was God with whom he had the encounter. You can read about it in Acts 9:1-19.

Just like Paul, there are truths from God’s word I may not quite understand or want to accept….and in teaching me, it may not be comfortable….I pray I don’t go blind. In day 17 of chapter 5 of the Jesusrx Prescription of life workbook it says

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.” (Psalm 32:8)

God will instruct us, teach us, counsel us, and watch over us. He instructed Paul on exactly what to do and where to go and sent someone to help him and teach him. Do you doubt God will do the same for you? We do have a prescription on doubt in the JesusRx prescription for life workbook, and that prescription was covered on earlier podcasts that you may want to hear if you struggle with how God can work in your life.

The most important thing for Paul was to know the truth. I always think about the man sent to help him. Paul had a reputation among the followers of Jesus, and it wasn’t a good reputation. He was someone to fear and stay away from if you followed Jesus. I’ll just read this to you. The man's name was Ananias.

Then Ananias answered, “Lord I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name.” But the Lord said to him, “Go for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.”

I’ll read you some words about wisdom from Paul. Remember, this is a man who denied who Jesus was and is now telling others that Jesus is the Christ, sent by God for them. He is telling others what Jesus's death means and the power of His resurrection.

The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. He reminds those listening what was said to the unbelieving leaders of Jerusalem-

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.

Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and the the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. (1 Corinthians 1:18-25)

To the Jews, the message of Christ crucified signaled weakness, indicating Jesus was a false messiah. Jews looked instead for signs of the messiah's power; that’s why the message Christ crucified was a stumbling block

The unbelieving leaders of Jerusalem considered themselves wise. God’s judgment will expose all pretensions to human wisdom that is not anchored in Christ. (From NKJV notes on 1 Corinthians 1:18-19)

So just how are we to receive this Godly wisdom?

“But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God-and righteousness and sanctification and redemption----that, as it is written he who glories, let him glory in the Lord.”

LOOK AT THAT--- by the Fathers doing believers have an identification in Christ (Christ crucified) which allows us to possess the wisdom of God---Christ crucified the very essence of wisdom.

We not only have God’s wisdom—we also have His righteousness, which allows us to be sanctified to enter into His presence and ultimate redemption at God's court.

THIS IS POWERFUL—TO HAVE WISDOM, RIGHTEOUSNESS, SANCTIFICATION, AND REDEMPTION OF God all made possible by the crucifixion of Jesus.

I had no idea I would be talking about the crucifixion of Jesus this week. This coming Sunday easter will be celebrated. Christians will more than likely be in church and reflecting on the risen Savior. Some will only know about an easter bunny, coloring, and hiding eggs and easter candy.

Years ago, I was at one of the banks inside a Walmart, and a teller was telling another teller about the meaning of Easter to her. She mentioned Jesus rising from the grave. The other teller had no idea what Easter was about from a Christian perspective. I was a bit blown away, but it just goes to show you that some really have no idea about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus or why it happened.

 

I think it is important to see that today God still works in revealing truth. Here is a story of another Jewish man named Dr. Bernard Nathanson.  I’ll just read parts of an article entitled Former Abortionist finds his epiphany in “Hand of God” . You can find the whole article at www.ewtn.com Catholicism . Reported by Julia Dulin The Washington times March 27, 1996. Bernard aborted a couple of his own children. You can read the article or hear episode 23 in the JesusRx prescription for life podcast. Thank God for the 1,200 Christians praying and singing outside an abortion clinic while surrounded by seemingly hostile news  media and police. This got Bernards attention as he went there to research a magazine article on the ethics of blockading clinics. He questioned “what indescribable force generated them to this activity”. 

If you listen to the podcast you will learn of one of Bernard's teachers that had converted to Christianity and never mentioned it to Bernard. It makes me think if the 75,000 abortions Bernard performed may have been prevented if Bernard had come to know Jesus. All those babies are in the presence of God. Even if the teacher had spoken up it may not have made a difference as Bernard may have not been ready to receive the Wisdom of the Cross. 

Are you ready to receive the Wisdom of The Cross? Have you received God's Wisdom to guide, lead and direct you? Those are questions only you can answer.