Date: 24-03-24
Preacher: Pastor Lam
Title: Jesus Wept

Jesus Wept

After listening to Ps Lam, I am inclined to ask ‘at which point is one’s faith journey?’ for we all have to start somewhere. Certainly in God’s scheme of things I believe there’s no one size fits all. Yes, Ps Lam also did not keep to the year’s theme and he had good reason as it was Palm Sunday and he wanted a message to proclaim God’s victory. Perhaps that was a directive from the Holy Spirit too. I just love this morning’s message because of the art of delivery but it got me quite worried at the beginning because I just wasn’t quite able to place it in my understanding until more than half way through I saw the light and it was bright.

Ps Lam’s biblical reference (John 11:1-46) was copious and rightly so as there was much underlying the message to be made explicit. And only a speaker anointed by the Holy Spirit was able to do it so well as to keep the congregation glued.

He spent much of his message on Lazarus’ death and from there drew important lessons from how the various people who were connected to Lazarus responded to the events surrounding his death. These included Jesus’ own disciples, Lazarus’ sisters, Mary and Martha and those not mentioned by name but are equally important in the scheme of things and they included the Jews who were there as bystanders, witnesses or in their various capacities. And it is from their various responses to Lazarus’ death that made Jesus cry.

These were summarised as such:

• The disciples were loyal but lacked love. (John 11:8-16)
• Martha understood who and what Jesus stands for but lack faith (John 11:17-20, 21-27 and 36-40)
• Mary was emotional in the positive sense but lacked understanding (John 11:32-35)
• The Jews were curious but lacked involvement (John11:41-46)
• There were those who having even witnessed Lazarus’ resurrection not only did not believe but was bent on sending Jesus to His death (John 11:46)

And in the end Ps Lam asked a pertinent question ‘what about us?’ Where are we in the scheme of things? He ended with a message of hope, a hope in repentance as shown by Mary, who, once she had known who Jesus was, no longer held back in her belief through her actions.