Scripture to Read: John 11:33
Jesus’ compassion and kindness for His children far exceed anything we can imagine. Jesus knew what He was about to do but still grieved with Martha and Mary. We read in John 11:33, When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and was troubled. As Jesus watched Mary and Martha weeping over the death of their brother, and even as the Jews who were with Mary wept, Jesus’ heart was deeply moved and He grieved with them. It’s interesting to note that God’s Word also says that Jesus was troubled. In the ancient Greek, this phrase means to snort like a horse, which implies anger. Jesus was angry and troubled at the destructive power of death. The good news is that Jesus came to break the dominating power of death. We read the fullness of this good news in 1 Corinthians 15:53–57, For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; 57 but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. When Jesus lived in this moment, death had not yet been defeated, but He knew it would be.
Challenge & Application
• What do you see from our Lord Jesus Christ in this moment in which He lived with Mary and Martha?
• Why is it so important to understand that Jesus, through His death, was able to defeat death for all of us?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!