Together in Christ: 'Anger and Grief' — John 11:33

Nothing rips our hearts like death stealing someone precious to us. Jesus came to help us deal with our fear of death ^[1] and give us life beyond death. ^[2] Unfortunately, however, until Jesus returns and defeats every enemy, including death, ^[3] we have to deal with death and its awful and painful consequences.

Grief is hard. Death's impact is brutal and unrelenting. Our loss can sometimes feel unbearable. Like Martha and Mary, we sometimes want to scream at Jesus and say, "Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died." ^[4] Jesus' "deep anger" and His being "deeply troubled" ^[5] remind us of Jesus' hatred of death and what it does to us. Jesus' weeping ^[6] shows His empathy and love for Martha, Mary, Lazarus, and us when we lose someone to death.

Even in the most profound grief, we know that Jesus has been where we find ourselves. He lost loved ones to grief and experienced the anger, pain, and loss we experience. Yet in the middle of our grief, we can also say the words of Martha that indicated she believed that Jesus could bring something good out of her brother's death: "But even now I know..." ^[7] Despite our grief, we cling to our faith in a Lord Who has conquered death and Who promises us:

"I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this ...?" ^[8]

Yes, Lord, we believe, but in our grief, help our unbelief!