JESUS WEPT...

When my father died ten years ago two people-- two pastors, on two separate occasions-- congratulated me for his death.

When Lazarus died, his two sisters Martha and Mary, on separate occasions, spoke with Jesus. Martha told Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died!" Mary, weeping, told Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died!"

NO ONE, NOT ONE CONGRATULATED MARTHA AND MARY FOR THE DEATH OF THEIR BROTHER.

Yes, not even Jesus!

When Jesus saw Mary and everyone else weeping for his dearest friend, he was overwhelmed with sorrow and deeply moved. Jesus wept.

Three of my uncles--Dante, Ve, and Namor--died in the past 16 months; Uncle Namor, last Monday. When a loved one dies, we don't pretend that everything is okay. When a loved one dies, congratulations are never in order. When a loved one dies, we are allowed to mourn.

When a loved one dies, we weep! When the pain of their death aches--even years or decades after the fact--we grieve!

Jesus wept.

*image, "Jesus wept," by Tissot available online at fine art america.