I was reading out of the book of John today, as I am struggling to find the personable Jesus. Not just the guy who spake in riddles and made people mad by telling them things they could not accept. Today I found a man who gave every invitation, every demonstration for folks to see and know (not just hear) that He is of God, sent by Him, walks with Him, and is in “Him and He is in Him (that’s not a typo).
Jesus and his disciples had just left the region where Mary and Martha and Lazarus lived, and had nearly gotten killed. The reaction by the pharisees was always divided, as some believed, and most continued to defend their religion and their lifestyle. So when Jesus “gets word” that Lazarus was sick and intends to let him die, his reply was “…for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby”. Is this not a picture of how we must die to be born again?
Jesus obviously had the big picture going on. For the sake of those he was teaching, he patiently walked out the drama, and yet was fully engaged, to the point that he “groaned” and “wept” before raising Lazarus from the dead. What does “groaned” mean? I thought that it meant that he was speaking in tongues, as in Romans 8:26:
26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
Having looked into this passage in Romans, I come to the conclusion that it is the same (though not the same Greek word).
Here’s what Strongs says about how Jesus “groaned” when he was about to raise the dead:
to charge with earnest admonition, sternly to charge, threatened to enjoin
ἐμβριμάομαι embrimáomai, em-brim-ah’-om-ahee; from G1722 and βριμάομαι brimáomai (to snort with anger); to have indignation on, i.e. (transitively) to blame, (intransitively) to sigh with chagrin, (specially) to sternly enjoin:—straitly charge, groan, murmur against.
Jesus was indeed working up a good mad at the devil while speaking in tongues! He was walking into battle, and it took effort, much like when he sweated blood in the garden before the crucifixion. It’s interesting to me that having faith to know the outcome does not take the fight out of the process.
I always laugh when I read Thomas’ reply, “Let us also go, that we may die with him” (I do notice that in my KJV, “him” is not capitalized, because Thomas does not yet now with whom he is traveling). All those signs over three years of walking with Jesus and it still takes the death, resurrection, and putting his fingers in Jesus’ wounds before he declares, “Lord!”.
What will it take for us to truly understand and believe the one who walks with us, and lives in us?