There’s a heresy that says that death is just an ordinary, natural part of life, and that we can learn to accept it and feel OK about It. This is usually the main message spoken at funeral homes – i.e., that we shouldn’t think of the person as dead but rather as still with us, “in our hearts”, or “just at the back of the room”.
When Jesus’ friend Lazarus died, and many were mourning, it says that He was “greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved” (Jn 11:33). The Greek phrase translated here means that Jesus physically shook with rage! It is followed by the shortest verse in the Bible – “Jesus wept” (v35).
What do these startling verses mean?…
God created and ordained humanity for life and not for death. Death is a horrible, ghastly intruder into God’s good and beautiful creation. The Father – and therefore His Son Jesus – hate death with a vengeance! Sin led to death (Gen 3:19; Ro 6:23). Therefore, Jesus came into the world to obliterate sin by paying for it, and so to abolish death and banish it from the creation forever (Is 25:7)!
Jesus wept and shook with rage because of the terrible, alien bondage and indignity into which death had brought His dear brothers and sisters, and the Father’s dear children, and marking that He was on His way to destroy it forever!
Grace and cheers, Jonathan.