What a Friend

Hey there, and welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread. Our reading, titled What a Friend, was written by John Blaise. It had been a few years since my longtime friend and I had seen one another.

During that time, he'd received a cancer diagnosis and started treatments. An unexpected trip to his state afforded me the chance to see him again. I walked into the restaurant, and tears filled both of our eyes.

It had been too long since we'd been in the same room, and now death crouched in the corner, reminding us of the brevity of life. The tears in our eyes sprang from a long friendship filled with adventures and antics and laughter and loss and love, so much love that it spilled out from the corners of our eyes at the sight of one another. Jesus wept too. John's gospel records that moment after the Jews said, Come and see, Lord, and Jesus stood before the tomb of his good friend Lazarus.

Then we read those two words that reveal to us the depths to which Christ shares our humanity. Jesus wept. Was there much going on in that moment? Things that John did and didn't record?

Yes. Yet, I also believe the reaction of the Jews to Jesus is telling. See how he loved him? That line is more than sufficient grounds for us to stop and worship the friend who knows our every weakness. Jesus was flesh and blood and tears. Jesus is the Savior who loves and understands.

Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from John chapter 11, verses 25 through 36. Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in Me will live, even though they die. And whoever lives by believing in Me will never die. Do you believe this? Yes, Lord, she replied. I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world. After she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside.

The teacher is here, she said, and is asking for you. When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there. When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled.

Where have you laid him? He asked. Come and see, Lord, they replied. Jesus wept.

Then the Jews said, See how he loved him? Let's pray. Jesus, thank you so much for being the one who saves, and for also being the one who shares our tears of both joy and sorrow. Thank you, Lord. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Thanks for listening today. I'm Steven Tabor and today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries.