Today I would like to share the grace of God under the title, “Jesus Wept.” Whenever Jesus came to Jerusalem, He stayed at Bethany where Martha, Mary, and Lazarus lived. Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus as His own siblings and they also loved Him like a father or a brother. One day, Jesus was staying far away from Bethany. It took two days from there to Bethany. Then an emergency call reached Him. “Lazarus is about to die. Please come quickly!” But Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. We can stay here for awhile.” While Martha and Mary waited for Him impatiently, Jesus said that they would stay two more days at the place where they were staying. His disciples worried, saying, “How can Lazarus survive two more days?” Two days later, Jesus said, “Lazarus is dead, and we should go to see the work of God.” As God was determined to see miracle of raising the dead Lazarus from death, Jesus delayed for two days and left to Bethany four days after Lazarus’ death. When the Lord arrived at Bethany, Martha went out to meet Him and cried out to Him, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.“ John 11:21 says, "Lord," Martha said to Jesus, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask." Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." Martha answered, "I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" "Yes, Lord," she told him, "I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world." She gave ridiculous answers to Jesus. Jesus is Jesus now who can solve our problem. However, Martha turned this Jesus now into Jesus past and Jesus future. Then Jesus has to turn back into the past and future only. We are the same like Martha in saying, "If you had been here four days ago when my brother was still alive, he would have been healed.” Then Jesus would say, “Your brother will rise again.”“Yes, I know that he will rise again at the resurrection day.” We will postpone it to the future. It is very difficult to believe in Jesus now. Her sister Mary also said in John 11:32, “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, He was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. Jesus could have raised Lazarus as Martha and Mary expected, but why did He weep? Jesus is an absolutely Almighty God. There is nothing He cannot do. Nevertheless, Mary and Martha made Jesus Christ as helpless and powerless through a time-limited condition. They drove Jesus into that situation. Today we usually say that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. But we rarely practise this faith. Whenever a problem arises, we say, “If Jesus had been there, nothing would have happened,” or “Jesus will have helped me in the future, but now I don’t know what to do.” As we do not acknowledge Jesus now, it shocks Him greatly. As Jesus Christ wanted to help us and to be with us as Jesus now, but we refuse to acknowledge Him. At that time Jesus was surrounded by many Jewish people who didn’t believe in Him and He wept. “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.”(John 11:33-35) Jesus was definitely shocked at their reaction. Jesus was surely certain of Lazarus’ resurrection because it was what He would do! Therefore, He said to Martha, “Your brother will rise again.” Although Martha believed the future resurrection, but never thought that Jesus would raise Lazarus from death then and there. It was the same with Mary. Both of them were weeping in front of Jesus. Even though Jesus who is the resurrection and the life was right there in front of them, they did not believe His power but only wept! So Jesus also wept while feeling sorry for them. It is because Jesus was not recognized as Almighty God! He was so shocked! Even today the situation is still the same. Jesus is with us now, but if we weep out of despair, Jesus will feel sorry for us. Jesus is almighty and any impossible condition or circumstances can’t confine Him. If we think Jesus as Almighty God with some impossible conditions, He will weep! As He arrived at Lazarus’ tomb, When Jesus arrived at the tomb of Lazarus, four days passed since Lazarus died and he was already in the tomb. John 11:38-39, “Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. ‘Take away the stone,’ he said. ‘But, Lord,’ said Martha, the sister of the dead man, ‘by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.’” Jesus came to the tomb of Lazarus. In the Middle East, they usually prepare a tomb within a cave and put a coffin there and roll a huge stone at the entrance. When Jesus came to the tomb with Martha and Mary, He told Martha and Mary, “Take away the stone.” Both of them were startled at this. “Lord, by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days. What is the use of taking away the stone?" Faith without deeds is dead. Jesus looked at them in the eyes and said, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?" Even though they believed in God, it would have been very hard for them to imagine their dead brother who stank then to rise again! However, Jesus can help only those who have faith even forcibly. “It will be done according to your faith!” Therefore, Jesus stamped His feet and said to Martha, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?" Then both sisters of the dead man were so frightened by Jesus’ rage that they began to struggle to take away the stone. As they did their best to remove the huge stone, a rotten smell stank around the tomb. However, Jesus stood in front of the entrance of the tomb and gave thanks to God, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me.” The third dimensional world is confined to visible things, but Jesus is the God of the fourth dimension so He converses with God in an invisible world. He thanked God and then called in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" What a terrifying word it was! However, Lazarus rose up quickly! He did not rise up slowly but stood up instantly! As the dead man came out, Jesus said to them, "Take off the grave clothes and let him go." Throughout human history, there has been no tomb that threw out any dead man. Death swallows all human beings that are alive, but it is an evil that never gives up any dead one. However, Jesus rushed to the tomb that swallowed Lazarus to bring him back! He cried out, “Lazarus, come out!” It means that he said, “Lazarus, come out. Come out of death!” At the command of the Lord of life, the power of death could not hold Lazarus any more. As Lazarus rose up instantly and came out of the tomb while his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, "Take off the grave clothes and let him go." “Take off and let him go!” means that we should let a person or an animal free from binding. Hebrews 2:14-15 says, “Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death--that is, the devil-- and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.” Jesus wants to give freedom and liberation to those who all their lives are held in slavery by their fear of death. In Luke Chapter 7, one widow raised her only son, but he became sick and died. Out of bitterness she wept and wailed much. The dead person was being carried out--and a large crowd from the town was with her. When the Lord saw her bitterness, He stopped a funeral procession to the cemetery. Then He went up and said, "Young man, I say to you, get up!" Those carrying the coffin became disturbed and the dead man sat up! Jesus gave him back to his mother. Jesus did not only raise Lazarus, brother of Martha and Mary, but also stopped the funeral procession and raised the dead man from the coffin! In human history, nobody has ever stopped the procession of death. Only Jesus who is true God can stop the procession of death. If we believe, we can see the glory of God. God won’t work if we do not believe in God. James 1:6-7 says, “But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord.” John 11:40 says, “Then Jesus said, ‘Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?’" Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?" When we believe in God, He will perform miracles and be glorified. Jesus left for Bethany after Lazarus died for the sake of His disciples’ faith. John 11:15 says, “and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him." Through the resurrection of Lazarus, Jesus wanted to make His disciples realize that He is the resurrection and the life. Therefore, it is faith that is most essential. Even today there are so many Lazarus out there. Countless people are confined within the tomb of sin, diseases, poverty, curses and death while living in this world. The Lord is commanding to those who are within the dark tombs even now, “Lazarus, come out!” Whosoever listens to this voice of the Lord should answer with faith. Then he can walk out of the tomb and receive the eternal life He gives now. Lazarus’ death and resurrection were planned by God. By raising Lazarus back to life, God’s miracle was proved and He showed that Jesus is the resurrection and the life. God gives us a great present to Christians; it is faith! We don’t need to cry over our little faith. If we have a small faith like a mustard seed, it is more than enough for God’s miracle to happen to us. Whether we have a small faith like a mustard seed or not depends on our deed. Whether Martha had faith or not depended her deed to take away the stone! If she had had faith, she would have taken away the stone. If not, she would not have even touched the stone in front of the tomb. Faith without deeds is dead. Therefore, Martha’s faith was proven by her deed! We should save our faith through the word of God in our hearts and act on it in our daily lives while waiting for God’s work. God is always with us and searches whether we believe in His promise and act upon it with faith or not. To act upon faith is easy and difficult at the same time. Even if nothing is visible, audible, or touchable, we must believe in the Lord’s word and act upon it, God will work miracles for us. There are always difficulties in our lives. However, if we kneel down before God and pray to Him, the Bible says that He will work on behalf of us and solve our problems. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. It strengthens our faith greatly. Jesus can do anything and there is nothing He cannot do. The Lord who is the same yesterday, today and forever is working even now. When we do our best to believe in the work the Lord commits to us, God will work for us and miracles will happen as we believe. We should not forget that Jesus is always with us and works miracles for us.