By Pastor Garet Ellis
John 11:1–53 • Ezekiel 37:1–14 • Psalm 130 • Romans 8:1–11
Note: I preached on the Gospel reading of John 11 today. I uploaded my notes and video into an AI program to generate this blog post.
Grief is one of the most disorienting experiences we face. It slows us down, fogs our thinking, and sometimes makes us wonder whether God is anywhere near. And yet, in the story of Lazarus, we see something astonishingly hopeful: Jesus stands with us in our grief so that we may place our hope in Him.
This isn’t a story about avoiding sorrow. It’s a story about God entering it.
Love Grieves — Even When Hope Is Certain
Jesus knew He was going to raise Lazarus. He knew resurrection was minutes away — and still He wept.
Why?
Because grief isn’t eliminated by knowing the ending.
Faith doesn’t numb sorrow.
And love always leaves us vulnerable to pain.
Jesus grieves with us, not instead of us.
Grief Does Not Mean God Is Absent or Late
Mary and Martha loved Jesus. They trusted Him. And still, in their grief, they felt abandoned.
Many of us have been there — prayers prayed, tears shed, and yet God seems to delay.
But in this moment we learn something essential:
- Delay is not neglect.
- Care does not always look like immediacy.
- Jesus is present even when He seems slow.
God’s timing may feel confusing, but His heart toward you is never uncertain.
Jesus Receives Our Grief Without Rebuke
Notice what Jesus doesn’t say:
- “You shouldn’t feel this way.”
- “Have more faith.”
- “Don’t you know what I’m about to do?”
Instead, He listens. He stays. He weeps.
God does not shame our grief — He meets it.
Grief and Hope Can Live Together
We often assume that if we’re hopeful, we shouldn’t feel sad. Or that if we’re grieving, our faith must be weak.
But in Jesus, we see both:
- The ache of present loss
- The certainty of resurrection
Grief is not the opposite of hope.
Grief is what hope looks like when love has been interrupted.
Christian hope does not erase grief — it holds it.
Jesus Enters Grief Before He Commands Life
Look at the order in the story:
- Jesus weeps
- Jesus approaches the tomb
- Jesus calls Lazarus out
Presence precedes power.
Jesus doesn’t stand at a distance.
He steps into the sorrow first, and only then does He speak life.
Jesus Weeps Because Death Still Matters
Even with resurrection ahead, Jesus treats death as:
- Wrong
- Violent
- Invasive
His tears are a protest.
Resurrection doesn’t make death okay — it makes death temporary.
Living as Christians Who Grieve with Hope
So what does this mean for us?
- Christian grief is honest. We don’t pretend.
- Christian grief moves toward God, even when confused or hurting.
- Hope sanctifies our tears; it doesn’t eliminate them.
- Hope clings to Jesus, not to predictions or outcomes.
- Hope lives in the in‑between — the already and the not-yet.
- Hope lets Jesus into the places that feel like decay.
- Hope trusts God with the “when,” not just the “what.”
- Hope is not passive; it joins God’s work while waiting.
- Christian hope is realistic, not naive.
- Grief is never the last word, but hope is never the whole story without tears. They belong together, held by Jesus.
A Word for Those Grieving Today
If you’re confused, sad, exhausted, or simply not sure what to feel — know this:
Jesus is not waiting for you to get past your grief.
He is standing with you in it.
And in that place, He brings hope — not the hope that bypasses sorrow, but the hope that transforms it.
May Jesus, who stands with us in our grief, continue to be near you.
And may we at SMLC continue to share His love as we serve all people.
Photo by JOHN TOWNER on Unsplash
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