GRID REF 001: He Was Absolutely Furious

Jesus sees Mary’s grief over the death of Lazarus, He too is reduced to tears. As Jesus weeps He is meeting Mary in her sorrow and pain, and His emotions are a poignant reminder to us of His humanity. But by the time that Jesus has reached the grave of Lazarus His demeanour has changed. Most English translations of this story in John 11 describe how Jesus was “Deeply moved” when he reached the tomb of Lazarus (John 11:38). Alas, such translations are weak descriptions of the moment when Jesus confronted death head-on. Verse 38 actually contains a Greek word that means “to bellow with anger”. When Jesus approached the tomb of Lazarus and commanded him to come out, He wasn’t calling out in the way that a head-teacher addresses a school assembly, He was roaring with anger. The man was absolutely furious.

So why is Jesus so angry? What is He in a rage about? Because of death. Jesus is angry at evil and the most devastating consequence of when evil entered our world………loss of life. Death and suffering weren’t part of the world that God intended, death isn’t His design, it is of the devil.

Jesus defeated evil out of love for us, but He did it with courage, strength and controlled aggression. Dylan Thomas captured the essence of this righteous anger when he said “Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light”.

Now listen to the worship song “Furious” by Bethel Church

Author

Richard Kay