Jesus Wept!

Today I went to a viewing for a brother of an Elder of the church who passed away. The bodies of the family members are brought to the home in a glass box that is kept chilled in order for the body to be preserved.

The entire seminary went together and we all crammed ourselves into this small living room, about 30 of us in all. After we all found a place to sit or stand, we sang three hymns that pertained to the resurrection of Christ and for our forgiveness of sins. Then one of the Professors spoke from God’s Word and delivered a sermon that lasted about fifteen minutes.

The professor talked about emotions, resurrection and then made the point that even Jesus wept, as said in John 11:35. It is very true, and we tend to forget this aspect of Christ many times, especially men. Jesus did cry, weep, and to weep means a hard cry from deep within your soul. If Jesus wept, then surely there are times when we should be weeping as well. This was definitely one of those times.

In America we have a viewing where the body is at the church or a funeral home and everyone comes and pays their respects and then leaves, but here they worshipped God, even in death. What a testimony to their faith. What does it say that in the midst of grief and sadness, they sang hymns, heard a sermon and prayed together. There was no idle talk, except to pay respects afterwards. Then we all piled back into the busses and returned to the seminary.

What would happen if as Christians we started holding our viewings like this? What would it say to those who do not know Christ? We do have the service separate from the viewing, right before the burial, but many that come to the viewing will miss the funeral for various reasons. What if we just took the time to sing a couple of hymns and just said a prayer? How would that impact those around us? Not just the unbelievers, but the believers as well. It was encouraging to see them sing and pray like this in the time of death.

I am not saying our way is worse or theirs is better, just maybe thinking upon how we can witness for Christ in all situations we find ourselves in this world. I am not sure I could have a viewing in my home. I just found the challenge that even in the death of a loved one, can we still say, Jesus is my salvation and my joy? I pray that I can.

I was thankful that they allowed me to be part of their ceremony, and felt humbled by the way they demonstrated their faith in their time of grief. It was a great blessing and challenge for my faith, and one I pray that I will remember and take to heart.