" Sorrow is a sacred thing," it has been justly and beautifully said. But it is a fruitful thing also. if a sorrowing house be a sanctuary, so that no rude foot should trespass, it is also a spot for divine husbandry, and ready to yield its good and profitable fruit.
The sickness and death of Lazarus procured for the loved family at Bethany a visit from the Lord, a circumstance in itself full of blessing and of promise; and in that visit we see several things which may well engage, not only our attention, but, our hearts.
He sympathizes with the sorrow, and then removes the cause of it. He " wept" first, and afterward said, " Lazarus, come forth."
The purpose which He carried with Him of removing the occasion of the misery, left His heart still the seat of present compassion with it. It was so in the case of sending out the apostles. He was about to sive them pastors according to His own heart; but looking on them as sheep that had no shepherd, He had compassion on the multitudes (Matt. 9:36-10:536But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. 37Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few; 38Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth laborers into his harvest. 1And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease. 2Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; 3Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alpheus, and Lebbeus, whose surname was Thaddeus; 4Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him. 5These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: (Matthew 9:36‑10:5)). It was so again in His feeding the people. He was about to give them bread enough and to spare, but, on seeing them, He had compassion (Matt. 15:32-3832Then Jesus called his disciples unto him, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat: and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way. 33And his disciples say unto him, Whence should we have so much bread in the wilderness, as to fill so great a multitude? 34And Jesus saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven, and a few little fishes. 35And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. 36And he took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and brake them, and gave to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. 37And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets full. 38And they that did eat were four thousand men, beside women and children. (Matthew 15:32‑38)).
No prospect of the future, he it as bright and certain as it may, can rightly close the heart to the claims of the present. The follower of Christ will '' weep " as he enters the house of mourning or the chamber of death, though he knows that the power of resurrection, in season, will clothe the scene in all its own magnificence and joy.
With this sympathy and this power over the cause of the sorrow, we see, moreover, the instructions of wisdom and the lessons of God enjoyed through His sorrow.
Martha speaks of her grief to the Lord, and much ignorance is expressed through the natural, and in some sense pardonable, exercises of her wounded heart. But Jesus teaches her the way of God more perfectly. He lets the light of some wondrous truths break in upon her soul, truths deeper and more precious than what the hours of her undisturbed ease and happiness had been able to discover. The light of the day of prosperity had not shown her what Jesus now brought with Him in this night of weeping. She is made to see some bright shinings of the glory of God through the tears of that sorrow, through that gloom of death which had entered her dwelling. ''I am the resurrection and the life; he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live." The place was indeed a sanctuary, and Jesus Himself treads softly. He wept. He owned the claim of such a moment. But it was a spot for Him to cultivate also. It was a garden of the Lord's; and He enriches it with fresh fruit and growth of knowledge. Again, let me say of this affecting scene, that it is made productive to others also. Many believe, when they witness how the grace and power of the Lord had dealt with this sorrow. "Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on Him."
I ask, is not all this as much the history of this our day, as it was of the day of Martha and Mary? Who need live long and travel far to know that the sorrows of the saints still draw the willing visits of Christ; and that, during such visits, He sympathizes and teaches? Who, 'I ask, need live long and travel far to know this? Gracious it is in the Spirit, and gracious to us, to have the record of such things in the book "written for our learning.". But is it less gracious in Him, or less gracious to us, that these things are not merely the things of history, but the common things of experience and observation?
And further. This sorrow is the occasion of fresh acts of supplication and of worship. " Father, I thank Thee that Thou halt heard Me," said the Lord. And is this at all more strange or less a matter of experience than the others? What say our own souls?
"Trials make the promise sweet, Trials give new life to prayer; Trials bring me to His feet, Lay me low and keep me there."
This is not history, but experience. It is not the light of other days which, as we hear, was wont to cheer the night of weeping or the house of mourning, but the light which, as we know, is still wont to hold its court and display its power in the dark valley and in the shadow of death!
I am bold also to add another thought-a thought, too, lately made very precious to my own heart-that the blessed Lord, in unjealous love, allows both our sorrows and our mercies to be fresh links between Himself and our poor fond hearts. The widow of Sarepta was afresh bound to the prophet, when she received her son from the dead. Her joy, in one she so loved being restored to her, acted as another link of tenderest and yet strongest texture between her heart and the man of God, the witness of Christ; and the Spirit allowed it, I am sure (1 Kings 17:2424And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in thy mouth is truth. (1 Kings 17:24)). So in much later days, the Lord allowed His servant to be thankful and take courage on seeing brethren again, after a long separation, though during that separation he had enjoyed His presence and encouragements in a sweet and large measure (Acts 28) And so here. Receiving their brother from the dead, the dear family at Bethany are more than ever the Lord's. In the power and joy of resurrection they sit with Him (Chapter 12:1,2). They delight in Him afresh through the mercy which their common natural human feelings had received.
"He does not send the rod, bat brings it."