Goal:

• To see Jesus as one who understands human fragility
  and is truly present with us when we suffer

Living in the Gap

• It is all about the time gap between bringing our problems to Jesus and him bringing victroy.
• In this gap there is suffering, confusion and pain.
• Does Jesus tell us to live in denial because “everything is going to turn out fine”?
• No, he walks with us, and weeps with us, and tenderly builds our trust.
• Jesus is a good shepherd to Martha & Mary, to his disciples, to Lazarus, and to all who recognize his voice.

Overview

1. Introduction
2. Seven Conversations
3. How Jesus speaks to us

John 1–12 “Book of Signs”

1 Prolog

12 Epilog

1. The Delay (v.1–6)

• John 17:

1. When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you”

• The one Jesus loves is sick, but healing him will cost the Shepherd’s own life.
• Jesus is a “Good Shepherd” to Lazarus

2. Disciples

The disciples need a strong faith to survive Jesus’ death. It makes the Shepherd glad to give it.

3. Martha

Martha was horribly confused, and the Shepherd gently led her to beautiful clarity and faith

4. Mary

Mary was overwhelmed by her emotions, and Jesus was with her in her grief

Buddhism

Crying is a reaction to suffering, and the goal of Buddhist practice is to be free from suffering. So you may cry during your practice, and it’s normal for a worldling to cry, but a fully enlightened one will not cry, because he is beyond suffering.

That’s why you may see a statue of Buddha smiling, but never one crying.

Alan Chiu

Buddhism

All emotions are a result of our attachments or desires and cravings. This is fundamentally what falls under the term “sufferings” of life in this Samsaric human condition.

What allows emotions to arise is disappointment in some form of that which we cling to or desire. The entire practice of Buddhism was searched for and developed in the search to end this kind of phenomena.

To “detach” our human mind from this was the accomplishment of Shakyamuni.

Sylvain Chamberlain, Masters from Buddhism (1995)

Buddhism

From craving springs grief, from craving springs fear.

For one who is wholly free from craving there is no grief; whence then fear?

Dhammapada, 216

5. Emotion

Humans are fragile, in a broken world. The Shepherd is moved by our pain, even though he will end it.

Following Jesus is about final victory, but not about living in a state of denial in the meantime.

6. Lazarus

Lazarus—done in a way that involves the people with the goal of building them up

7. False shepherds

False shepherds are self-serving and reject the voice of the Shepherd

Seven Conversations

1. The one Jesus loves is sick, but healing him will cost the Shepherd’s own life.
2. The disciples need a strong faith to survive Jesus’ death. It makes the Shepherd glad to give it.
3. Martha was horribly confused, and the Shepherd gently led her to beautiful clarity and faith
4. Mary was overwhelmed by her emotions, and Jesus was with her in her grief
5. Humans are fragile, in a broken world. The Shepherd is moved by our pain, even though he will end it.
6. Lazarus—done in a way that involves the people with the goal of building them up
7. False shepherds are self-serving and reject the voice of the Shepherd

Jesus is with us in our struggles

• He sees you right now, and weeps with you in your pain.
• He enters into our pain, and ultimately has taken it on himself.
• “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses” Heb 4:15
• Bring your struggles to him, like Martha & Mary did, and trust him with how he choses to respond