By: Larry Young
The shortest verse in the Bible is also only one of three verses in which Jesus wept. The context follows Jesus as He arrived near the town of Lazarus’ death. "Mary fell down at Jesus’ feet, saying: 'Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.' Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled. And said, 'Where have you laid him?' They said to Him, 'Lord, come and see.' Jesus wept” (John 11:32-35). As Jesus is now in the heavenly sanctuary, examining each case of the living, will He weep again with sorrow or with joy as He opens and decides your case for salvation?
Jesus takes into account all of the circumstances of your life, the trials and tests and sorrows you have endured, and also those things that you failed. He doesn’t recall any sins that you have already laid at His feet and already have been forgiven, but He remembers clearly every sincere tear you have shed and your deep need of His love and forgiveness and peace in the midst of suffering and loss. “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered” (Romans 8: 26).
All of this is God’s grace and mercy and compassion in action. However, “grace” and “mercy” represent God’s act of giving people something good that they don’t deserve, while “justice” is about giving people exactly what they do deserve. God’s law demands justice, so Christ fulfilled the demands of the law by paying the ultimate price, surrendering His sinless life in order to purchase and save our sinful lives. When we surrender our lives to Christ in faith, He reclaims us from the just demands of the law, and He provides us a clear path to eternal life with Him and in Him. But how can we know where we really stand? Where is the line between laying hold of Christ’s deliverance in faith, and between vainly assuming Christ is obligated to deliver us regardless of what we really believe and do?
In Heaven, would you want to live next door to someone who hates you or wants to harm you or rob you in some way? How about someone who works behind your back to destroy your reputation through gossiping or lying? How about someone who is jealous of you and gives you consistent dirty looks or always talks down to you? When Jesus examines the cases of those unrepentant individuals, will He deem them safe to save?
In Luke 16:30-31, Jesus said that someone who remains unrepentant won’t be persuaded to change. Here’s the secret: when Jesus examines your case, if He finds a reflection of His own character and love working or growing in you by your own free power of choice, Jesus will know for sure that you are safe to save; I believe there will be tears of joy for you. If Jesus finds a reflection of the character of the enemy of souls growing or working in you by your own free power of choice, He will sadly remove your name from the Book of Life; I believe there will be tears of sorrow for your loss.