{"id":843,"date":"2009-08-07T04:01:25","date_gmt":"2009-08-07T04:01:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/markdroberts\/2009\/08\/god-will-wipe-away-our-tears-implications-section-3.html"},"modified":"2009-08-07T04:01:25","modified_gmt":"2009-08-07T04:01:25","slug":"god-will-wipe-away-our-tears-implications-section-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2009\/08\/god-will-wipe-away-our-tears-implications-section-3.html","title":{"rendered":"God Will Wipe Away Our Tears: Implications (Section 3)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Part 3 of series: God Will Wipe Away Our Tears: Grief and the Christian Life
\n<\/em>Permalink for this post<\/a> \/ Permalink for this series<\/a>
\nIn yesterday\u2019s post I continued reflecting on some implications of the fact that, in the new creation, God will wipe away our tears. I began to answer the question:<\/p>\n

2. What does the fact that God will wipe away our tears reveal about how we\u2019re to live in the meanwhile?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

So far my answer contained two parts:<\/p>\n

a. We recognize the reality of pain and suffering.
\nb. We grieve differently.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

My claim that we grieve differently really isn\u2019t my claim at all, as I explained yesterday. It is based on the clear teach of the Scripture in 1 Thessalonians 4:13, where it says, \u201cBut we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.\u201d Because of the pains of this life, we will grieve, but not in the way that others who have no hope grieve.
\nIf you\u2019ve been to as many funerals as I have, you\u2019ll know exactly what Paul is talking about here. I have done funerals for people whose friends and family members are not people of faith. These services have a heaviness about them that you could almost cut with a knife. Sure, there may be some funny stories about the deceased. But, bottom line, the people gathered believe that their loved one\u2019s life is over and that\u2019s it.
\nIn contrast, I have led many memorial services for people whose family and friends are faithful Christians. These services can have plenty of grief, especially when the person who died was relatively young. But they always have lots of joy as well. The joy mixed with sadness comes because of hope, the hope of life beyond this life.
\nYet some Christians believe that because of this hope there is no place for grief in the authentic Christian life. It should be \u201cjoy, joy, joy\u201d and nothing more. In the past, when I have spoken of Christians grieving, I have been asked how grief is compatible with faith and joy. \u201cAren\u2019t Christians supposed to be joyful? How can you say that grieving is okay?\u201d
\nIn response to this question, I\u2019m tempted to say something snarky like, \u201cWell, because I read my Bible.\u201d (\u201cSnarky,\u201d by the way, is a great word I learned from Lauren Winner at Laity Lodge. It means \u201cobnoxious, annoying, irritating, sarcastic.\u201d) But, in fact, this answer is actually true. There is much in Scripture, in both Old and New Testaments, that gives us permission to grieve, even as Scripture also calls us to rejoice. You can see plenty of sadness in the Psalms. Consider Psalm 6:6-7 for example:<\/p>\n

I am weary with my moaning;
\nevery night I flood my bed with tears;
\nI drench my couch with my weeping.
\nMy eyes waste away because of grief;
\nthey grow weak because of all my foes.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Nothing in this passage and so many like it suggests that grief is off limits.
\nTurning to the New Testament, the grief of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane is striking and indisputable:<\/p>\n

They went to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and Jesus said, \u201cSit here while I go and pray.\u201d He took Peter, James, and John with him, and he became deeply troubled and distressed. He told them, \u201cMy soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me\u201d (Mark 14:32-33).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

If it was okay for Jesus to be \u201ccrushed with grief\u201d and even to share that grief with his disciples, shouldn\u2019t it be okay for the followers of Jesus to grieve in situations of great pain and sadness.
\nWe see this very thing in the writings of the Apostle Paul. He models an open expression of personal pain in his second letter to the Corinthians:<\/p>\n

We do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, of the affliction we experienced in Asia; for we were so utterly, unbearably crushed that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death so that we would rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead\u201d (2 Cor 1:8-9).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In fact, human suffering and grief exemplifies what is happening throughout this broken cosmos:<\/p>\n

We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies (Romans 8:22-23)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

So, this side of the new creation, grief is normal and not to be denied or denigrated.
\nThis leads to my next question in response to the future wiping away of tears by the Lord: How are we to live with each other as we grieve? In particular, how are we to respond to those in our lives who are grieving? I\u2019ll pick this up in the next post of this series<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Part 3 of series: God Will Wipe Away Our Tears: Grief and the Christian Life Permalink for this post \/ Permalink for this series In yesterday\u2019s post I continued reflecting on some implications of the fact that, in the new creation, God will wipe away our tears. I began to answer the question: 2. What…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[79],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-843","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-grief-and-christian-life"],"yoast_head":"\nGod Will Wipe Away Our Tears: Implications (Section 3) - Mark D. 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Roberts","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","caption":"Mark D. Roberts"},"description":"The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a pastor, author, retreat leader, speaker, and blogger. Since October 2007 he has been the Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge, a multifaceted ministry in the Hill Country of Texas. Before coming to Laity Lodge, he was for sixteen years the Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in Irvine, California (a city in Orange County about forty miles south of Los Angeles). Before his time at Irvine Pres, Mark served on the staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood as Associate Pastor of Education. (Thanks to Janel Pahl for taking the photo to the right.) Mark studied at Harvard University, receiving a B.A. in Philosophy, an M.A. in the Study of Religion, and a Ph.D. in New Testament and Christian Origins. He has taught classes in New Testament for Fuller Theological Seminary and San Francisco Theological Seminary. Mark has written several books, including No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer (WaterBrook, 2005), Dare to Be True (WaterBrook, 2003), Jesus Revealed (WaterBrook, 2002), After \"I Believe\" (Baker, 2002), and Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Word, 1993). His most recent book is Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (Crossway, 2007). He is currently working on a commentary on Ephesians that will be published by Zondervan in 2014. Mark writes a devotional for The High Calling of Our Daily Work, a website associated with Laity Lodge. His \"Daily Reflections\" can be viewed online or sent as a daily email. If you wish to receive this email, just visit TheHighCalling.org and sign up. Mark serves on the editorial board of Worship Leader magazine, where he publishes articles and reviews, including his regular column \"Lyrical Poetry.\" Additionally, he has published dozens of articles in leading magazines and journals. He often speaks for churches and other Christian groups, and has been interviewed on over seventy-five radio programs nationwide. Mark is married to Linda, who is a Marriage and Family Therapist, a Spiritual Director, and a retreat speaker. They have two children, Nathan and Kara.For Publicity Photos and Bio Statements for Mark, please check here. Mark's Dossier Professional History: Senior Director and Scholar-in Residence, Laity Lodge, October 2007 to present. Senior Pastor Irvine Presbyterian Church, June 1991 to September 2007 Adjunct Assistant Professor Fuller Theological Seminary, 1994 to 2007. Courses: New Testament Theology and Exegesis. Adjunct Instructor San Francisco Theological Seminary, 1995 to 2001. Courses: New Testament Greek and Exegesis Associate Pastor of Education First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, 1987-1991 Teaching Fellow Harvard University, 1980-1983 Education: Ph.D. in the Study of Religion. Harvard University, 1992. Area: New Testament and Christian Origins M.A. in the Study of Religion Harvard University, 1984. A.B. magna cum laude in Philosophy Harvard University, 1979. Phi Beta Kappa; Danforth Fellowship Books: Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Crossway, 2007 No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer. WaterBrook, 2005 Dare to Be True: Living in the Freedom of Complete Honesty. WaterBrook, 2003. Jesus Revealed: Know Him Better to Love Him Better. WaterBrook, 2002. After \"I Believe\": Experiencing Authentic Christian Living. Baker, 2002. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther in the Communicator's Commentary Series. Word, 1993. Contacting Mark: You can reach Mark at: E-mail: mark@markdroberts.com mroberts@laitylodge.org Phone: Laity Lodge: (830) 792-1216 Address: Laity Lodge 719 Earl Garrett Kerrville, TX 78028","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/author\/mroberts"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/843","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=843"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/843\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=843"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=843"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=843"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}