July 24, 2013

Romans 12:15: Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.

I suppose this is a follow-on, in a way, from yesterday’s devotion … although the topic is very different. Have you noticed how difficult it is for some people to enter into the very human emotions that life events bring about? This thought came into my mind when I heard what a UK satirical magazine, Private Eye, said about the birth. Private Eye’s headline was “Woman Has Baby”. The editors — as is their way — could not rejoice with those who rejoiced, but instead went for the cheap shot.

Over the past few weeks these devotions have touched on births, marriages and deaths – the universal life events. I have had a fellow-feeling for those touched more closely … but not, perhaps, as deeply as this verse asks of me.

I sometimes think that one of the verses that says most about Jesus is the shortest. John 11:35, “Jesus wept”. I came across this thought the other day (unfortunately, the only attribution was to “Daily Readings”):

Our attention is often drawn to the shortest verses in the Bible noting that “Jesus wept” is the shorter of the two. But in the Greek we find this “shortest” verse has three words whereas the verse from I Thessalonians 5:16 (“Rejoice evermore”) has only two. However, one surely can see the lovely connection between the two verses. The Christian’s joy flows from the sympathy and grace of their Savior. Jesus wept—we rejoice evermore.

Jesus could feel, fully, the joys and sorrows of those He was with. When we are with Him we will surely have that same insight. For now, of course, we have to do the best we can! That’s really the point of the verse from Romans. Paul has been talking about what the Christian owes to the family … Other Christians. When our family hurts, we should weep. When our family is joyful, we should rejoice. I’m not always good at it – sometimes I feed that ugly side of me that is glad that the tears are not mine, or slightly resentful that the joys are not mine. Not, of course, with the big life events — but I can be petty about small things. But I’m still depressed when I see things like the “Private Eye” headline. It seems to me that there are people in the world who make a living out of the perverse rejection of human sympathy. We need to be on the watch for the spreading of that of ill will into our hearts. Our contacts with the world can harm us. What is presented as entertainment can often really be infection. We need weep as Jesus weeps and rejoice with His sympathy and grace, with the right people at the right times for the right reasons.