If you had been here,,,,,

This year the Orthodox and Catholic Easter are celebrated at the same time. Long story about why Easter is celebrated is at different times. Here is a pretty good article on the difference between Orthodox and Protestants The Sacrament of Holy Unction

Tomorrow we'll celebrate His life after death and how His life changed the world. Some will say for bad but most say for better. His life was about love but that love goes beyond what many think about.

John 15:13 "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." But that wasn't the only time He talked about loving and what He was willing to do. It wasn't the last time either.

The most powerful sentence in the Bible is also the shortest. It is only two words but before you read them, you need to know what was happening before.

Jesus Comforts the Sisters of Lazarus
John 11
17 On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. 18 Now Bethany was less than two miles[b] from Jerusalem, 19 and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. 20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.

21 “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”

23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”

24 Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”

25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

27 “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”

28 After she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. “The Teacher is here,” she said, “and is asking for you.” 29 When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. 31 When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there.

32 When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. 34 “Where have you laid him?” he asked.

“Come and see, Lord,” they replied.

35 Jesus wept.

36 Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”

37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”

He cried because He knew how much she was in for the loss of her brother. He knew He was going to take her pain away and He was preparing for His own suffering but in that moment, all that mattered was that she was deeply troubled.

Jesus Prays on the Mount of Olives 39 Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. 40 On reaching the place, he said to them, “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.” 41 He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, 42 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” 43 An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. 44 And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.[c]

Some people thought it was all a failure even though the way it was to happen was already known and Christ came to fulfill all of it. He showed that no matter what He was going to endure, He loved and He did it all out of love.

So many times we do things out of love but suffer and we wonder where our reward is until we remember what Christ went through. We understand that while some talk about our reward in Heaven, they don't seem to understand what it is like in the moments when we do things out of love in that instant. There is nothing that can match doing something for the sake of someone else out of love and that is what He wanted us to remember to actually honor His life.

We are not supposed to have perfect faith and suffering does not mean we deserve it. He didn't deserved to suffer and even He struggled with what He knew He had to do. He also had a choice to do it or walk away. He made the choice to finish what He came here to do and again, out of love.

Don't assume just because someone else is suffering they deserve it. If you do then you didn't deserve Christ dying for you to pay for your sins. None of us actually deserve what He did for us. We mess up all the time. We judge people and judge ourselves. We forget so much good that happened and hang onto too much that was bad. If you are struggling I wanted you to know that He does understand and cares about you the way He cared about Lazarus' sister. He knows that your life can be so much better than it is right now, but He still cares about how you feel right now and wants to help ease your pain. Let Him help you know that you are loved no matter what you are facing, believe you did wrong or had wrong done to you. He will send people to help the way He sent the Holy Spirit to comfort those who traveled the last days of His life on this earth.