I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.- John 16:20

December 30, 2007 Floyd Ray Gage

Weeping while the world rejoices. This would happen because Christ would be crucified and would die. Christians still weep while the world rejoices today. We weep over sins that the world revels in and lifts up as signs of progress. We weep over lives that don’t have the understanding to weep over themselves. We weep over lost opportunities that the world does not even see.

There are times that the Christian must weep. It was right for the disciples to weep over the death of Christ. They should have been weeping over it because of its revelation of the depth of man’s sin, but weeping was called for at the time. When we lose a loved one, we are right to weep. Not because we have lost that person, but because of the temporary separation that has occurred and because of the curse of sin that caused this death.

Christ wept at the grave of Lazarus, not because He thought Lazarus was lost, but because of the pain of the family and because of the knowledge He had of the curse of sin that causes death (Romans 6:23). If Christ wept, shouldn’t we also weep over the loss of others. We are told in Scripture to weep with those who weep and to rejoice with those who rejoice.

We should weep over disease and suffering, because it is a result of the sinfulness of man. Sin has wrought havoc on this earth since the Garden of Eden. Sin has brought about the greatest misdeeds of man from the killing of Abel on down to the atrocities of today. Believe me, we should be weeping. Believe me, God weeps over sin and its outcome.

Paul told us that we should not weep as the world weeps. We should be mourning because of the knowledge we have of sin. We should not weep in ignorance of sin and its outcome. I wept over September 11. The loss of life and the pain of the families, but also because of its screaming forth the sin and depravity of man even in the name of religion and God. That causes God to weep.

I weep when churches hurt others instead of reaching out to help them and love them to Christ. I weep when prejudices separate the ones that Christ died for to tear down those walls of separation. I weep for the countless millions that are lost in religions of deception and false paths. I weep over the millions that don’t know Christ and don’t want to know Him.

Yes, there are many reasons for us to weep as Christians, but there is plenty of reason to rejoices. The disciples would not only weep at the tomb, they would rejoice in the upper room. The disciples would not only mourn their Savior’s death, they would take joy at Pentecost in His Spirit’s breath.

There is where we must look. Yes, we must weep over the many sins and evils of this world, but we must not stay there. We must look past these to the hope that is found in Christ. Christ came because of these many things that cause us to weep. Christ came so that the very ones that caused September 11 cannot win. Their hate will fade. His eternal love will endure. One day sin will be no more, but the peace and reign of Christ will be forevermore. Christians, lift up your heads and look to the horizon. Over the clouds of sin and death, see the rising Son of Christ’s Coming. Shed tears over that which brings pain but always remember in Christ we have gain. The tomb is always trumped by the resurrection.