"Weep With Those Who Weep:" Christ, Still Our Example For Today

“Weep with those who weep,” (found in Romans 12:15b), is a familiar and often quoted passage. It is a relational command – a command that speaks to how we should relate to and interact with our fellow man/woman. However,

While many reasons could be given for this, I believe the bottom-line is people do not have a practical, tangible understanding of what this passage means.

One might ask, “Why is this command of particular importance to our Savior anyway?” After all, we Christians often sing hymns with such lyrics as: “This world is not my home; I’m just a-passing through. My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue…” and “Oh glory, I’ll fly away in the morning. When I die hallelujah by-and-by, I’ll fly away.” As we sing with exuberance of spirit, we seem to extol the faithful believer’s victory over the increasing pain and suffering of this life, through death. These lyrics speak to a promise in death for the faithful believer and doer of God’s Word.

However, there exists the same paradox in death that exists in life. For, there exists a duality of human nature – an on-going struggle between becoming a new creature in Christ and possessing God’s spirit, yet nonetheless dwelling in a human body. Therefore, this struggle unfolds in a complex manner during times of grief.

The three parties involved: the individual experiencing the dying process, the loved ones left to mourn the loss of the deceased, and those who may genuinely seek to support the bereaved -- all feel conflicted about how to relate to one another.

Therefore, I would like us to notice for a moment Romans 12:15. Upon closer reading, one will note

this passage actually begins with, “rejoice with those who rejoice,” and then it admonishes the reader to “weep with those who weep.”

Before sitting down to begin developing this article, I internalized this previously read scripture precisely the way I’ve always heard it communicated – as two separate directives with application for two entirely separate life circumstances. However, I would submit for serious consideration that, when it comes to grief, the bereaved may rejoice one moment and in the very next moment weep. Why?...

...STAY TUNED FOR PART II of the “Weep With Those Who Weep:” Christ, Still Our Example For Today - special grief series, coming to your inbox this Thurs., Feb. 4th!