Monday, March 19, 2012

"Remember My Name"

                 TRAYVON MARTIN
February 5, 1995  -  February 26, 2012

Jesus Wept
(John 11:35)

The above scripture is noted as the shortest scripture in the King James Version of the bible.  Arguably, it is one of four instances where we observe a spontaneous emotive reaction from the man we know as Jesus.  Like the cleansing of the temple (Matthew 21:12,13) - the cursing of the fig tree (Mark 11:12-14) - and the cry of anguish on the cross, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani," (My God, My God, why has thou forsaken me) (Matthew 27:45-46) - his weeping catches us off guard.  Similar to the people's reaction around him who appear to have observed Jesus weeping, we are engendered to feel total and complete compassion for him in the fullness of his humanity.  Consequently, the reason why Jesus wept is serendipitously lost and thus, once again we miss the true miracle.  

Jesus weeps because of the death of the Lazarus.  He appears to be so moved by the loss of this man that he openly weeps for him.  The next major event recorded to have happened was Jesus arriving at the tomb where Lazarus was laid.  After a brief prayer, he calls, with a loud shout, "Lazarus, come forth."  The dead man appears, he is unbound and Jesus continues his ministry (John 11:28-44).  This event is recorded as Jesus' greatest miracle.  But what happens, when God weeps in the fullness of God's divinity?  What cataclysmic movement would we experience in the world around us, internally and externally when God weeps?  

Elie Wiesel, the author of the Nobel Peace Prize winning book, NIGHT, tells us of an ancient legend, "That whenever a just person dies, God sheds two tears.  And when those tears fall into the ocean, they reverberate throughout the universe."  If we take this legend and make the theoretical concrete, there must be some major shift in the environment, in the world around us, when God's tears hit the ocean and reverberates into the universe.  It is a divine acknowledgment, "Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground" (Genesis 4:10).  It is recognition of our pain and loss.  It is a divine call, that requires a divine response.  It is urgent and it is clear.  Throughout the years, the multitude of vibrations created from God's tears are like shock waves that travel unmolested around the world to both oppressor and oppressed people alike. 

They ring loud in the hearts and minds of captured souls aching and yearning to be free.  They are vibrations that catch hold of the living, and at the appointed hour, bounce about like a wildfire out of control.  It is a fire that burns within, a fire that cannot be extinguished.  It is "truth crushed to the earth" rising again.  It is a dead slave rising to rejoice.  It is God calling forth a free people to help others get free.  It is God saying to us in tangible ways, "Be still and know that I AM God" (Psalm 46:10a).
©Dorinda G. Henry, 2012

THEOLOGIA HABITUS EST!

*A CALL TO ACTION
Call or Write: US Justice Department and demand the arrest George Zimmerman for the murder of Trayvon Martin; Phone: 202.514.2000

1 comment:

  1. What an injustice!!! That young man never had a chance! So glad that you(Pastor Rev G. Henry) put a spotlight on this tragedy. Such an eye opening blogpost.

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