Jesus, then, as He perceived her lamenting and the Jews coming with her lamenting, mutters in spirit, and disturbs Himself. And He said, "Where have you placed Him?" They are saying to Him, "Lord, come and see." Jesus weeps.
Johns Account 11: 33-35, Concordant New Testament
Growing up, I was always told that to do something wrong or bad would immediately cause the Lord to be angry and/or upset with me. So much so, that He may just choose to remove whatever blessings He had chosen to give to me. Or, He may choose to bring forth some difficult circumstances in my life so that I would be assured of His anger towards me. This is what I was taught to expect from wrong behaviors. But in the past few years I have begun to understand a different view of the Father when it comes to His true feelings when I that I have fallen short. I recall listening to a radio broadcast of the late fire brand preacher J Vernon McGee in which he spoke of God being deeply hurt by our sin (Yes, Vernon McGee still held fast to the church idea of sin). As McGee explained, in those times where His children fall short, it hurts the Father deeply. I would agree with this. See, God knows all too well that we are so much better than those wrong behaviors which we sometimes engage in. He knows that, in His love, we have a life free of the guilt and shame of sin or bad behavior. So, in those times when we fall short, it is God who grieves for His children. I would go so far as to say that we should look upon our own lives as to live that which would cause the Father enjoyment and not pain. Does anyone look forward to causing God to be sad? I know that I don't. I want to live within His love and enjoyment all the days of my life on this earth. I want to be assured that the Father is well pleased with all that I do. That being said, I also know that there will be times of questionable behavior and bad decisions. I also know in my heart that the Love the Father has for me will never fade away. I am His child {First Epistle of John 3:1-2}.
He who is not loving knew not God, for God is love
First Epistle of John 4: 8, Concordant New Testament
Growing up in the church, I got used to the idea that God was mostly without emotions. Sure, He had righteous anger, which He would bestow on man from time to time. But to actually feel compassion for me? That was foreign to me. Then, as I began to look more and more into the scriptures of the New Testament, I came across a different side of the Lord I had never seen. For through Christ Jesus, the emotions of the Lord were being displayed for all to see. Nowhere is this more evident than when Jesus is informed of the death of His friend Lazarus. We see Jesus in obvious grief as He arrives at the home of His dear friend {Johns Account 11:33-35}. We're told that Jesus wept in the midst of His visit. Those who had gathered there could see the love which Jesus had for Lazarus {Johns Account 11:36}. From this passage I began to see Jesus in a different light. Jesus, and the Father in Him, was not the cold, emotionless God I had been led to believe that He was. It is through Jesus that we see the emotions of the Father. It is through Jesus that are witness to His love {First Epistle of John 4:8}. So, it is a certainty that the Father will indeed feel and express His emotions for us. He laughs when we laugh and weeps when we cry. It also grieves the Father when He knows that we are so much better than the behaviors we sometimes partake in. It's not a far stretch to understand that God shares in our feelings and emotions. For we have been created in His likeness {Genesis 1:27}. We share in all that He is {Johns Account 14:20}. The lie spoken by church theology tells us that we were somehow separated from God. This has never been true! It is simply the lie spoken by the deceiver in the garden {Genesis 3:1-7}. The truth of our union in the Father is that we live each and every day in Him. We share in all who He is. This is our relationship in Him.
~Scott~
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