Nothing satisfies our heart, mind and soul as does the presence of the omnipresent God. Man’s greatest loss came with the understanding that God’s presence was no longer his to be enjoyed at will. Man’s greatest treasure comes with the understanding that God made a way for His presence to be known again.
Here’s a little snack: The knowing of the absence of God’s presence and the knowledge of His now available presence are almost always synonymous. Rarely will someone come to an understanding of the absence of God without the presence of the Gospel (the good news that God is available through the His Son), and never will a person come to know the presence of God without that same Gospel. In other words, a man may know something is missing, and set out on a journey to find that which is missing. But he will never secure that which is missing (the presence of God) without the Gospel.
You see, the Gospel, in that way, has a double effect. It is good news only because it makes us aware of the bad news. If there is no bad news, the good news is only… news. It’s the unveiling of bad news that makes the good news so good. And the greatest good in the good news of the Gospel is the available presence of a previously absent God. In this way, the discovery of the absence of God is actually… good news.
This is seen clearly in John’s 11th Gospel chapter- the story of the raising of Lazarus from the grave. Upon hearing that Lazarus was now dead, after a terminal illness, Jesus gave a startling revelation. He said in verse 15, “And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him.” Here we see a clear presentation of the Gospel.
This verse makes us privy to an emotion of Christ that has, till now, been absent from our understanding: the emotion of gladness. Jesus was glad! What an overwhelming thought: Jesus was glad! Even Jesus knew the emotion of gladness. And why shouldn’t He? He is in fact the source of all true gladness. Any worthy, eternal gladness of value comes from knowing Jesus. We speak of Christ’s knowledge of the emotion of gladness as if God should be numb to the emotions of man. We think that gladness is reserved for humans and that God knowing the emotion of man makes Him somehow less than God and too much like man… but Jesus was glad! “Glad” is why we refer to the death, burial and resurrection of Christ as the Gospel… for it is the “good news” of Jesus.
Oh how the nations would rejoice if they could only share in this gladness! David understood this principle of gladness. He said in his 67th Psalm, “O let the nations be gladand sing for joy: for thou shalt judge the people righteously, and govern the nations upon earth. Selah.” What is the greatest emotion of the Gospel of peace? Gladness! Gladness of the revelation that God has come to earth in the likeness of man that He might redeem His people from His wrath. This is the good (glad) news of the Gospel!
This is why the angel of the Lord spoke so specifically of the coming of Christ. “And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.” (Luke 2:10) Think about it! The angel of the Lord was sent by God to deliver a single message to all the nations- and what was that message? JOY! And how would God establish such joy on earth? By the sending of His Son, Jesus Christ, the long awaited Messiah, that He might redeem otherwise condemned men. “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” And take notice, when the angel of the Lord delivered this glorious, good news, all of heaven shouted! “And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”
The good news of the Gospel is the joy that God has made His presence available to man through the redemptive blood of His Son. And this joy is not only reserved for man, but even the nations shall be made glad. Oh, the power of the Gospel!
And what was it that Jesus was glad about? “And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there…” (Verse 15) Jesus was glad that He was not there when Lazarus died. And why? “to the intent ye may believe.” Oh the sovereignty! Jesus let Lazarus die. Jesus had control over the life and death of His friend, and He let him die. At first glance this might seem cruel. Lazarus suffered from a terminal illness, to the point of death. In addition, Lazarus’ family had to watch him suffer. What pain they endured while caring for their brother and friend. All the while, Jesus could have stopped every ounce of pain… but didn’t. In fact, He was glad!
It’s true! The suffering and inevitable death of a friend was the sovereign working of gladness. We are quickly reminded of Isaiah 53:10, “Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put [him] to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see [his] seed, he shall prolong [his] days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.” It troubles our fleshly heart to think that God could glory and be made glad in our times of struggle, pain and even death. However, our sadness is turned to joy when we realize that it is through our suffering that God’s glory is revealed. “…to the intent that ye may believe.”
Again, the Gospel is presented in vivid, high definition. First we see the absence of God, “And I am glad… that I was not there.” Secondly, we see the need for faith “…to the intent ye may believe.” And lastly, we see the presence of God restored, “nevertheless let us go unto him.”
May we rejoice, in gladness, in times of sorrow. For it is in our weakness, through Him, we are made strong.
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