 The importance of tears  The Layman Volume 41, Number 3, Posted May 29, 2008
None of us wants to be told we are wrong. And no one wants to be known as the troublemaker of God’s people (see 1 Kings 18:16-18). Nevertheless, acting prophetically is essential. It was important in the days of Moses, Elijah and Jesus, and it is important today. As devoted followers of Christ, we are to clearly point out and stand against sin and injustice in our own time and of our own people, preserving the good and illuminating the bad. Or, as Jesus puts it, we are the salt of the earth and the light of the world (Matthew 5:13-16). As children of the light, we are to “have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them (Ephesians 5:11, NKJ).” On the whole, orthodox evangelical Christians have done pretty well in this regard. We consistently – not perfectly – call a wandering church back to the essentials of the faith time and time again. In the spirit of the prophet, we plead with God’s people to cease from their self-imposed wilderness journey and “ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is, and walk in it (Jeremiah 6:16, ESV).” While this is not a pleasant task, it is a necessary one that God calls us to and we must do our Lord’s bidding. In fact, a good case can be built that it is Biblically-faithful Christians who God continues to work through to build His Kingdom. We are pointing to the Scriptures as the only sure rule of faith and practice, and issuing clarion calls to repent and turn back to the Lord. So, this is proper and good, and needs to continue. However, I believe many of us are missing a key ingredient. Dr. Steve Brown of Reformed Theological Seminary, and a speaker on the Key Life radio program, gave an opening keynote address to the National Religious Broadcasters convention in March based on Jesus weeping over Jerusalem. He argued that we need to season our voices of judgment with compassion. Dr. Brown said a prophetic word without tears is self-righteousness. That thought has haunted me ever since I heard it. Where are our tears? Why aren’t we more passionately concerned about those who are running headlong down the road to destruction? Could it be that our lack of compassion is actually impeding spiritual revival and renewal? Weeping often is paired with warning in Scripture. A quick overview shows that tears were not foreign to the pronouncements of the Biblical prophets:
So, in both the Old and New Testaments, tears were a staple of the prophet’s delivery, evidencing compassion with the pronouncement of judgment. Perhaps the reason we do not see more repentance is in part due to our lack of tears. Maybe because the Reformed faith emphasizes the cognitive is the reason many of us are bereft of tears. We are rightfully a people of the Word, for it alone can discern the thoughts and intents of the heart (Hebrews 4:12). But without the regular watering of tears, our firm stands can become brittle, hard-edged and Pharisaical. When was the last time you wept over the condition of the church, our country, or even a lost loved one? Perhaps you would join me in prayer for the Lord to provide His compassion for His people for those of us engaged in prophetic work. I don’t believe we will see success until we go forth with tears of compassion for those who oppose us and oppose God. We must stand prophetically and plead passionately for repentance. Jesus asks us to do so, and the Church and the world needs us to do so. But we should not do it with dry eyes. Charles F. Burge, executive director of the Presbyterian Lay Committee, has served as Presbyterian elder, interim pastor, writer and reporter. |
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