Pastor Cal Lord's Recent Sermons
Real Men Do Eat Quiche!
November 2, 2003 John 11:33-35
What do you think of when you picture Jesus in your mind? Philip Yancy asks that question is
his book, “The Jesus I Never Knew.” He goes on to say many of us picture him as a nice, gentle,
blond haired, “Mr. Rogers” type who went around doing good. We rarely ever imagine him
getting angry. We rarely ever see him doing real stuff with his friends. He doesn’t laugh or kid
with them. He simply walks with them like a benevolent presence. The halo is always there in
our imaginations because he is God afterall.
Having said that, Yancy then goes on to show us the “real Jesus” as depicted in Scripture and it
is a real eye opener. For Jesus is every bit as human as the rest of us are. He is tough, he gets
angry, he jokes with the disciples and even enjoys some playful fun. He is a man of many
emotions.
I think it is very interesting that one of the most beloved images of Jesus is that of a shepherd.
The truth is that the image doesn’t really do much for us today because most of us don’t know
any shepherds. The closest we’ve ever come to one is the image in our stain glass window over
there. The gentle, humble servant caring for his sheep. Maybe that’s why we have such a timid
image of Jesus in our minds.
But real shepherds were quite different from that. They were men’s men… John Wayne or
Claude Van Damn types. They lived outdoors most of the year and were ready to battle wolves
and wild animals with their bear hands if need be. They were hardened and strong. They were
the type of men that Bruce Feirstein depicted as “real men” in his 1980’s book, ’Real Men Don’t
Eat Quiche’.
Flex Crush was the main character in the book and he was a 225 pound nuclear waste driver
who claimed to be one of the last Real Men in existence. After eating a breakfast that would
normally feed 4 men, Flex is quoted as saying… " We’ve become a nation of wimps, Pansies,
and Quiche eaters. Alan Alda types - who cook and clean and relate to their wives."
Flex went on to say that there were only two types of men in the world today…Those who eat
quiche and those that don’t. He followed with a list of things that Real men don’t do:
* Real Men eat meat and potatoes.
* Real Men hunt big game.
* Real Men bust broncos.
* Real Men don’t know how to cook.
* Real Men don’t cry.
* Real Men don’t feel things like sorrow, pity, love, warmth, and sincerity.
* Real Men do not relate to anything. They do not have meaningful dialogues. They do not talk
about personal space and shared experiences.
* Real Men realize that while birds, flowers, poetry, and small children do not add up to the
quality of life in quite the same manner as a Super Bowl and six-pack of Bud, he’s learned to
appreciate them anyway.
* Above all else…Real men Don’t eat quiche
Well now…. Confession time……My name is Cal Lord…..and a few years ago Hal Brockway
made a quiche and brought it into church for a breakfast… and I liked it. And I’ll tell you what: I
don’t think liking quiche has anything to do with being a “real man.” Actually if you want to
know what being a “real man” is all about then you need to examine our passage this morning a
little more closely. Because right here, you see Jesus, the tough Shepherd, at a moment that truly
defines him as a man. The text simply says, “Jesus Wept.”
Two little words that pack a wallop. Most of the time when you hear of this verse, it usually
associated with trivia because it’s the shortest verse in the Bible. But rarely is much more said
about it.
But forget about that. Do you know why Jesus wept? This is one of only two times that it is
recorded that Jesus wept? It doesn’t seem to make sense. Jesus knew what the outcome was
going to be, the raising of Lazarus….so why did he weep?
Well you have to understand who Lazarus was in the first place. He was Jesus’ friend. He and
his sisters, Mary and Martha, had a deep and abiding relationship with Jesus. The Bible doesn’t
fill us in on all the details but we see the girls with Jesus often enough to know that he had
touched them deeply and they had become an important part of their lives. This is brought out
even more clearly in our text when the onlookers note how much Jesus loved Lazarus.
The scene unfolds as Jesus receives word that Lazarus is deathly ill and instead of rushing to his
side, he waits and continues doing what he was doing. Most of us are perplexed by this and the
two sisters in our story get downright angry. Like us, they can’t understand Jesus’ motives and
rationale fro not rushing to their side. Each one said the same thing….Martha in verse 20 and
Mary in verse 32… "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died"
We can relate to that. Haven’t we asked the same thing? How many times have we waited just
like they did? "Why isn’t Jesus here when we need him?" "Why doesn’t God hurry up and do
something?" "Where were you, Jesus?"
In another book entitled “Disappointment with God” Philip Yancy shares how so many of us
have experienced the “tarrying Jesus” and become disenchanted because he failed to act in the
way we wanted. We’ve prayed, but no answers have come. We’ve pleaded, but God has
delayed. We’ve waited, but he hasn’t arrived. Or so it seemed.
We don’t know why Jesus waits here, and the truth is that no amount of theologizing and
explaining can satisfy us. Even more perplexing is Jesus’ response when he arrives. It is then and
there, that the Lord of Lords stops dead in his tracks and begins to cry. Not a tear or two rolling
down his cheek, but a heartfelt wail that causes all around him to shudder and marvel at the love
that is within his heart.
I’ll never forget the funeral of one of my high school acquaintances. Actually it wasn’t the
funeral but what happened outside afterwards. The father of one friends of the boy who died
came out the church and then began to cry out loud, deep and anguished and echoing through
the trees. I’ve always envisioned that scene, when I read these verses. Because Jesus didn’t
simply cry, he wept.
We are so sophisticated these days that we want to figure out why Jesus cried when he knew
that he was going to raise Lazarus in a few minutes. There are no shortages of answers for that
question. Various theologians have offered reasons for it over the years.
1) Some argued that Jesus was crying for the crowd because of their lack of faith. He looked
deep into their hearts and realized that they did not understand him or his mission. They didn’t
understand the matters about life and death the way he did. They didn’t understand that he had
the power to bring Lazarus back to life. He was weeping for the crowd because they didn’t
believe in him.
2) Some say Jesus was weeping because he hated to bring Lazarus back from heaven. He knew
that heaven was a wonderful place, and he was crying because he had to bring him back to earth
to show his glory.
3) Others say Jesus was weeping tears of rage at the evil of death and sin. He grieved because of
the sinfulness of humans and the death that followed that sin into the world.
4) Many say that Jesus was weeping for himself. He was crying in anticipation of his own death.
He knew that the miracle he was about to perform would inflame the situation in Jerusalem and
turn the Pharisees against him. And, in fact, John says that’s exactly what happened after this
miracle. He was weeping because he was thinking about his own coming death on the cross
Personally I see the human side of Jesus coming through. I see a fifth and much more viable
reason for why he cried. Very simply put… Jesus cried because he cared. Simple and too the
point.
If you look at verse 33;
33When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he
was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. 34"Where have you laid him?" he asked.
"Come and see, Lord," they replied. 35Jesus wept
Did you catch that at the end of verse 33? When Jesus saw her weeping, as well as the Jews
around her, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled.
He cried for the same reason we cry at funerals. He grieved with Mary and Martha. Jesus loved
them and Lazarus. He grieved that Lazarus had died. He identified with their pain and he
understood their tears. That’s what friends do. They cry when you cry.
When Jesus wept he was saying to us “I know what grief is all about. I know this is not the way
it was meant to be. I know that death is awful. I know that separation from those you love is
horrible, especially when their time is cut short due to the irresponsibility of other free-will
human beings
Let me tell you a little story that will put it all into context for you. There are many different
versions of this story out there but they pretty much all get the same point across.
There was this little girl who came home late one day from school and her mother was pretty
upset about it. Her mother really started to rant and rave over the fact that she was so late until
she finally settled down enough to ask her why she was late.
The girl told her mother that today was show and tell and that Sarah had brought a china doll that
he grandmother had given her and on the way home she dropped it and it broke and she stayed to
help her. Her mothers tone instantly changed and she told the little girl how proud she was that
she stopped to help Sarah fix her china doll. The little girl replied instantly and said " No Mommy
the doll was too broke to fix, I just stayed to help Sarah cry….
How Jesus-like this little girl was. She didn’t offer any advice, any funny story or even a piece of
chocolate cake to cheer her up. She simply sat down and helped her cry.
That’s why Jesus cried. He was helping Mary cry. He knew the miracle that was about to take
place, but he was moved and troubled. He had compassion for them in their sorrow. If there is
comfort in the presence of Jesus, there must also certainly be compassion.
Jesus wept. This was God’s big stick. Those two words speak volumes about who Jesus is.
Jesus is still weeping for us, or should I say, with us right now. When we cry….he’s right there
beside us doing the same thing.
Across the street from the bombed out Federal Building in Oklahoma City, where 168 people died
needlessly and senselessly, there stands a memorial. At the heart of that memorial is a nine foot
statue of Jesus. But this statue is not one of a stony Jesus with arms out wide like you may have
seen in the Ozarks or in Brazil. No, this is a nine foot statue of Jesus with his face in his hands,
turned slightly away from where the acts of terror took place, and the plaque reads, "And Jesus
Wept."
Jesus wept…is he any less of a man for it? Would any of you like to look Jesus in the eye and
tell him he’s not a real man because he cries.? I wouldn’t. I wouldn’t because I think the very
act of him crying showed just how much of a Real Man he was. And I want to be just like him.
I’m a crybaby at heart. My eyes tear up at the drop of a hat. And judging from the fact that my
size is bigger than most of you, I doubt if you would tell me either that I wasn’t a Real Man. But
you know, I’ve had great comfort knowing that God helps me cry. He helps me feel the pain.
And he tells me when I’ve cried enough.
And you know what? The things that are hurting you right now, at this very moment, brings
tears to his eyes. What ever you are struggling with, God is hurting with you. He is deeply
moved in spirit and troubled just as he was with Mary.
Let’s be thankful that we have a God that hurts with us. That cries with us. A God that would
eat Quiche.
November 2, 2003 John 11:33-35
What do you think of when you picture Jesus in your mind? Philip Yancy asks that question is
his book, “The Jesus I Never Knew.” He goes on to say many of us picture him as a nice, gentle,
blond haired, “Mr. Rogers” type who went around doing good. We rarely ever imagine him
getting angry. We rarely ever see him doing real stuff with his friends. He doesn’t laugh or kid
with them. He simply walks with them like a benevolent presence. The halo is always there in
our imaginations because he is God afterall.
Having said that, Yancy then goes on to show us the “real Jesus” as depicted in Scripture and it
is a real eye opener. For Jesus is every bit as human as the rest of us are. He is tough, he gets
angry, he jokes with the disciples and even enjoys some playful fun. He is a man of many
emotions.
I think it is very interesting that one of the most beloved images of Jesus is that of a shepherd.
The truth is that the image doesn’t really do much for us today because most of us don’t know
any shepherds. The closest we’ve ever come to one is the image in our stain glass window over
there. The gentle, humble servant caring for his sheep. Maybe that’s why we have such a timid
image of Jesus in our minds.
But real shepherds were quite different from that. They were men’s men… John Wayne or
Claude Van Damn types. They lived outdoors most of the year and were ready to battle wolves
and wild animals with their bear hands if need be. They were hardened and strong. They were
the type of men that Bruce Feirstein depicted as “real men” in his 1980’s book, ’Real Men Don’t
Eat Quiche’.
Flex Crush was the main character in the book and he was a 225 pound nuclear waste driver
who claimed to be one of the last Real Men in existence. After eating a breakfast that would
normally feed 4 men, Flex is quoted as saying… " We’ve become a nation of wimps, Pansies,
and Quiche eaters. Alan Alda types - who cook and clean and relate to their wives."
Flex went on to say that there were only two types of men in the world today…Those who eat
quiche and those that don’t. He followed with a list of things that Real men don’t do:
* Real Men eat meat and potatoes.
* Real Men hunt big game.
* Real Men bust broncos.
* Real Men don’t know how to cook.
* Real Men don’t cry.
* Real Men don’t feel things like sorrow, pity, love, warmth, and sincerity.
* Real Men do not relate to anything. They do not have meaningful dialogues. They do not talk
about personal space and shared experiences.
* Real Men realize that while birds, flowers, poetry, and small children do not add up to the
quality of life in quite the same manner as a Super Bowl and six-pack of Bud, he’s learned to
appreciate them anyway.
* Above all else…Real men Don’t eat quiche
Well now…. Confession time……My name is Cal Lord…..and a few years ago Hal Brockway
made a quiche and brought it into church for a breakfast… and I liked it. And I’ll tell you what: I
don’t think liking quiche has anything to do with being a “real man.” Actually if you want to
know what being a “real man” is all about then you need to examine our passage this morning a
little more closely. Because right here, you see Jesus, the tough Shepherd, at a moment that truly
defines him as a man. The text simply says, “Jesus Wept.”
Two little words that pack a wallop. Most of the time when you hear of this verse, it usually
associated with trivia because it’s the shortest verse in the Bible. But rarely is much more said
about it.
But forget about that. Do you know why Jesus wept? This is one of only two times that it is
recorded that Jesus wept? It doesn’t seem to make sense. Jesus knew what the outcome was
going to be, the raising of Lazarus….so why did he weep?
Well you have to understand who Lazarus was in the first place. He was Jesus’ friend. He and
his sisters, Mary and Martha, had a deep and abiding relationship with Jesus. The Bible doesn’t
fill us in on all the details but we see the girls with Jesus often enough to know that he had
touched them deeply and they had become an important part of their lives. This is brought out
even more clearly in our text when the onlookers note how much Jesus loved Lazarus.
The scene unfolds as Jesus receives word that Lazarus is deathly ill and instead of rushing to his
side, he waits and continues doing what he was doing. Most of us are perplexed by this and the
two sisters in our story get downright angry. Like us, they can’t understand Jesus’ motives and
rationale fro not rushing to their side. Each one said the same thing….Martha in verse 20 and
Mary in verse 32… "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died"
We can relate to that. Haven’t we asked the same thing? How many times have we waited just
like they did? "Why isn’t Jesus here when we need him?" "Why doesn’t God hurry up and do
something?" "Where were you, Jesus?"
In another book entitled “Disappointment with God” Philip Yancy shares how so many of us
have experienced the “tarrying Jesus” and become disenchanted because he failed to act in the
way we wanted. We’ve prayed, but no answers have come. We’ve pleaded, but God has
delayed. We’ve waited, but he hasn’t arrived. Or so it seemed.
We don’t know why Jesus waits here, and the truth is that no amount of theologizing and
explaining can satisfy us. Even more perplexing is Jesus’ response when he arrives. It is then and
there, that the Lord of Lords stops dead in his tracks and begins to cry. Not a tear or two rolling
down his cheek, but a heartfelt wail that causes all around him to shudder and marvel at the love
that is within his heart.
I’ll never forget the funeral of one of my high school acquaintances. Actually it wasn’t the
funeral but what happened outside afterwards. The father of one friends of the boy who died
came out the church and then began to cry out loud, deep and anguished and echoing through
the trees. I’ve always envisioned that scene, when I read these verses. Because Jesus didn’t
simply cry, he wept.
We are so sophisticated these days that we want to figure out why Jesus cried when he knew
that he was going to raise Lazarus in a few minutes. There are no shortages of answers for that
question. Various theologians have offered reasons for it over the years.
1) Some argued that Jesus was crying for the crowd because of their lack of faith. He looked
deep into their hearts and realized that they did not understand him or his mission. They didn’t
understand the matters about life and death the way he did. They didn’t understand that he had
the power to bring Lazarus back to life. He was weeping for the crowd because they didn’t
believe in him.
2) Some say Jesus was weeping because he hated to bring Lazarus back from heaven. He knew
that heaven was a wonderful place, and he was crying because he had to bring him back to earth
to show his glory.
3) Others say Jesus was weeping tears of rage at the evil of death and sin. He grieved because of
the sinfulness of humans and the death that followed that sin into the world.
4) Many say that Jesus was weeping for himself. He was crying in anticipation of his own death.
He knew that the miracle he was about to perform would inflame the situation in Jerusalem and
turn the Pharisees against him. And, in fact, John says that’s exactly what happened after this
miracle. He was weeping because he was thinking about his own coming death on the cross
Personally I see the human side of Jesus coming through. I see a fifth and much more viable
reason for why he cried. Very simply put… Jesus cried because he cared. Simple and too the
point.
If you look at verse 33;
33When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he
was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. 34"Where have you laid him?" he asked.
"Come and see, Lord," they replied. 35Jesus wept
Did you catch that at the end of verse 33? When Jesus saw her weeping, as well as the Jews
around her, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled.
He cried for the same reason we cry at funerals. He grieved with Mary and Martha. Jesus loved
them and Lazarus. He grieved that Lazarus had died. He identified with their pain and he
understood their tears. That’s what friends do. They cry when you cry.
When Jesus wept he was saying to us “I know what grief is all about. I know this is not the way
it was meant to be. I know that death is awful. I know that separation from those you love is
horrible, especially when their time is cut short due to the irresponsibility of other free-will
human beings
Let me tell you a little story that will put it all into context for you. There are many different
versions of this story out there but they pretty much all get the same point across.
There was this little girl who came home late one day from school and her mother was pretty
upset about it. Her mother really started to rant and rave over the fact that she was so late until
she finally settled down enough to ask her why she was late.
The girl told her mother that today was show and tell and that Sarah had brought a china doll that
he grandmother had given her and on the way home she dropped it and it broke and she stayed to
help her. Her mothers tone instantly changed and she told the little girl how proud she was that
she stopped to help Sarah fix her china doll. The little girl replied instantly and said " No Mommy
the doll was too broke to fix, I just stayed to help Sarah cry….
How Jesus-like this little girl was. She didn’t offer any advice, any funny story or even a piece of
chocolate cake to cheer her up. She simply sat down and helped her cry.
That’s why Jesus cried. He was helping Mary cry. He knew the miracle that was about to take
place, but he was moved and troubled. He had compassion for them in their sorrow. If there is
comfort in the presence of Jesus, there must also certainly be compassion.
Jesus wept. This was God’s big stick. Those two words speak volumes about who Jesus is.
Jesus is still weeping for us, or should I say, with us right now. When we cry….he’s right there
beside us doing the same thing.
Across the street from the bombed out Federal Building in Oklahoma City, where 168 people died
needlessly and senselessly, there stands a memorial. At the heart of that memorial is a nine foot
statue of Jesus. But this statue is not one of a stony Jesus with arms out wide like you may have
seen in the Ozarks or in Brazil. No, this is a nine foot statue of Jesus with his face in his hands,
turned slightly away from where the acts of terror took place, and the plaque reads, "And Jesus
Wept."
Jesus wept…is he any less of a man for it? Would any of you like to look Jesus in the eye and
tell him he’s not a real man because he cries.? I wouldn’t. I wouldn’t because I think the very
act of him crying showed just how much of a Real Man he was. And I want to be just like him.
I’m a crybaby at heart. My eyes tear up at the drop of a hat. And judging from the fact that my
size is bigger than most of you, I doubt if you would tell me either that I wasn’t a Real Man. But
you know, I’ve had great comfort knowing that God helps me cry. He helps me feel the pain.
And he tells me when I’ve cried enough.
And you know what? The things that are hurting you right now, at this very moment, brings
tears to his eyes. What ever you are struggling with, God is hurting with you. He is deeply
moved in spirit and troubled just as he was with Mary.
Let’s be thankful that we have a God that hurts with us. That cries with us. A God that would
eat Quiche.
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